The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-05-07
OPPOSITION ITO THE SUMMIT AVE
NUE. CAR LINE sEEMs INsUR-
MOUNTABLE.
PROPERTY OWNERS WR0TH.
NOT ONLY THOSE 2ON THE STREETS
PROPOSED TO BE
USED,
BUT THOSE OF SEVEN CORNERS.
Assembly Committee on Streets FL
nally Defers the Whole Matter
for Two Weeks.

The ordinance introduced at the last
| meeting of the assembly by Mr.. Kirke
relative to the changing Of the cable to
an electric line, has met with decided
| opposition. 1t was stated at the time
the ordinance was handed in that 1t
would solve the problem of through
line to Merriam park and at the same
| time do away with the danger attend
ing the operation of cars on the Selby
avenue hill. The ordinance provided
for electric cars being operated On
Fourth, Wabasha, Tenth and Rice
streets, Summit. Nelson and Earring
ton avenues to Selby avenue. Mr.
I Kirke had explained that there was
practically. no opposition to his ord1n-
ance and as nothing to the contrary
developed at the meeting of the COM
mittee on streets of the assembly Mon
day, the ordinance was recommended
to pass.
There was developed considerable
opposition to the passage of the Or
dinance at an adjourned meeting OF
the committee yesterday afternoon,
and the result was that the measure
was laid over for two weeks.
Fred Ingersoll, who acted as chair
man of meeting of property owners
on Summit and Nelson avenues from
Rice street to Harrington avenue, held
earlier in the afternoon, headed a dele
cation of twenty-five who appeared be-
| fore the committee. Another score OF
business men, representing property in
the vicinity Of the Seven Corners, pro-
| tested against the discontinuance OF
| the line on West Third and Fourth
| Streets on the ground that it would be
! detrimental to business and property
| interests in that section. Mr.. Ingessoll
| informed the committee that he repre-
| scented owners who had about 2,400
! feet of property on Summit and Nelson
avenues between Rice street and Far
| rington avenue Mr.. IngersOll said the
| property owners on Summit and Mel
son avenues desired to protest against
| the so-called Mirke ordinance. The line
would do great damage to the street,
particularly Nelson avenue. The street
was now only thifty-two feet wide
| and if a double line of tracks was put
! down, but sixteen feet would be left
i for travel. The property owners had
! paid for boulevarding and paving the
| street and had also erected a number
! of handsome residences on the theory
| that no street car lines would beoopef-
! ated there. The people in business near
! the Seven corners also objected to be-
/ ing left without street car service. Mr..
| Ingersoll asked how the people on the
! hill were forget to the various churches
| except by going; a roundabout. way. on
!. Tenth Rice and Wabasha streets. In
/ reply lto5 a. question rtNr. Ingersoll said;
! to his personal view the: sentiment of
L liz, +r,-M
| favor of the present line and a device
| on the hill such as was being used in
| other cities. He thought up Third
| street to Dayton avenue and on Day
| ton avenue and then through the Day
! property to Selby avenue would be
| good route. This was simply his per-
| sonal opinion, however, and not that
| Of the gentlemen he represented.
| Capt. Berkey's. best judgment was
| that no change was necessary. There
| had been but one accident, and he could
! not conceive why there should be 4
| desire to change. The trick to secure
| device was not a hard one. The
I present rout, inethe judgment of nine
| tenths of the people on the hill, was
| lot of people living in st. Paul, he was
| sorry to say, who were kickers and
| would keep on kicking at every oppor-
| tunity In his opinion there was nc
| need Of change.
! T. D. O'Brien spoke for property OWL
| ers on Nelson and Summit avenues.
| When the cable was put in it was
understood and the ordinance was
| changed so that the company waived
| the right to lay tracks. on Summit,
| Nelson and other avenues. Since thar
| time a number of fine residences hal
| been built and the. street narrowed by
! putting in a boulevard down to thir-
| ty-twc feet. This had been done, oW-
| ing to the agreement that the. street
railway company had waived the rights
| to put tracks on the street. 1t was
! the duty of the street car company
! to solve the problem and carry out
their system sof as to furnish proper
| accommodations to the citizens. PEG
pies improvements and property should
| be left alone, and, after a line had been
| constructed OH any Street, it should not
! be changed as It would decrease the
| value of property and in this view any
| change should be seriously considered
| by the council Messrs. Moore and
| Defel said that, if the change was
made, they would lose more than it
| would cost the city railway company
| to put in a device on the hill which
| would make travel safe.
| B. Zimmerman said the people OIL
I Third, Fourth and Seventh streets pro-
| tested against the removal Of the
| tracks. The change would simply rob
the owners of improved property, as
| blocks had been put up, owing to the
street car lines being operated as now.
| Mr.. Kirke suggested that a route
| which would go over Fort street from
| Seven corners and then on Rice, Sum-
| NIT. Nelson and on Harrington to Sell
! by would do away with the objections
| of the property owners at the Seven
( corners. He said lit didn't make any
| difference to him which of the two
| routes was taken. Either one would
| do away with the danger from the
| Selby avenue hill. There were. only
! two routes to get up the hill without
| a. device. The line, he thought, would
never be changed SO long as the COM
pany had to- put in a device. He
| thought the main objection came from
! the property owners, and not from the
general public, who were interested
in seeing a good service to Merriam
PARK. and avoiding the danger of the
| Selby avenue hill. The hour of 6 hav-
/ ing arrived, Mr.. Kirke said he had
| no objection to the ordinance being
| laid over two weeks, in order to give
| those opposed a chance to be heard.
| and this was done.
| STRIKE OF THE COOPERs.