The Portland daily press., 1897-12-27
TUKEY'S BRIDGE.
Portland Railroad Company Makes
a Protest.
CLAIMS THAT IT IS NOT FAIRLY
Treated.

The Terms of the Protest of the Portland
Co.-Mayor Randall Makes a State
ment-The Matter viii Come Up Next
Week in tho Council.
When tbs city fathers get together a
week from tonight for the fir st
meeting Of the new year there are likely
to be some matters of moro than ordin-
airy interest to be considered. The ques-
ton of the manual training school is
still hanging in the balance and the
terms regulating the crossing Of the new
Tukey's bridge by the two electric rail
roads are again to be under discussion.
The action of the city government in
passing the order providing that the
Yarmouth road shall pay $500 year to
the city for so years, instead of requiring
them to pay the sum Of $40, 900 as was done
in the case of the Portland Railroad COM
pany has been the subject Of good deal
of discussion and comment and it has
been followed by the fling of protest
by the Portland road. This protest is as
follows:
''To the Honorable Board of Mayor and
Aldermen of the City of Portland:
Respectfully represents the Portland
Railroad company that on the seventh
day of December, 1897, your Honorable
Board passed two certain orders fixing
the terms on which the Portland Rail
road company and the Portland and
Yarmouth Electric Railway company
should have the right to cross, with their
respective tracks, Tukey's bridge, by
which orders each of said railroads was
required to pay to said city the sum of
twenty thousand dollars, in ten annual
installments, with interest at five per
cent on all deferred payments. That re-
lying upon the assurances of the commit
tee of your Honorable Board having
said matter in charge that no discrimina
ton would DO made between the two COM
panies, and also upon the fairness of your
Honorable Board in the treatment of a
home corporation, lac Portland Railroad
company within the time limited in said
order, accepted the terms and conditions
therein specified, and executed an agree
ment to pay the sum of twenty thousand
dollars to said city of Portland in ac-
ccrdanoe with its terms. That on the
twenty second day of December your
Honorable Board passed an order by
which they granted to said Portland and
Yarmouth Electric Railway company the
right to cross said Tukey's bridge with
its tracks, on terms much more favorable
than those granted to this company. By
this order said Portland and Yarmouth
Electric Railway company are relieved
from the obligation of ever paying said
principa l@um of twenty thousand dol
lars, and are obliged only to pay interest
on said sum upon four per cent basis
for the term of ninety nine years and are
further relieved from the obligation to
al 1taiD In aiv.+
substructure of the portion of said bridge
occupied by its tracks and from the re-
stfiction of not allowing the use of its
tracks on said bridge by any other road,
as required by the original order and
imposed upon the Portland Railroad COM
pany.
1.-The Portland Railroad company. feel
ing aggrieved at the discrimination thus
exercised to it's detriment, hereby re-
quests your Honorable Board to modify
it's order heretofore made fixing the
terms on which this company shall lay
its tracks on said bridge, and to grant to
this company the right to cross said
bridge on the same terms which have
been granted to said Portland and Var
mouth Electric Railway company, and
that the agreement between this COM
DanY and said city may be modified ac-
cordingly,
yenty-fourth day of December, A. D.,
1851.
"(Signed) Portland Railroad Com
pany, by VIM Il. Wood, |
VIM 6. Davis, J S. Rick
er, Charles f. Libby, Am
mi Whitney, Payson Tuck |
err Directors.
A. PRESS reporter Saturday evening
brought the matter to the attention |
OF Mayor Randall and the Mayor
spoke freely in expressing his views
both on the general subject of the
manner in which thu roads should pay |
for the use Of the bridge and the form of
the order in relation to the Yarmouth |
road. MIR. Randall in substance said: |
1t seems to me that the order in regard to |
the Yarmouth road virtually loans to |
that road $40, COO and the road in return |
simply agrees to pay the interest The |
city spent $40, 900 to make the new bridge
wide enough and strong enough to pro-
vide for the tracks of the two roads. Tt
was then proposed to require each to pay |
$50, 600. Now instead of paying this sum
the Yarmouth road asks the privilege
of using the bridge and paying the in
terest at four per cent on the amount |
An impression has prevailed that as the |
charter Of the Yarmouth road allowed it |
TO Cross the bridge it could do so without |
paying anything. This is not so as the |