The age-herald., 1898-03-15
SPECIAL MEETING
 OF CITY COUNCIL To Consider Proposition of the Southern
 Bell Telephone Company. MANY THOUSAND DOLLARS Fill Be Expended if the Board Mill Grant
 the Privileges Asked. ALL WIRES TO BE PUT UNDERGROUND In the Business Portion of City-The Matter Referred to Judiciary and Special Com
 hittee, to Be Reported Back
 Wednesday Night.
ALL WIRES TO BE PUT UNDERGROUND

The very latest and most improved Sys-
 tenn of telephones for Birmingham. This is what the Southern Bell Telephone company proposes to put into this city at the earliest date possible. That is as
 soon as they can get the proper crdin- ances and franchises from the city. There are several important features of
 the new system. In the first place, en-
 tirely new wires, instruments and equip
 ments will be put in. Under this system
 connections will be made by simply talk
 ing the ear-piece from the instrument, giy-
 ing Central the number wanted. and then proceed with the conversation. When through hang up the ear-piece. No cali ing off" when through talking, no con- fused medley of voices heard every time the telephone is used, no worry, no "cuss- ing.'
 In the second place, there will be no over
 head wires in the business part of the
 city. All will be placed underground.
 This will remove the unsightly nuisance of
 several thousand wires strung along the
 streets.
 The third feature is that long distance
 telephone connections will be made With
 Nashville and Montgomery, giving tele-
 phonic communication with nearly all or
 Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Geor-
 gia.
 Special Meeting
 A special meeting of the board of alder
 men was held last night to consider the
 ordinances asked for by the telephone
 company Mayor Evans and Aldermen
 Lynaugh, Wheeler, Ashford Rainbow,
 Kerr, Drennen, Graham, Hamilton, Gray,
 Pearce and Hentchel were present The ordinance which the telephone com
 pany wanted passed asked permission of
 the board to erect poles and lay sub-ways
 for the purpose of operating telephone system. It provides that this work shall be done under the supervision Of the city electrician and oblgates the telephone com pany to repair all sidewalks and streets which may be torn up in carrying out the work It further provides that one arm or the telephone poles and one duet or the
 subway shall be given to the city Tor
 police calls, fire calls, etc. The company ages caused to person or property Tn rhe erection of the system.
 All Wires Underground Another ordinance offered provided that after May 1 it shall be unlawful for any telegraph, telephone or any other company of this character to erect poles ana strinB wires within that portion Of the city bounded by the north side or Fourth ave- me the south side of Powell avenue, the east side of Twenty-frst street and the
 west side of Eighteenth street. Companies now operating by the overhead system must make the change to the under ground system before Dec. 31, 1898. Chief Mullin of the Birmingham fire de- partment stated to the board that 1t was absolutely necessary that the numerous overhead wires be removed if the best service were to be obtained from the ire department as they interfered greatly with the raising of high ladders. Chief Mullen in his annual report strongly recommended that all telephone, telegraph and burglar x,,;, Ia r.la if was the outcome of this recommendation that the above ordinances were asked by the telephone company.
 Thought Rates Too High Alderman Pearce said that he thought l that the telephone rates in Birmingham were higher than in other cities Of like | size. and suggested that committee m | vestigate this question together with the | question of license, which had heretofore | caused some trouble.
 MT. Gentry of the telephone company l then stated in full the plans of his com- | pany. As soon as he heard of the move | ment to force wires underground, he had cor ferred with the officials of his conn pany to see If they were able to stand the l expense of changing to the Underground system. Qaughter).
 He stated that his company would give | a $5 OOO or $10 00O bond to repair the streets; | that long-distance telephones could not be connected with the system now in use in | Birmingham It had not the terminal facil- ] Sties He said that Atlanta, Nashville, | Charleston, and, in fact, nearly every | southern city had rates as high or higher | than Birmingham. It was only in cities | where there was fierce competition that | they were cut, which was of no benefit to anybody. He stated that his company would | spend many thousand dollars in putting in l the new system, and they were entitled to l a fair return on the investment. MT. Gentry's Description His description of the features of the new system was the same as that given at the beginning of this story.
 The company also asked thalt the follow l ing amendment be made to ordinances al- ready existing: First, some poles will have to be placed In the alleys dn order to dis tribute the wires to the rear of the build | ings from the underground subways. Sec ond, and some ambiguous ordinances in regard to the overhead wines of the electric light and street car people be strengthened out Third, that the telephone company be no longer required to use 35-foot poles for it's overhead wires. The trolley wire of the street cars is only Is feet above the ground and tt is no longer necessary to have the telephone wires so high l Mayor Evans wanted to know what privi- l leges and fayors the telephone company would give the city. Mir. Gentry replied | that he did not know. He said that his company had always endeavored to be req sonable.
 Referred to a Special Committee Alderman Gray said the present system | was almost unbearable and moved that 1 the ordinances be referred to a special conn mittee of five in addition to the judiciary committee to be considered and reported back to the next meeting of the board, which was carried unanimously. The ju-