The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-08-02
THE CITY FATHERS.
They Voted Last Night To Demolish
Park Street School House.
ALDERMAN ROUNDS IN TRAINING
FOR THE LEGISLATURE.

He Got Rubber Tires for the Patrol Wag-
| on, Brought up the Question of the City
Physician and the Navy and Shnt off
the Free Rides of the Board of Health
on the Fire Boat-Pole Rights Granted
the Yarmouth Road-Mr. Rounds
| Wants To Know if Ward Seven Is a
City by Itself.
Alderman Rounds is in training for his
legislative career. The city fathers met
last night and the Alderman talked on
many diverse subjects. He brought be-
fore the board many matters. Among
other things.he secured authority to have
the patrol wagon equipped with rubber
tires. he cut off the board of health's
free excursions on the fire boat, he in
| troduced the question of the relation of
City Physician Smith to the government
of the city of Portland and the United
States navy, he waved eloquent and sar :
castle over the amount OF work being
done on the streets in Ward 7,apd he con-
Quoted vigorous, if unsuccessful, fight
against the orders granting pole rights
to the Yarmouth railroad anda providing
for the demolition of the Park street
school house. The latter question was
in some respects the most important of
the matters acted upon. Opposition to
the order by Messrs. Rounds and Man
mix was not based on hostility to the
erection of a new building but to the
passage OF the order at this time. They
claimed that the city government should
not be:precipitate, but take.time to consid-
or whether the present walls could not be
utilized or if not, what should be done
with the material in the present struc-
ture. The lower board ratified all the
doings of the upper. Most of the time
during the three and half hours the
session lasted the counoilmen spent
listening to the gentleman from Three.
He made the meeting entertaining al
though the show was long.
THE QUESTION OF POLES.
The petition of the Atlantic Telegraph
company to erect poles WAS explained
by Hon. John W. Deering, the president
of the company. Alderman Rounds
thought some of the locations were in
Deering. He did not think Portland
could grant pole rights in Deering.
The order of the erection of the poles on
Grove street and Washburn avenue was
lpassed.
An order was passed giving the Port
land Railroad company pole rights on
Washington street, upon the favorable
report of Alderman Rounds for the COM
mittee.
Then came the petition of the Var
mouth road to erect poles on Washington,
Oxford and Elm streets, the company in
tending to use the poles already along the
line and the property OF other corpora.
lions where practicable. Alderman
Rounds made objection that thu petition
should not include locations where the
com pany is to use the poles Of other com.
panies. He thought that il the compa
MES quarreled about it, there might be
poles erected side by side.
Seth L. Larrabee, Esq.,, explained in
behalf of the company that arrangement
had been made to use the poles of the
Portland Railroad company. the Postal
Telegraph company and the Cape rail
road company, but the petition had been
made to cover the pole rights for the
whole route so that there might be NO
question as to the roads right of way.
The order to grant the location was
then put before the board for vote, and
Alderman Rounds moved to amend it in
way to enforce his objection.
There seemed to be good deal of doubt
as to just how the gentleman's amend
ment should be worded. The Mayor sug-
aested that Alderman Rounds write out
the amendment,
Mr.. Rounds said it was the city clerk s
business to do the writing.
| The Mayor asked for further explana.
ton Of the gentleman's views, and got
it as follows, the alderman from the third
ward sweeping a paper from his desk
with vigorous gesture as he exclaimed
"There's a lot of poles down there
stuck up and if you go down there you'll
see 'em, or you'll run into them. What
1 want is no more poles stuck up along
side of 'en. believe this line of poles
was sprung on the board when was
away and the alderman from two was
hanIed in to make quorum.
Mr.. Mannix-"What year was that?''
MIR. Rounds-"H"
And the gentleman from two had thus
cleared himself of the charge of being
hauled in to make quorum.
Mr.. sprague asked if the amendment
had been seconded.
| Mr.. Rounds-"I6 hasn't been read yet,
and if there's to be any outside prompt
ing here Cooking at the fgentlemen sit
ing near the Mayor) we'd better know
It,"
City Clerk Dyer read the amendment
as he had written it, but it did not quite
meet the case. Mr.. Rounds suggested
that the way to do it was ito scratch
out the whole lot of poles in front of the
houses along there" Mr.'Dyer did not
NUT the amendment in that FORM The