The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-17
BOTH COMPANIES GET GRANTS.
brush AND EDISON ORDINANCES
PASSED by COUNCIL.

quires That Both Companies He-
serve One or More Ducts in Con-
duSt for Use of City-OrdinaBces
Providing Spark Arresters, and
Regulating Palvnbrokers Also
Pass-Other Matters Before COun-
ell.
The Brush and Edison electric lighting
companies were given the right by Coun-
ell last night to construct overhead and
underground systems in Savannah. BY
an amendment to both ordinances the
companies are required to begin work
within three months. and complete 1t with
in eighteen months. The ordinance re-
quiring engines on the river and along
the river front to have spark arresters on
smokestacks, and that regulating pawn
brokers, also become laws
1t has been some time since Council
wound up its business so promptly. When
the board entered the long room at 8
O'Clock all of the aldermen were present,
except Aldermen O'Donnen and Krous-
koff. The new member of the
board, Alderman ]. R. John
He sits to the Mayors left, between AL
dermen Duncan and Guckenheimer. AS
he was elected to take the place of Mr..
R. N. Hull, resigned, Alderman Johnson
has been assigned to the committee on
accounts and also the special committee
on railways. :
When the Edison Company ordinance was
put on It's passage, a number of amend
ments were offered by Alderman Davis,
chairman of the street and lane commit
tee. The ordinance had been referred TO
the committee to report to the committee
of the whole, and as Alderman Davis was
making the report to Council, the board
went through red tape proceeding hy
resolving itself into a committee of the
whole, received the report and then dis
solved into an open meeting. The amend
ments adopted TO the original ordinance,
which gives the company the right to build
its systems, the underground to be be-
tween River, Lincoln, Broughton and
Montgomery streets, are as follows:
Whenever practicable in the judgment
of the committee on streets and lanes,
the said company shall use the poles of
other electric companies;
Should the company use conduits, it
shall reserve one or more conduits for the
use of the city of Savannah, without
charge to the city.
IAN the underground work under the
permission granted by this ordinance shall
be done under the supervision of an in
spector, to be appointed by the commit
tee on streets and lanes, at an expense not
to exceed So a day, TO be paid by the COM
pany.
The work shall be begun within three
months from the dale of the passage of
this ordinance, and shall be completed
within eighteen months"
On former occasions it has been decided
the city has no right to give one company
rights to use the poles of another. as the
first amendment would seem to indicate
but when attention was called to the fact
Mayor Meldrim stated the clause was to
be literally construed, the purpose being
more to regulate the erection of poles in
the company's interests, than to interfere
in any way with private rights.
When the Brush company's ordinance
was read, which is practically the same
thing, with the exception of the bounda-
ries for the underground system which
are to be between Bay, Abercorn, State
and West Broad streets, it was passed
with the same amendments as above at
tached The effect of the amendments or
whether the companies win be able TO
comply with them, is not known. They
are more exacting on the Edison than the
/ Brush company, particularly that relating
to the time within which work is to be
! commenced. AS has been stated in the
/ Morning News, the Edison company is
said TO be in shape to commence its oper-
atoms, having obtained ats charter and
necessary franchises, but the actual re-
mains 10 be done. A suitable site for the
location of q power house. which will
! probably be along the river front, is one
of the things to which the company will
first direct its attention. If there is diff
| Guilty in securing a desirable locality, or
in getting the necessary supplies to Sa-
vannah, il may be The company will not
be able to start work. In this event how
ever. Council would probably grant an ex-
tension of time.
Mr.. J. Randolph Anderson and Mr.
George j. Baldwin, representing the Edi-
son company and Mr.. Abram Minis rep
resenting the Brush company, were pres
ent at the meeting.
law long ago wanted by property own
ers along the river has at last passed. 1t
provides that all river craft as well as
stationary engines on the wharves, shall
have spark arresters attached to smoke
stacks. Alderman Davis introduced the
ordinance recently, and as it met the
wishes of tax payers generally, 1t was
strongly supported. 4
Alderman Guckenhemer cast the only
dissenting vote He raised an objection
to that provision of the ordinance which
requires that steam be Kept up al all times
on river craft to be in constant readiness
for fire fighting. This he considered an
unnecessary precaution for the reason the
men did not work at nights, and to comply
with this clause would incur an uncalied
for expense. But Alderman Thomas set
| the objections aside with the argument
| that the wisdom of such a clause was at
tested TO by the fire commissioners, who
| had the ordinance introduce
| ed; also by the state
ment that majority of the river fires
broke out at night, and for that reason
| all craft should be prepared for any emer-
| gency. Alderman We'll urged it was incon-
sistent to require that hose and pumps be
provided on vessels and fail to provide
| that steam be kept up to operate them.
.PawnbrokerS now have protection
against persons who have been injuring
| their business by exhibiting the three gilt