The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-07-15

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The ordinance directing the North
western Telephone company to place its
wires underground on Marshall avenue
from Fairview street to the river was
considered by the committee on streets
from the board of aldermen yesterday
afternoon. After discussing the matter
for couple of hours the ordinance was
referred to the alderman of the ward,
who will hold a conference with the
telephone company officials and en-
deaVor to arrive at some solution Of
the question which will be equitable
to the company and the property own
ers.
When the ordinance was taken up
Aid Murphy moved an adverse report
on the ground that the poles if painted
would be an ornament to the street
rather than an eye sore. He stated
that he had been over the ground and
that only seven houses were on the
street and for the distance of over half
a mile the avenue was bordered by
farm lands and fields of grain.
F. w. Root, who represented the resi-
dents on Marshall avenue, and also the
property owners at the park, insisted
that the telephone company remove the
poles and wires. The company, he
claimed, one year ago had promised the
poles and wires should be removed be-
fore June l, 1898. Now they refused to
take any action. The avenue, he said,
was the main driving street between
st. Paul and Minneapolis. The width
was 100 feet, the roadway being forty
feet with twenty-two-foot boulevards
on either side and eight foot side
walks. The property owners had de-
cided to make the roadway twelve feet
wider and intended improving the
street and boulevard. This could not
be done while the company had poles
in the boulevard. Since the litigation
in Minneapolis, In which the courts had
held that telephone poles could be
maintained on post routes, the COM
pany had weakened on it's promise to
remove the poles. The only recourse
left for the property owners was to
have the ordinance passed which would
make the company put the wires un-
foreground. He suggested that the
poles ana lines might be put in an
alley or the line continued out Selby
avenue.
Aid. Bloomquist was Of the opinion
that 1t was not right to go out five
miles from the business center and
order the wires put underground, while
down town poles were in all the
streets. He had also been over the
avenue and counted nine houses on the
of the avenue from Cleveland avenue
west was farm lands and grain fields.
Manager Freely, of the telephone
company, denied that he had promised
to remove the poles on the avenue by
June l, 1898. Mr.. Root maintained that
he had made such an agreement, and
President Copeland was called in to
settle the question. Mr.. Copeland only
had an impression of the meeting held
a year ago, and that was as Mr.. Root
had contended.
Manager Freely and Superintendent
Wainman both stated that it was not
advisable to put the poles in the alley,
as they would practically prevent trav-
el through it. Mr.. Wainman, however
was willing to make any arrangement
that would not disarrange the system.
The line could not, he said, be placed
on Selby avenue, owing to the trouble
caused by the street railway feed wires
and the going under ground was out
of the question, owing to the cost He
agreed to consult with Aid. Shepard
and the other property owners, and the
ordinance was laid over until the next
meeting Of the committee.
The resolution introduced by Aid
Bantz, providing that the pay of the
street sweepers should not be less than
$150 per day, was referred to the CITY
attorney and the board of public works.
with the instructions to have a report