The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-07-21
No MONEY No, STREET CARS
WHY RANDOLPH STREET rs TO
BE ABANDONED

to Operate the Line for Six
Years on Certain Conditions-An
officer of the Company Says
These Have Not Been Kept, So
the Cars stop.
1T looks to me-" said one OF the
property owners on Randolph street
yesterday, "as though the street car
line now operated from Seventh street
to Hamline avenue would be discon-
tinued and the people who paid $50, 900
bonus to have the line built and oper-
ated would be left without street car
service. 1t may be that the council
can do something in the matter, as
asked for in the petition presented to
the board of aldermen Tuesday night,
but have my doubts"
Investigation yesterday by reporter
for The q b elected the inforIna-
tion which would seem to carry out the
idea as expressed by the property own
er quoted above. The Randolph street
line running from Seventh street to
the river was cons tructed in 1890, IN
der an ordinance granted to Thomas
Cochran Jr. and John Ireland in the
latter part of August, 1889, allowing the
construction of an experimental cleo
trio line. The gentlemen to whom the
council granted the ordinance were not
experienced street railway men, so ar
engagements We're made by them with
the street railway company to con-
Struct and operate the line.
At the time the ordinance was grant
ed the realty boom was good and the
property owners along the proposed
line evinced a desire that the line be
constructed as soon as possible. 1t was
question as to the raising of $50, 900
with which to construct the line and
the property owners raised this amount
of money and turned it over to a COM
pany interested in the improvement.
The line was built and operated by the
street railway company and has been
operated since its completion until re-
Gently the entire length of the street
from its intersection to the river. Last
March the line was discontinued west
of Hamline avenue and according to re-
ports that portion from Seventh street.
to Hamline avenue will SION cease to
be operated.
The street railway officials deny that
they received 100000, and, while not
saying so in plain words intimate that
If they had received it there might pos
sibly be a chance that the operation
of the line would continue. AS it is,
the contract expired about two years
ago, as near as can be learned the
agreement being that for the sum of
$4,000 the company should construct
and operate the line for a period of
six wears.
The time specified in the agreement
having expired and there being no
more money in sight, and the notes
given the company as part payment of
the agreement to construct and OPP
crate the line. as well as the interest
on the same, not being met, the COM
pany has decided to quit.
A gentleman who was interested In
the payment of $4,000 Of the bonus
money when the line was started, said
yesterday that he had been for the past
six weeks endeavoring to get a glimpse
of the agreement between the promot-
ers of the line and the. street railway
company, but had not been able to
crafty his desires in this direction. He
said that when the third installment
of the bonus was to be paid the gen.
tlemen who had contributed to the fund
held a meeting at the office of Thomas
Cochran, and at the session President
Lowry, of the street railway company,
was present, as we'll as parties to
whom the franchise was granted The
point was made at this meeting that
there should be some contract which
would compel the line to be operated
after the payment Of the bonus had
been made.
According to the statement Of the
gentleman who was present, Mr.. Low
ry said that there was no need of such
a contract, as the line would be op-
Grated by the company as the other
lines in the system were and would be.
under the control Of the council
AT the time there was some objec-
ton to the payment of the third in
stallment of the cash bonus, for the
reason that certain property .ntere is
had not put upgthe cash as a share of
the bonus. Mr.. Lowry, so it IS stated,
said he was perfectly satisfied with the
arrangements which had been made
for the guarantee of the remaining
$4,000, and the cash was paid over by
the property owners.
The gentleman who Is auth ority for
the statements as to the meeting at
which Messrs. Lowry and Cochran at
tended also says that recently he was
informed by Vice President Goodrich