The Portland daily press., 1898-09-21
TO LIGHT PORTLAND.
Second Electric COmpa Y Wants
Prii eye.
HEARING BEFORE BOARD OF
ALDERMEN YESTERDAY

Cumberland Illuminating company wants
Hight to Locate Conduits and FoieS IN
ci+x and the Consolidated Company
objects.
The Portland Electric Light company
(which years ago was the rival IN business
zvith the Consolidated Electric Light COM
many was "A petitioner yesterday before the
municipal officers for permission 10 COIL
struct underground conduits on Con
aress. Middle and Exchange streets ana
Law eIeetric wires in them and also to
erect poles and stretch wires through
most of the streets of the city.
The Portland Electric Light company
has been leased by the Cumberland llIu-
miuating company, an outgrowtn OF tne
Sebago Power company, and Intends II
permission is given them, to bring into
fhe CITY the electric power generated on
the Presumpscot river and again COM
nate with the Consolidated Electric Light
company in supplying light and power
in Portland.
=
the Mayor and Board of Aldermen was
uhe commencement of the battle between
the two electric companies. of which the
one has a monopoly of the lighting OF
Portland by electricity which the other
wants to share.
The hearing was a very long one, occu-
nyin9 some two hours and half altogeth-
in a
cultar to the Board of Mayor and Alder
man of Portland. First the petitioners
stated their hopes and desires, and then
the counsel for the Consolidated Eleo-
trio Light company tried to get at some
facts connected with the new or rather,
revived. corporation. There were lnsln'
nation of all kinds waited about and
many pertinent and impertinent questions
fired at first one company ana Then the
other. There were some spicy incidents
connected with the hearing and not a
few very good speeches made on both
sides. The aldermen heard something
about the history Of both companies, about
the big deal of the upper Presumpscot,
about electricity and the relative merits
of steam and water for generating power
hut it is safe to say that little progress
was made towards the real object OF the
hearing, and certainly nosdecision was ar
rived at The only thing that was &C
complished Iafter two hours and half o.
pickering was the passage Of an ordel
authorizing the appointment of a com
rnittee which is to examine into sth
financial backing, pretentions and abil
les of the Portland Electric Light com
pany to report back to the Mayor ant
Board of Aldermen in two weeks.
The Mayor opened the hearing by read
ing the petition of the Portland Electric
Light company. Hon. John II. Fogs
appeared for the Portland Electric Ligh
company and first addressed the board
He gave some facts concerning electric
lighting, it's history in Portland and it
development He spoke of the. time. whei
he could well remember when the Port
land Electric Light company, then yer.
oloss corporation, was organized to fur
nish lights in this city. People pa1'
SLAB night for arc lights then and wer
GLAD to do so, for electric lights wer'
a novelty. Later the demand Increased
lights became cheaper and after a Ilttl
time the Consolidated Electric Llgh
ooInpany came into the field and forcet
the Portland Electric Light company tt
the wall Now the Portland Electric
Light company's rights have been LEASED
by the Cumberland Illuminating com
pany and it is proposed to give Fortlano
electric lights and power mucn cheaper
than they can be obtained in this city to-
day. To begin with the Portland Electric
Light company asks for the right to put
its wires in conduits through Congress,
Middle and Exchange streets. The Pc
titioners do not believe in making these
streets hideous and unsafe by putting
more poles on them and intends to make
this radical step in the right direction
in the first place, providing the petition
is granted. Then the petitioners want
permission to put poles in the other
streets about the city to carry their wires.
In return for these privileges the petition
ing company says that it can give Port
land electric lights at 500 per cent say.
ing over the present rates.
loan the company do this?" continued
Mr.. Fogg. "The best way to determine
whether it can be done or not is to allow
them TO go ahead and try. Every step in
the march of progress has to be fought.
Whenever an individual, corporation OF
company comes into Portland and pro.
poses anything new, the people cling to
the old system and fight the new. Thus
il was with the street railroad in obtain