The Portland daily press., 1898-10-12
INSIDE FACTS.
Special Committees Report On Port
land Electric Light Company.
PLANT OF CUMBERLAND ILLUMI
MATING co. AT GREAT FALLS.

No knowledge as to the Financial Respon
sibiIity of the New Company-Aotior
Deferred on the Petition of the Cor
poration Until Next Friday.
There was a special meeting OF the
mayor and board of aldermen yesterday
afternoon at which the following report
was presented:
Portland, Me-, October II, 1898.
To the Board of Mayor and Aldermen:
The committee appointed to investigate
| of the Portland Electric Light company
and the Cum bsrland Illuminating com
Ipany, and all the matters relating to the
position of said first named company in
reference to poles and wires begs leave tc
submit the following report:
A corporation seeking public franchise
in the streets Of city asks for that which
II granted acts as an obstruction to other
corporations who may wish for similar
rights because the number of such oorpor-
ations that..can occupy the streets is nee
essarily limited. 1t Ia Incumbent on d
corporation asking such privileges to show
that it is acting In good faith aud is pre-.
pared to carry out the purposes for which
1t Is asking franchise 1t should also
| guarantee to guard the public from any
dangers incident to Its operations Under
the franchise The public has right to
be reasonably certain that the corpora.
uion Will do what 1t processes 1t will do
and should be prepared to furnish full
information as to it's ability to do it, To
expect that pet1tioning corporation shall
| lay before them or their representatives
such evidence as will satisfy them of the
| good faith Of the corporation.
The committee has made a careful in
quiry into the companies as mentioned
| In the order and finds according to infor-
nation given by Mr. g. W. Brown of the
Cumberland Illuminating company that
these two companies and the Sebago
Power company and the Deering Electric
Light company appear to be SO closely
related that all have apparently the same
interests The committee is informed
that the Portland Electric Light company
and the Deering Eleetrio Light company
The question Of the relations of these four
Companies with each other appears TO be
complex.
At the bottom OF the enterprise appears
to be the Sebago Power company from
which as stated to the committee the
Cumberland Illuminating company has
leased "all it's plant and works at Great
hold and operate the same until the
Sebago Power company shall make the
full development Of the power at and
near Great Falls. When 1t does this
sit must purchase all the machinery and
property Of the Cumberland illuminating
company and improvements in and about
the plant, including It's lines to Portland
and operate the same It appears further
that the Cumberland Illuminating is to
convey electricity to the amount Of 10, 600
volts by single pole line along the high
ways through Windham and Westbrook to
Pride's bridge. The city council of West.
brook seems to have imposed certain con-
wishing to orecG pole line along its
highway and there appears to be some
controversy as to whether they have been
complied with. The committee however
has been assured by Mr.. Brown that the
matter has been satisfactorily arranged.
At Pride's bridge the current Is to be
taken BY the Deering Electric Light COM
pany not having asked for or received
any pole right in Deering, and trans.
mitted to the lighting plant of the Deer
ing Electric Light company at Woodfords,
where the voltage is to be reduced to not
over 5000 and from here distributed to
where wanted. It was found by your
committee that the city of Deering has
sion to the Desrina Elsctric Light COM
papy to do thig but that such an order has
received It's first reading and will come
up for final action FFii1ay October IA.
The order in it's present form provides
that the city Of Deering reserves the right
to limit the electrical pressure or voltage
and to regulate the force Of electric cur
At some point on the Portland line, pre-
sumaSly Grove street, the Portland Eleo-
trio Light company is to take the current
from the wires Of the Deering Electric
Light company and thence distribute 1t
through the oity.
The committee has been told that there
is Lease or working agreement under
pany Is to receive the electricity but IL
has not been furnished with the details
The committee has asked to be supplied
with the details Of any leases or contracts
between tho companies involved in the
plan but has failed to rsceive any definite
information as to the relations between
them and can only state that through
some arrangement unknown to the COM
mittee the Portland Eleotric Light COM
pany is to BE- supplied with electr lofty
from the plant at Great Falls through and
in connection with the other companies
mentioned.
The plant is located in the middle of
Z
Great Falls. There is small wooden
power house with provision for two gen.
orators said to be of about $50 horse power
each and capable of developing1at the sta
ton nearly $50 horse power. These are
to be driven by two sets Of four water
wheels. At present there is 200 horse
power generator temporarily installed.
There appears to be no provision for any
in addition to the two large
generators which are expected to be In
position In January.
The uncertainty of water power and
the liability by ACCIDENT to water wheels
and connecting DaRDhinery renders neoes-
sary to ensure uninterrupted service an
auxiliary steam plant of sufficient capsci-
ty to operate the plant In case Of suspen-
sion Of the water power machinery from
accident or otherwise. Preferably fan
auxiliary steam plant should be located
at the point to be supplied with electricity
for then in case of accident to the ma
chinery at the water power or at any
point on the pole Ane leading from the
Deafness Cannot be Cured
BY local applications as they cannot reach the
in DfR trA NINan aa oyzIxr