The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-31
CITY DADS GIVEN POINTS
M. D. GROVER TOLD THEM
WHAT MIR. HILL WANTS
He Also Presents Some Legal Nuts
for the Attorneys to Crack, and
Declares That If Certain Measures
Are Passed the Great Northern
Road Will Fight Them in the
Courts.

Road Will Fight Them in the
Courts.
Great Northern railroad company, held
a conference with the special sub-com-
mittee from the joint council commit
tee on streets yesterday afternoon
Present at the conference, which was
a short one, were Assemblymen AL
brecht, Nelson and Thompson; Aid.
Shepard and Bell and Assistant Corpo-
ration Attorney Taylor.
Mr.. Grover, as the representative of
the railroad company, did most if not
all of the talking, the members of the
committee combining themselves to
questioning the attorney as to the erec-
ton of the proposed shops. AT fire.
quent intervals during the talk made
by Mr.. Grover as to the several points
at issue or difference between the city
and the company, he was interrupted
by one or the other of the members
Of the committee with the query as to
the building of the proposed shops.
All inquiries in relation to the build
ing Of the shops were at first skillfully
parted by Mr.. Grover, but as the ques-
tons became more direct and to the
point, the attorney said:
lie expectations OIL the puDllC ana
the gentlemen who have been interest
ing themselves In the matter Of adj
justing the difference between the city
and the Great Northern is that IL
things were adjusted the shops would
be built l can give your committee
no assurances on that point and have
no authority to speak. I could not
even say tlyat if everything was ad-
justed the shops would be located and
l.
and Mr.. Hill simply directed me to take
up the matter of the difference between
the city and the company"
During the informal talk or rather
during Mr.. Growers informal talk, the
point ON which the committee seeming
ly desired light was brought adroitly
to the surface, but each time Mr..
Grover gave the same reply, he was
not authorized to say anything about
the shops ard was not prepared to
make even the semblance Of contract
or promise that the new shops would
be located here.
On the difference between the city
and the company Mr.. Grover spoke
freely in a general way. In the matter
of the Broadway bridge he informed
the committee that the proceedings
which had thus far resulted in the
sinking of 800, coo and two or three piers
for the structure, were illegal. The
legislature had authorized the issuance
Of bonds and the construction of the
bridge but the city had not taken the
proper steps according to the law.
There had been no condemnation
proceedings for the land which would
be taken or injured by the erection of
the structure, and the city had not
even provided for a change of grade
on the streets which was necessary be-
fore q bridge cOnl0 be built.
The courts had declared that the city
owned a siXty-foot strip of Broadway
from Third street to the river, which
could be used rs an easement, and on
the superstition that this settled the
matter the city had gone on and erect
ed several piers.
The company, however, had COM
menced injunction proceedings and Sc
cured an order restraining the city
from building the bridge, and this and
the Injunction proceedings were still
undecided.
The tract Of land in question, Mr..
Grover stated, had at one time been
a slough, and the company had filled
the place in to depth Of fifteen feet
and made the ground which had been
and was now used for railroad pur-
poses. In the neighborhood of $1,000
600 had been expended in making this
tract of any use.
At Broadway and Third streets the
company had erected it's general offices
and the building was now in use Al
the same time the general office build
ing was erected 1t was the purpose TO
build other buildings, including a
freight and express building, and have
the same connected by archWays with
the depot grounds.
1.-THE action by the city in insisting
on the building of the Broadway
bridge had stopped these improve
ments. The bridge, if built, Mr.. Grover
said, would result in the general once
building being abandoned, as it would
be impossible to conduct the business
with the bridge running within few
feet of the second and third stories of
the structure.
IF it is desirable" continued Mr..
Grover for the city to have the bridge
and that part of lower Broadway, we
will have to fight 1t, and I am reason
ably sure that in the end we will beat
the city
The next point touched upon by Mr..
Grover was the contract made between
the city and the railroad companies in
1880. This, he said, was a fair and
square agreement made at the time
when the city was DESTROYS of securing
for the city several important railroad
interests, and in effect it provided that
Great Northern was one, We're to build
such bridges as the city decided
necessary, over streets which had been
opened before the companies secured
right Of way.
Acting on the superstition that the
contract was a legal one, the Great
Northern had built nine or eleven
bridges, with the understanding that
after the abutments and structures had
been put I'D at the expense Of the COM
pany, the city was forever afterward
to stand the expense of keeping the
same in repair. Testimony brought out
in court was at variance on the ques-
ton as to the contract of 1880 being
signed by the proper city officers Of
the CITY, but 1t was not until very
recent date that this had been even
disputed.
It had been the understanding for
many years both by the city and the
railroad companies that the contract or
agreement was in force, and several
bridges built in the meantime had
made special reference to the agree
ment Of $780,
Mr.. Grover cited an instance under
this agreement where the Great North
ern, when plans were submitted by the
city for wooden bridge with a TWEEN
ty-four foot roadway, had decided the
plan proposed was not sufficient, and
Mr. Hill had changed the plans so as
to provide for an iron structure with
a roadway of thirty-six feet.
The company was now called upon
to build a bridge over it's tracks at
Smelling avenue and had proposed to
construct one which would answer the
demand for travel for many years to
come The city, however, insisted on
a bridge the full width Of the street,
IN, fha of