The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-25
CoNDUITS TO eoANoTHER WAY
COUNCIL REFUSES BRUSH co. PER-
NIT TO DIG UP BROUGHTON ST.

Ihe Bonru NOnsiueFeu the "OHN
Would BE n Public Inconvenience,
Notwithstanding the Company
offered to Adopt Precautions to
Avoid 1.-THE City Does Not Want
Asphalt Paving Torn Up-Permit
Granted to Run From West
Broad 10 Montgomery, Through
Congress Lane 10 barnard, to
state and DraytOn President
Baldwin Claims Not Getting on
Brouahton street VIII Cost His
Company 5000.
BY unanimous vote the committee of the
whole of Council decided at a special meet
ing yesterday that the Brush Electric
Light Company cannot dig up Broughton
street from West Broad to Drayton for
the purpose Of laying it's conduit system.
Alderman Dixon, who had declined to is
sue the permit. desired that the entire
board pass on the request, his object be-
ing to give the electric company the bene>
fit of any error in his Judgment.
With the exception of Alderman Mills
and Doyle the entire board was present
TO hear President Baldwin's statement OF
the company's reasons for desiring the
permit. He urged that it would be im>
possible to run the conduits In either
Broughton street lane or State street.
through which Alderman Dixon had
agreed to give a permit. The Instructions
and other difficulties likely to be encoun-
tered in Broughton lane would be as num-
erous as in Congress lane, which the COM
pany was forced to abandon. State street
is too far from the section the mains was
intended to supply Mr.. Baldwin said, and
if compelled to go there, the service would
be greatly impaired.
To meet the objections that would have
been urged against the permit by Brough-
ton street merchants, Mr.. Baldwin said
the company would agree to proceed block
by block, and would keep the bitches open
no more than forty-eight hours. This was
the shortest time possible in which to
complete the work, as the cement had to
set before the bitches were filed Ali
loose earth was to be sprinkled each day
to prevent the wind sweeping dust into
stores. The company would further agree
he said to bridge the excavations in front
of stores where is was desired to load or
unload goods. To meet the objections that
the asphalt paving could not be properly
replaced, it was agreed to put the conduiCs
under the sidewalks, which were TO be re-
built in good condition. Mr. Baldwin was
accompanied by one of the engineers in
charge of the work, and they went over
the plans with the aldermen in an effort
to reach some adjustment of what the cleo
| trio people presented as a ''knotty prob
lem" The aldermen we're told that their
failure to grant the permit meant the sus-
! pension of the conduit work
After the statements from Mr.. Baldwin
and his assistants had been heard, they re-
tired and the board promptly reached the
| conclusion not to allow Broughton street
| touched. From the way some of the al
| dermen talked after the meeting the
! chances are the paving there may not be
| cut again for some time to come The
| patching so far has proven failure. and
the general feeling seems to be that IL
| viii be torn up hereafter except In the
| most urgent cases. The matter was fully
| discussed each alderman giving his opin.
| ION, and the result was a unanimous vote
| against granting the permit. Consjdera-
tons of public policy prompted the action.
| Tho business interests on Broughton straer
the public convenience, the health of the
| city, the tearing up of the asphalt paving
| and other things that would be affected
/ IL, entered
largely into the reasons for declining the
| request.
! President Baldwin was just outside the
Mayors office, waiting for the decision
which he seemed to think would be a fav.
orable one. He was Informed of the com.
mittee's action by Alderman Haas who
told him his permit would not be granted
Il am sorry nothing can be DONE Al.
| deTman Haas said THE committee il
against tearing up the street for a nun.
Der of reasons, ore of which is that State
can be used as well as Broughton street
| or, al least, 1t does not seem that the con
| trary has been shown. Another reason Is
! that the work will seriously interfere wifi
the retail merchants on that street An.
other reason is that once the asphalt nav.
ing is torn up, il cannot be properly re.
| placed"
"Oh, yes, we can do that all right" re.
piled Mr. Baldwin.
mo. sir, you cannot" Alderman Haai
replied.
1t was urged that the company has 2
contract to leave all torn up paving il
good condition, but Alderman Haas. witt
other aldermen, was clearly convinced tha
the appearance of repaired paving in Sa
vannah does not bear out the position tina
il is worth much. Cracks soon appear
where the new has been connected witt
old paving, the new sinks in many in
stances, and in various other ways tn,
smoothness and beauty of the street il
forever destroyed.
The meeting seems to have been attend
ed by a general discussion OF the advisa
blity of tearing up streets, and the bes
future policy 10 pursue in regard 10 tn
having of conduits. I'VE desire to max,
Savannah's doors large enough for all in
vestment to enter here" said Alderman
Thomas land l favor requiring conduit
to go under the sidewalks instead of thu
asphalt paving, aud to also require tina
they be made large enough TO accommo
date all other lines that may desire to pas
the streets for years TO come. am perfect
" willing to favor every reasonable con
cession 10 the present applicants, but l in
sist The city should be very guarded in
future against this general tearing up o
the streets.
When the meeting had adjourned no on
seemed to know what was coming next
None of The aldermen thought. however
that the Brush Company would suspen,
its operations They believed another plal