Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-02-09
PROTEST
Against the Erection Of Telephone
Poles in the Streets.
A GENERAL DEMAND THAT THE
COMPANY PUT ITS WIRES UN-
DER GROUND-COUNCIL MAY
BE ASKED FOR ADDITIONAL
LEGISLATION - BUSINESS IN
TERFERED WITH.

There is a general protest on the part
of the people throughout the central
and eastern sections of the city a. the
local telephone company and the Board
OF Public Works, and unless summary
halt is called in the business of erect
ing poles and tearing up streets and
alleys in the dead of winter, Council
will be appealed to and a demand made
that all telephone wires throughout
the city shall go under ground. The
arrogance of the local company has
caused general disgust, while the weak
ness of the Board of Public Works in
suspending its own rules, fer the benefit
of the company named and to the detri-
ment of citizens and taxpayers, is Sc
verely commented upon.
The hish-handed course of the tele-
phone company was manifested two
months ago. When the company be-
gan the erection of its new building,
at Chapline street and alley II, last
summer, it naturally knew that it
would have to lay conduits to the new
locality. The time when this work
should have been done was during the
summer months, and all the conduits
might have been put down and the
wires strung through them long before
cold weather. Instead of doing this,
however, the corporation did not
turn a wheel until snow was on
the ground, and then, when the time
had come within which the rules of
the Board of Public Works forbid the
opening of public thoroughfares, a de-
mand was made on the Board to open
the streets and alleys in about
twenty-five places. For some time
the Board resisted this demand,
but finally consented and gave
the permit. Not satisfied with
this, the company later made a further
demand to be allowed to set lines Of
poles on Twelfth, Thirteenth, Four
teenth, Seventeenth and Eighteenth
streets, and actually had the poles up
on the streets first above named before
1.-THE public understood what was going
on. When the working gangs came to
Fourteenth street, they met with pub
lie protests, the matter was brought
to the attention Of the Board of Public
Works, and that body appears to have
determined that the company must OBJ
tain the consent of property owners be-
fore any more poles can be set. 1t is
to be hoped no such permission will be
given. The poles ARP public nuisance,
|epd- the co4patly should be
Compelled to put all wires under
ground wherever it desires to transact
business, to take into the conduits all
lcity wires free of charge, and be as
sessed upon a fair valuation of all its
property, based on cost, with tax on
each and every pole or phone besides
The work it has been doing this winter
has been an unmitigated nuisance, par
ticularly in alley Il, which important
thoroughfare has been blocked to all
traffic for weeks at a time, to the loss
and inconvenience of many citizens.
and inconvenience of many citizens,
while alley B, between alley II and
Sixteenth street, has been blocked for
three days. And this is only case in
point.
1t is fully time for the Board Of Pub
lie Works to shut down on this foreign
corporation, and for Councilmen to
take a hand in regulating matters.
lie telephone company enjoys especial
valuable privileges, obtained at lit
- - should be made to learn
ere peoplShave some rights which
Een it i bound to respect.