The daily morning Alaskan., 1900-07-29
A BIG Fight On
Telephone Companies War
Over Wires.
NEW LINES ARE CUT
Caswen Sewers Interfering Wires
NEW LINES ARE CUT
Caswsl Sewers Interfering Wires
and VIII be Arrested - Meyer
Says No Harm Was Being Done--
Afraid of Automatic System.

There is war on between Skagwav's
TWO telephone companies. The trouble
arose over the Arctic Telephone Company
stringng its wires on Fifth avenue, which
work commenced Yesterday morning, and
eliminated with Manager CasweIl, of the
Alaska Telephone Co., cutting the wires.
which he claimed passed between the cross
bars on his companv's poles, and thus in
terfered with his work.
The poles of the Arctic Telephone Com
pany are shorter than those of the Alaska
Company and on most of the streets their
wires will come under those of the old
company and cause no difficulty on
Fifth avenue, however, where the Alaska
Company has its exchange, there are so
many cross bars, necessary to carry the
wires certering at that point, that they
are carried down on the poles to a point
lower than those of the Arctic Company.
In stringng wires along the avenue yes
terday morning, the Arctic Telephone Com
panv's employees found it necessary to
climb the poles of the Alaska Telephone
Company to put their wires between the
cross bars. Thew were at once notified by
Manager Caswel to desist, or he would
cut their wires, which threat he carried
out. This action was followed by the
p sting of notices on all of the Alaska lei
ephone poles stating that any one climbing
them, not an employe of the company,
would be prosecuted for trespass. A re-
ward was offered for information leading
up to a conviction of those who failed to
take warning.
Manager Herman Meyer, of the Arctic
Telephone Co., saws he will have Mr..
Caswell arrested on Monday morning for
cutting the wires.
In referring to the matter Yesterday, Mr.,
Meyer said;
"Our company had the first franchise and
had its poles and wires up befure the other
company ever applied for franchise at all.
when Mr.. Caswell did apply for his
franchise, we asked the council to have
him put his poles on the opposite side of
the street from ours. The electric light
company, which has its poles on that side,
objected, and the matter was finally ar
ranged by Mr.. Caswell being required to
make his poles so high that his wires
would not interfere with ours.
I'VE have right to insist on his puts
ting his wires higher on Fifth avenue, but
it is not really necessary, because our
stretching wires between his cross bars
will not in any way interfere with his svs-
tenn.
"Mr. Caswell will be arrested Monday.
A warrant would have been procured to-
dav, but Mr.. Price was too busy to prepare
the papers. If he continues TO interfere
with our work, an injunction will be pro-
cured from the district court.
"The trouble with Mr.. Caswel is he
sees that his dav has come. He knows
that his system can never compete with
our absolutely secret, automatic system.
In his desperation, he has sought to do
awav with competition bv using force"
J,G. Price, who Is also member of the
Arctic Telephone Company, said yester-
dav, that it was novel way of retaining
monopoly.
~ am seriously thinking" he said, "of
getting ahead of one of my competitors
that way. think shall dump Mr.. Jen-
nings' law library In the bav while he Is
in Dawson. would certainly have as
good right to do so as Mr.. Caswell had to
cut our wires todav."