The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1901-02-07
City Council Ask Ordinance Prepared
to Force Telephone Wires
Under Ground.
COMPANY MUST PROVE RIGHTS
City Council Takes Decisive Action on
Interest Transacted at Meeting

The City Council met in regular ses-
sion at tbs City Hall Monday evening,
and as considerable business of i'm
portance was scheduled to come up,
there was good crowd present in the
lobby. Before the meeting several
hurried meetings were held by the diff
ferent committees and it was decided
to lay most of the important business
over to later session
After the reading of the minutes the
Council took up the regular fort
nightly batch of petitions.
A petition was presented from the
property owners on Park street asking
for a sewer and change of the grade
of the street. The matter was referred
to the committee on sewers.
A petition was presented asking for
the opening of West Main street. The
petition was referred TO the special
committee on railway.
The long expected petition protest
ing against the Milwaukee avenue
sewer was presented and the Council
was asked to have the sewer repaired
so that it would fulfill the purpose for
which it was constructed. The petit
toners further asked that if the sewer
could not be repaired at the present
time, permission be given each prop
erty owner to build private sewer to
the harbor. The petition was re-
ferred.
The paving petition from the Mil
waukee avenue residents was present
ed and it was signed by some sixty
property owners. It asks that the
street be paved to the width of sixty
north limits of the city to the south
limits of Milwaukee avenue. They
further asked that the managers of the
Kenosha railway company be in
formed to pave the thirty-three feet in
the middle of the street. The petition
was referred to the committee on sew
ers and paving.
No claims for damages against the
city on account of injuries received
from falls on icy sidewalks. Quite a
little discussion was brought out by
the notices for damages, but they were
finally referred to the committee on
claims, which was ordered to consult
with the City Attorney on the matter.
The old claim of Joerndt Brothers,
claiming 1888 for goods damaged by
the backing up of water in the Mil
waukee avenue sewer, came up and
the Council was asked to take immedi-
ate action on the claim. After some
discussion it was decided to lay the
bill on the table and it will probably
come up in the way of a suit against
the city.
The Poormaster reported that there
were ninety-four people dependent on
the city.
At this point the Council took up the
discussion of the troubles with the
Telephone company and Acting City
Attorney Slater reported that the
Council would have right to order the
Company to place their wires under
ground if it could be shown that the
poles and wires of = e company were a
menace to public safety. The opinion
of the attorney was accepted.
The assault on the Telephone COM
pany was continued by Aid. Pirsch,
who stated there was a question as to
whether the company had any rights
in kenosha. In this regard the Alder
man moved that the City Attorney at
once take action to have the managers
of the company appear before the At
4 n c1n@
what right they had to erect poles and
wires in Kenosha. He further moved
that the attorney be instructed to draw
up an ordinance requiring the COM
pany to place all wires under ground
in the business district of the city.
The motions were both passed and the
committee was given further time to
report new proposition to be made by
the manager of the Telephone COM
pany at the next regular meeting.
The Judiciary committee brought in
an old bill of Quarles, Spence &
Ouar1es for assistance in the fight
against the NJ, r. and K. road. The
bill, amounting to $25e.25, was al
lowed.
The Street committee reported that
the ditch of the Division street sewer
was still open and was menace to the
safety of the public. The contractor
was ordered either to fill up the ditch
or fence it off.
The Special Railway committee of
the Council asked for further time to
discuss the spur of the Northwestern
to the Allen .tannery. In the mean
time the Railway company will have
map prepared showing the exact route |