Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1901-02-16

Alderman John Powers Is guarantee
ing the construction expense bills. and
the John l.. jackson Company is per.
forming the work. Alderman Powers.
as incidental to the duties of guarantor
Of bills incurred. is vigorously fighting |
in the Council all efforts of the Illinois
District Telegraph Company. the West
crn Union and other corporations to Sc
cure legislation favorable To other con.
duits.
The Powers Company. whose real
hackers are the AnhcusCr- Busch peo-
pie of st. Louis. expects to construct ut
once about twenty miles of this con.
duit at an estimated cost of from $50.
cp to S6OOoO per mile. or u total cost
of more than Sl.OOO.coO. The possible
annual rental or revenues to the pro-
motcrs from Il conduit of this size is:
Estimated duct space. feet. ....... -
Minimum number of duets. .....SS
Annual rental per mile per year
per duct .....U............. $500
Total annual rental, - ducts.
one mile ................ SIG. 400
Total annual rental. SS duets.
twenty miles. So2S.OOO
Add to this great revenue the possi- |
hility of increaSing the number of |
ducts. and the fact that the Powers |
Company will operate telephone sys- |
tenn of its own with at least 1900 in |
struments in use, and that 1t will he |
able tn dictate terms to new rival com.
panies as to use of the conduit. and Il |
will be seen that there Is fat" enough |
In the deal to startle even the most
daring financiers.
The Powers Company. which Is thus
tunneling underneath Chicago at such
a depth as to force all future conduit
companies to go lower at enormous ex-
pense or to fight legally for the use of
streets other than those used by II. Is
not required for the valuable thirty
year franchise given 1t by the city to
pay one penny of compensation to the
municipality until 1t has been ten years
in existence. and then only 3 per cent of
the gross receipts Is required for the
next ten years--a mere bagtclle COM
pared with what the franchise means
to the willy Alderman of the Nineteenth
Ward and his associates.
The work which is now in progress
starts In two places. The main en-
trance Is I'm the basement of Powers X
O'Bricn's saloon. on Madison street. u |
dark retreat for an Aldermanic deal
In which there Is millions. Another en-
trance Is on State street. near Lake.
close to the edge of the walk. ana sur
rounded by high board enclosure. on
which there Is marked: mo admit
tance.'
In the two entrances to that portion
of the conduit now under way there are
cages for descent. one Is rapidly let
down to Il twenty -iivc-foot level. where
workmen protected by compressed air
are placing forms back Of which the
earth IL dug out. then concrete put In
and allowed ~ sOlidfy. When solid
the form IL removed and the conduit,
electric lighted Is ready for uss'. The
earth which Is removed IL lOisted up at
night and carted to the Lake Front
Park dumping ground. Everything IL
done noiselessly and without jar to the
nerves Of any sensitive taxpayer who
might wonder why for 80 valuable u
franchise the Powers Company was
not required To pay the city adequate
compensation on the gross earnings.
The recent fire at Powers 4 O'Brien's
saloon seriously interferd with the
progress of the conduit work. As the
principal entrance was In the basement
Of the saloon. the wreckage from the
fire tumbled in upon Ii and the work.
men were forced to wait for the re-
habllitation of the sporting place before
they could resume.
Still. with revenue Of half million
II year In sight and no particular OK.
pcnse in caring for the conduit after 1t
Is finished. Alderman Powers and his
associates could afford delay without
complaint, Between half a mile and n
mile of the conduit Is now completed,
and prominent telegraph and other
fnanciers have recently received invi-
tatiOns to inspect the completed work.
1t Is common report that the inspection
was not only for the purpose OF reveal
ing how finely conduit could be built
but for convincing corporation repre-.
sentatives that hereafter they had II
new aua'outlt I'd 'ieul WitH-oie thi'
must be fed wen to be kept In good
temper.
The public has not forgotten the time
when the ordinance of the Illinois Tele-
phone and Telegraph Company passed
the Council. Feb. 20. 1890. At that time
II was not suspected, or II 1t was the
suspectors had good reasons for keep
ing silent, that there was u better
good thing" than the promoters OF the
Bacon Compressed Air ordinance ever
dared to contemplate.
The ordinance in simple language
and as approved by the Council, pro.
yided:
That the company should have tho
right to Use for conduit purposes all the
streets and alleys In the city Of Chicago
for a period Of thirty years in the dis
trict bounded by Fullerton avenue on
the north. Western avenue on the west
10 22d street, and thence east on I'D
strcsrt 10 Halsted street south on Hal
sted street To fifty-iifth street and east
To Lake Michigan. This right TO con
struct a conduit on all the streets and
alleys Of this district Is made absolute,
subject To no restrictions Dycept that