The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-11
Street Car Corporation Agrees
to Stipulation Which Prac-
tically 'Assents to Claims
Made by Water Board
Experts Will Investigate
Proposed System Of Cur
ent Return.

Suit for 100000 damages and per-
manent injunction restraining the
street car company from further dam
aging the city water mains and prop
erty continued one month.
The appointment of two experts, one
by the water board and the other by
the street car company, they to in
VeStig2te and report not later than
April 1 on the feasibility and effective
ness of the system of current return
planned by the company.
The street car company to pay all
expenses of the suit and Investigations
so far incurred by the water board,
and to make changes in return system
agreed to by experts.
The payment by the street car COM
pany of all damages to water mains
suffered through electrolitic action and
any expense incurred through tests in
determining the amount of the same.
Future damages to be paid also.
If changes in return system rec
commended by the experts are not eff
fectiVe then the company to make
further changes. If still not effective
than the water board to proceed with
It's suit. If experts engaged cannot
agree on the effectiveness of the sys-
tenn decided on by the company, then
the water board may proceed with it's
suit, whicl-will go on at the May term.
Temporarily the big suit of the st.
Paul water board against the Twin
City Rapid Transit company is off, and
the above is what the street car COM
pany agrees to in return for the brief
respite.
The negotiations, which is a COM
promise, was effected at a meeting of
the water board yesterday afternoon,
and was agreed to for the street car
company by Vice President Goodrich
and Chief Counsel Mum, both of
whom affixed their signatures to the
stipulation which was prepared and
handed them by Corporation Attorney
Markham.
The victory is the biggest ever won
by any water department against a
street railway where electrolitic action
was concerned, for by the compromise
agreed to yesterday, the street car
company admits that there is such a
thing as electrolysis, admits that it is
damaging to the city's water mains,
and announces it's willingness to COM
pensate the city for any damage suf-
fered besides correcting it's system to
the extent that all further trouble will
be obviated.
Perhaps the best part Of this victory
is that the city loses none of it's rights
by delaying it's suits against the
company for by the agreement in event
that the system of return to be made
by the company fails in effectiveness
then the suit brought by the city may
proceed even to the introduction of
expert evidence which the water board
has been several years engaged in Sc
curing.
Expense Has Been Heavy.
In preparing it's suit and securing
expert evidence, the water board has
so far incurred an expense of nearly
$4,000, and this the street car COM
pany will pay. AS to the damages in
Cured by the water mains, the extent
and amount is largely problematicaI,
but it will not be far short of $685.
900. This, in addition to the expense
of experts that may be employed in
finding out what the damages are, the
company will also pay. Future dam
ages are also included.
A double trolley is the only effective
system to prevent electrolysis-so the
board has been informed, but the sys-
tenn which the company intends to
adopt is simply the Strengthening of
the present bonded return. Copper