Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-06-13

GOES DOWN BEFORE
I'm AVALANCHE or cAXES.


| Pennsylvania lines meant most se-
| rious blow TO the Western Union. as
| vel as "A vast gain for its most potent
| rival In the same business Never for
a moment did the Gould interest con-
template surrender without q fight Its
plans made long In advance, It now re-
malned only TO resist the purposed eylc-
ton In the courts, This the Western
Union did most vigorously High class
legal talent aid It's best, and for "a year
has been waged another campaign Of
bitter litigation. No legal resource
was neglected, but the Pennsylvania
met them on every issue, bided It's time
and strengthened It's lines.
Temporary restraining iniunctions
We're obtained, but the Cassatt lawyers
We're confident Of the final result And
so when the allotted six months grace
had expired for the removal Of the con-
traband poles and wires the Pennsyl-
yanIa management laid IN further mu-
nitions Of war 1t bought carloads Of
sharp axes, rubber gloves and insulated
nippers and distributed them at various
strategic points along It's great line Of
battle, stretching through Pennsylvania,
New Jersey New York Maryland Viz
ginia and West Virginia. Then Il posted
its pickets and waited the spoken word
Of The court which should remove the
restraint Of law and permit the welding
OF the axe. The Cassett sappers Were
prepared 10 do by violence what the
Gould guards refused TO do In peace.
on Thursday, May p, came the crisis.
Months ago Judge Joseph Burlington,
Of the United states district court Of
Western Pennsylvania had granted q
preliminary injunction az the prayer "
the Western Union 10 restrain the Penn
sylyania forces from removing is poles
and wires, Later Judge Burlington az
ter listening TO fun presentation Of
the case, refused TO make the injunc-
ton permanent Then the telegraph
company went to the United States
court Of appeals, which, however,
dashed its hopes by sustaining the rul-
ing of the lower court.
with the way thus cleared for him,
Judge Burlington thereupon on May q
dissolved the preliminary injunction,
despite the plea Of the telegraph COM
pany's attorneys, who contended that
the company had an appeal pending In
the United States supreme court IN its
New Jersey case and that II the wires
In Pennsylvania were cut down those
In New Jersey would be rendered use
less for thorough business Attorney
A, NJ. Neeper, for the Western Union.
claimed the poles and wires as that
company's property. He begged for de-
lay and announced that should the
company's poles and wires be destroyed
II would be az the Pennsylvania Rail-
road company's peril
Judge Burlington remarked that the
telegraph company had had three
months In which TO prepare for the de-
cree he was about TO make and he re-
fused TO grant a moments further de-
lay,
News Of the Pennsylvania victory
was wired to the general offices OF that
company and within two hours orders
were flashed over the system which set
an the aXemen 10 work Shortly after
three u'ulytA N a.. afternoon thoj satls
OF section hands were Telling the OBJ
n0Nlous poles all along the lines eust Of
Pittsburg All through the night the
work Of destruction went on ruthlessly
Amid the screaming Of locomotive
whistles could be heard the swish Of
the axe and ever and anon the crash
ing fall Of some lofty pole, followed by
that Of the breaking Of the crosstrees
studded with their glass insuators.
In some places the stricken poles We're
tossed over fences out Of the way. In
others hawsers We're attached 10
switching locomotives and the long
sticks, numbered by snars OF cut and
twisted wire, were towed away by main
force and stacked up In piles
CASUALTIES OF THE TWO DAYS
ACTION.
Never before. except perhaps In ac-
tual war time, has such swift and
wholesale destruction Of property been
witnessed along the line Of u great rail-
way on Friday the task was resumed
and not until shutdown did the men
pause In their choppng Then their
Job was about completed, and the army
Of aXemen rested from It's labors
In less than two days 1t had destroyed
property Of an intrinsic value Of about
81 600 000 IL had cut down about so OO1