Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-05-23
lAIISG TO BUY POLES
Street and Sewer Department
Opens Negotiations With The
D. and A Telegraph &
Telephone Go.
FOR MARKET STREET LINE
This Move is the Result of the
Action Taken at the Meet
ing of the Board Yes
terday Morning.

Pursuant to action taken az the week
ly meeting yesterday, the Street and
sewer Department has entered into
negotiations with the Delaware ~
Atlantic Telegraph and Telephone
Co. to purchase its remaining
poles on Market street between
Fifth and Tenth, with view 20 leas-
ing them to other companies us
ing poles, and, pending settlement Of
the matter, the work of taking down
the discarded poles, which was started
yesterday by the Delaware s. Atlantic
Co., has been suspended. Tho total
number of discarded poles in the dis
tance mentioned was IA, but the num-
ber has been reduced, five having been
removed before the suspension order
was given.
j. H. Mehaffey, district manager Of
the company, said this morning, after
conference with representatives of
the Street and Sewer Department,
that he could not say what would be
done until after he had an opportunity
to take the matter up with the COM
pany. 1t has been the intention Of the
company all long, he said, to remove
the poles as soon as they could be dis
mantled. and for months the company 5
employees have been placing the wires
underground and running them on the
| side and rear walls of houses, in order
to get rid of the poles, promising to
/ do away with the latter as soon as
/ possible. For about 10 days all Of the
wires have been off the poles and m
Difference to a general desire on the
part Of the pubic, the work Of taking
down the poles was started yesterday.
The company has no poles on Market
street south Of Fifth.
Mr.. Mehalfey said this morning thai
other companies had been trying tC
buy the poles, but his company re-
fused to sell. Now that the city wants
to buy them be does not know what
the outcome of the negotiations viii
be. No terms for the purchase of the
pcles have been suggested.
While some Of the poles are in gooc
condition, Mr.. Mehaifey says som'
are not. A few have been up for l:
years, but most Of them have not beer
up that ong. The life of a telephone
pole is an uncertain quantity. Soml
rot very rapidly, while others remaiI
in good condition for many years. Mr.
Nehaffey is Of the opinion that SOM
Of the poles still up will have to COM
down and an examination Will bl
necessary to determine their strength
One pole which is in an unsafe condi
tion, Mr.. Mehaffeysaid, is that in from
of the Masonic Temple, on which
fire alarm box is located, and if tn
pole is taken down the location of tn
box will have 10 be changed.
The presumption is that if the cit.
acquires the poles of the Delaware
A tlantic Co. it will lease them TO tn
. Wilmington Light, Power a Telephon
Co. The latter company wanted to la
a conduit in Market street, but was no
permitted to do so, the Street an
Sewer Department giving it permits
sion to erect pole line instead. Man
people have objected to new poles &c
ing up, and it is said the compan
desired to buy the ID. s. A. poles
but was not successful in the effort.
BANK OBJECTS TO A PolE.
The erection of pole line for th
, new company has been started on Shil
= ley street and several poles have bee
+ put up. One WIS erected this mori
! ing at the northeast corner Of Fift
and Shipley streets. The Centri
q | National Bank owns the entir
2 square on the north side Of Fifth stree
fiom Market to Shipley and oficia
e of the bank protested before the 20
n was sunk, and afterward Henry l
Dure, chairman of the property con
A mittee Of the board of directors, e.
s pressed himself very forcibly on q
subject. The matter will probably
4 brought to the attention of the dire
l. tors, at their meeting tomorrow.
e While the General Incorporation &C
a passed by the Legislature in lS99 ar
e amended in 1903, provides, with r
spect to telegraph and telephone con
r. panies, that 'no posts or poles sha
be erected upon the soil or property
4 any person without first obtaining d
Il written consent Of the owner thereof,
y it was stated, at the Office Of the Sire
and Sewer Department this mornin
that as that department has jurisdi
tion from building line to buildil
line in every street, 10 would probab
Is be construed 10 be the owner Of {
property. 1t Is nevertheless tru
that the department requires abutti
Of property owners to keep the sidewall
r, in repair and the courts have held th
y, they are responsible for the contdion
IN the sidewalk
T. Where permission is given for q
d planting Of poles, according to
ID General Incorporation act, the compa
r. doing so must replace the sidewa
ct torn up and keep it in good conditi
r for six months
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