Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-11-23
JUDGE COwELL BUSY
Prevented nsp From Putting Pole in ibe Sidewalk-Sei
 Up in Inc Street.

locked horns with the telephone com pany this morning and knocked the big corporation out in the first round. Last week the city laid very hand some walk from Cones corner south erly to point below the Hodson property and the thing pleased every body so that people gathered in groups and talked about 1t and hoped such work would be continued un- til every street in the city Is equipped in similar manner. Before t hey got through praising the job the tele- phone company came along and bat tered hole in the pavement wide and deep enough to bury an elephant. They put huge pole into the exca- vation and then went off without even trimming up about the big stick This was followed by a cuss word all around, almost every man about the place wanting to know if there is any law which the telephone people are obliged to respect. The next move on the part of the com pany was to start digging another hole in the walk opopsite M. J. Me Evoy's cafe for another monarch Of the forest There is pole there now but it stands outside the curb in the granite pavement. The plan was to do away with the one in the street after one had been set up in the walk. The sidewalk is narrow at that point and the pole if erected would make the situation worse than ever before. Somebody got busy and when the men were about half through the portly figure of the judge of the dis trict court was seen hurrying down Harrison avenue. It was evident that the eminent jurist had been put wise to what was going on and was bound to stop the erection of the pole. He has charge of some property there, including the building where MT Me- Evoy does business and the moment he wheeled into Exchange place he inquired of the men what they were doing there Of course they replied. as usual, that they were going to put pole there. "Get out of there." ex- claimed the judge with all the en- phasis he could put into speech, add ing that if they didn't stir around lively and fill up the hole he would have them all arrested The men stopped for moment and looked at his honor and seeing that he meant 1t they turned to and worked like beavers until they had filled the hole good and tight and then they tamped it until one could hardly tell that spade ever was put in it.
 Judge Cowell was asked what he intended to do about it in case they tried it aagin.' He said he didn't look for any trouble over 1t. They have no right to put hole there, he said, and I have told them so and l don't suppose they will try it again.
 The workmen didn't know what to make of it, but they were prudent enough not to make scene. It was said that they had a permit from the board of public works to put a pole there, but this is not so. The com- pany used to consult the board of public works about poles, but they have not done so in many years. They go right ahead and put iu poles wherever they please and don't seem to. care whether the board of public works or anybody else like their gait.
 It is evident that the company does not intend to fight, for men have already dug hole in the street be- side the old pole and the new one Is on the ground ready to be dropped into it. The streets of Waterbury being common property to everybody who wants to make money out of them, except the city itself, who can- not make conduit in them, nobody will be likely to stop the company from putting it down at the old stand.