The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-06-30
And the Effort of the Court to
Prevent the Laying of Gas
Line is Frustrated.
ATTEMPT AT "A HoLDUP
With a Proposition That City
Grant a Franchise to the
Home Gas Company


Notwithstanding the efforts of
John B. Strother and Lee Maxwell,
members of the county court, to pre-
vent the city water and, sewerage
the city gas wells at the water tanks
to the city pumping station, the line is
laid and 1t will be used in piping gas
from the gas wells to the pumping
station, where the gas will be used in
operating the water plant, by which
use thousands Of dollars will be saved
the citizens Of the community yearly.
Use of its own gas will also overcome
problem of retrenchment in service
and Improvements caused by the les
sening Of revenue owing to the exile
Of saloons here.
The board some time ago began to
lay pipe in the county ROAD there, It's
action being authorized by franchise
granted several years ago by tho
county court. The courts agents
promptly tore up the line and inter
fered with the work to such an extent
that it had to be temporarily abap-
Goned. However, with about 100
men at work on the line Tuesday
morning, the board sprang surprise
when Road Engineer Charles G. Fit
tro and deputies went to the scene to
stop the work. A policeman was there
with an Injunction which had been
issued by Judge P. D. Morris, of New
Martinsville, to whom the water
board had applied owing to Judge
Raymond MaXwelPs being ineligible
TO act in the matter because of reIa-
donship to Lee Maxwell, member of
the court. This was served on the
county courts representatives. I'll
prohibited the court. its agents and
the like from interfering with the
board in laying the line and was
BASED on the franchise the board al
ready had.
After the board had been stopped
from laying the line by the county
court, its members waited on the
court several times, but Strother and
Maxwell showed untenable and con.
cemnatory opposition to the city,
while John ]. Sturm, the other mem
her of the court, took the commenda-
bic position favoring the privilege Of
the city's laying the line In the road.
Maxwell has always shown more or
less disposition to oppose anything
the city wanted at the hands of the
court.
The court has granted rights to in
dtviduals and corporations to Jay
lines in the roads of the county. az d II
does appear that fifteen or twenty
thousand residents OF this community
have some rights in this respect which
the county court should not overlook
or refuse.
The court made proposition to
give the right to lay the line, provided
the water board induced the city
council to give the Home Gas compa-
ny franchise to use city streets. Just
what connection there is between the
county court and the Home Gas Com
pany is not known but there must be
something of the kind, judging from
the actions of the court. It is under
stood that w. Guy Tetrick, clerk of
the court, Is stakeholder in the
Home Gas Company but it is not
known whether that had anything to
do with the courts proposition or ac-
tions.
The water board made formal a2-
Fiication to the county court several
weeks ago for permission to lay the
line and its members have been be-
fore the court several TIRES in con-
nection Herewith. While the boar /
had the obvious right under a fran,
chise granted years ago to lay the line
yet 1t deemed 1t wise to avert any
conflict with the court to seek the ap-
prevail of the court to lay the line. The
boards letter to the court was as fol-
lows:
Honorable County Court of Harrison
County,
"Gentlemen:-
The undersigned respectfully ask :
OF your honorable body permission to
lay and maintain four inch gas line
in the Weston road from a point be.
low the equalizing reservoirs to the
city pumping station, a distance of
approximately $500 feet.
THE line pipe is of genuine
wrought iron and 1t is the intention
of the board to apply coat Of as
phaltum paint to the screw end of the
pipe, drive same securely into place
and to bury the line below the pres
lent road level.
Most respectfully submitted,
'Clarksourg Water Works and Sew
erage Board
William H. Lewis, President,
IS. G. Highland, Sup't."
The franchise under which the
board has the apparent right to lay
the line whether the present county
court contests or not is as follows:
Franchise granted to the Town of
Clarksburg at special meeting
held on Tuesday, April 1Uth, 1885
and recorded in General Order
Book, No. 3, Page 274.
Upon application of the Town Of
Clarkshurg, by the Commissioners o,
Water Works thereof, it is ordered
that permission is hereby given said
Iown to lay the mains or other ne
cessary pipes for water works Of said
town under the surface Of any road
or roads or under the surface along
the side Of any of the roads Of this
County outside the corporate limits of