The Battle for the Right of Way
The Northern Pacific Railroad and the Postal Telegraph Company lock horns in a legal battle over territory.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Judge Hoyt yesterday at the instance of the Northern Pacific Railroad Company granted an injunction restraining the Pacific Postal Telegraph Company from working on the right of way of the railroad or in any way trespassing upon its property. The telegraph wire now extends as it did before any legal steps were taken. The Postal Telegraph Company has obtained an injunction restraining the employees of the Northern Pacific from interfering with its operations, and the Northern Pacific has in turn obtained an injunction restraining the Postal Telegraph Company from carrying on operations on its right of way. The next move will be awaited with some curiosity.
“The next move will be awaited with some curiosity.”
This tug-of-war over utility easements and property rights represents a foundational conflict in the development of Seattle's infrastructure. Such corporate power struggles over the 'right of way' continue to define the limits of public and private access to land in the modern city.
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