Spencer Heath Archive

Item 2886

Exchange of correspondence 1929-1930 with Consolidated Gas Electric Light and Power Company of Baltimore, Lexington & Liberty Streets, Baltimore, Maryland.

 

 

 

Gentlemen:

 

In preparing for improvements on the Washington Boulevard frontage of my property in West Elkridge I find obstructions in the form of two poles, wires, etc. bearing the mark of your company which obstructions have been placed on my property without authorization of any kind. The more southerly one of these poles marked with the number 64620 may have been in place for a considerable time. The northerly pole marked 33845 with its bracing etc. has been placed very recently.

 

 A short time ago I received a verbal request from your Mr. Sowash for permission to place this pole on my property. He described it as being needed to anchor an overhead brace wire in connection with telephone service for a residence on the opposite side of the Washington Boulevard. I very expressly and distinctly refused to grant such permission, stating to him that if the poles on the opposite side of the Boulevard needed to be braced that this bracing should also be located on the opposite side of the Boulevard from my property. Notwithstanding my refusal I find that this pole has been put in place.

 

 This letter is to give you notice and request to remove your poles number 64620 and 33845. These poles are now in obstruction to an improvement I desire to carry out and must be removed without delay.

 

 As a stock holder in your company I naturally do not wish to embarrass your operations in any way but I am obliged to insist that whatever bracings are necessary for your structures on the south side of Washington Boulevard, opposite my land be confined to that side of the road.

 

 Anticipating your prompt compliance, I am,

 

Very truly yours,

 

SH:MW.                         Spencer Heath

 

 

___________________________________________

 

Mr. Spencer Heath                          December 16, 1929

220 Grindall Street

Baltimore, Maryland

 

Dear Sir:

 

Relative to your letter of December 13^th, we shall be pleased to have our service representative, Mr. Langgood, call to see you regarding the two poles which you state were placed on your property without your permission.

 

Yours very truly,

 

(Signed) N. M. Calloway

S.                      General Service Department

 

 

___________________________________________

 

Gentlemen:-                                December 23, 1929  

 

I wish to acknowledge your reply to my letter of December 13th in reference to removal of unauthorized obstructions on my Washington Blvd. frontage in Elkridge, Maryland. Your Mr. Langgood has called upon me as your letter stated he would do. He advises me that the southern-most pole number 64620 is on my property without authorization and will be removed. He further advises that the brace wire and anchor attached to the northern-most pole number 33845 is on my property and will be removed.

 

 In regard to the pole itself number 33845 Mr. Langgood states that this pole is on the State of Maryland right of way and has been placed there by authority of the State of Maryland. I have advised him that my title as guaranteed by the Title Company extends to the center line of Washington Blvd. subject only to an easement for State use for highway purposes. I have asked Mr. Langgood to furnish me with copies of the documents under which you claim State authority for the erection of any structures on any part of my land including that portion which is under easement to the State for highway purposes. Mr. Langgood advises me that he will have your Law Department furnish this.

 

 I anticipate your prompt removal of the southern-most pole and brace number 64620 and of the brace wire and anchor connected with the northern-most pole number 33845 as promised and agreed by your Mr. Langgood. Please also let me have as soon as possible copy of document or documents under which you claim authority for the placing of this northern-most pole number 33845.

 

 Thanking you kindly for your attention I remain,

Very truly yours,

 

 

___________________________________________

 

Gentlemen:-                            December 31, 1929

 

I beg to acknowledge telephone communication by your Mr. Langgood stating that my letter of December 33rd, in reference to the removal of unauthorized poles on my Washington Boulevard front­age in Elkridge, Maryland, has been received and will be given early attention.

Thanking you kindly, I am,

 

Very truly yours,

 

 

 

_______________________________

 

Gentlemen:-                                January 23, 1929

 

I beg to advise that my request of December 13 for removal of
obstructions lately placed upon the Washington Boulevard frontage of my property in Elkridge has not been complied with. As set forth in my
letter these obstructions were placed in defiance of my refusal to permit them.  Your only reply was you stated that your Mr. Langgood would call to see me.  In my letter of December 33 I confirmed to you Mr. Langgood’s promise to have these obstructions in part removed. I also requested copies of documents, if any, under which your claimed authority for the erection of structures on any part of my land including the part under easement to the State of Maryland for highway purposes. Receipt of my letter of December 23 was acknowledged by telephone as per my confirmation of December 31.

 

 I submit that more than a reasonable time has elapsed for the
carrying out of your promise as made by your Mr. Langgood and for the

furnishing of copies of documents requested in my letter of December 23.

 

Very truly yours,

SH:WW                                      Spencer Heath.

 

 

 

 

 

_______________________________________

 

Mr. Spencer Heath,

220-242 Grindall Street,

Baltimore, Maryland. 

 

Dear Sir:                                      January 25, 1930

 

 Acknowledging your letter of January 22nd regarding the guy poles placed on your prop­erty on the Washington Boulevard, we shall be pleased to have our representative, Mr. Langgood, call to discuss the matter with you.

 

Yours very truly,

 

 (Signed) N.M. Calloway,
NMC:W                  General Service Dept.

 

 

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­______________________________________

 

Gentlemen:                                      May 31st, 1930

 

A person giving his name as Gorman and today representing himself as your agent urges me to make promises and agreement to him respecting the use of some part of my property for lines and towers for the transmission of electric current.

 

Please be advised that I have refused to consent promise or agree verbally to anything whatever.

 

 If your company desires anything of me, please make your desires known exclusively in writing, and so explicitly that it can be understood without personal explanations. In any case please do not send any agents with verbal persuasions or solicitations.

 

Very truly yours,

_______________________________________

Gentleman;                                 August 8th, 1930

 

I refer to my letter to you dated May 31st, 1930 in which I notified you that I had refused all solicitations of your right-of-way agent Gorman to make any promise or agreement respecting electric power transmission lines and towers on my Elkridge property which I am landscaping and otherwise improving as a high-class residential development.

 

 Your written request of June 2nd for the right to occupy with towers etc. a tract of land one half-mile long and 150 feet wide right through the center of my development was immediately referred to Messrs. Bartlett, Poe & Clagett with Instructions to refuse and to resist to the utmost any effort to break up my property and destroy its value as a fine residential development and to do this without any regard to any offers of increased compensation that might be made.

 

 My attorneys notified you immediately and recommended that your proposed route be surveyed over non-residential properties in this neighborhood. Notwithstanding this you have so far persisted in surveying and other trespass that I have been obliged to order your agents off my property and refuse them all admittance, against which trespass my attorneys have duly protested to you. It comes to my notice also that you have continued to survey and stake out tower locations in adjoining properties at both ends of the forbidden route across mine.

 

 This latter is to warn you that any expense or obligations that you may have incurred in this connection has been with full knowledge that I will not at any price permit the degradation of my landscape and residential property by your towers and other apparatus and that I am prepared to resist to the utmost and at whatever cost any and every attempt in that direction.

 

 For the purpose of developing and beautifying my property I established several years ago a small nursery in which I planted thous­ands of evergreens, ornamental trees, shrubs etc., many of which are now of suitable else for landscape planting, and many of them have already been planted out. I have employed in this connection expert European and American gardeners. Since early in the present year I have employed continuously four or five men in this work.

 

 This tract of land is one whose scenic and location features and desirability as a small, high-class residential community attracted me for several years before I was able to purchase it and build my home upon a part of it. Within the past year I have retired from my interests and activities as a manufacturer and am now engaged in developing and beautifying this property, enclosing it with screens of hedges and tall grass and grading the building sites to front inwardly on garden and landscape views.

 

 I understand from your agents that your proposed transmission line extends from Safe Harbor on the Susquehanna southward towards Washington, D.C. and then hooks back in a north-east direction to Baltimore.

 

 I wish to draw your attention to the fact that west, south and east of my property nearly all of the land is agricultural and any necessary rights of way over it could doubtless be economically obtained.

 

 As to my own property you were notified as early as last December that I was preparing to make improvements and would not tolerate the presence of poles or wires.

 

 Please do not suppose that I am a mere obstructionist. I am in favor of the wide distribution of electric current. However, there can be no  real necessity for ruining a large tract of residence property and destroying its  entire value for the only purpose for which it was purchased and for which it has been and continues to be developed and improved. A very small extension of your proposed lines should enable them to pass over property that is not used or being developed for residence purposes. I recommend this to your very serious consideration and action without delay.

 

 To proceed otherwise is to create a situation in which you will be seriously compromised by your own reckless acts from the beginning, in willful disregard of the character of my property, my investments in it and my right to its full value unimpaired.

 

 I shall be glad to give every possible assistance in any suitable change of plan.

 

Yours very truly,