New-York tribune., 1875-02-18
AN UNDERGROUND TELEGRAPH
SYSTEM.
A LETTER FROM ADOLF CLUss.


A LETTER FROM ADOLF CLUSS.
INCONVENIENCE or HAVING TIE WIRES on POLES
IN LARGE CITIES -RECENT EXPERIMENTS IN
GERMANY-LET THB GOvERNMENT INTRODUCE
THE IMPROVED system
To the Edttor OF the tribune
SIR: Your discussion of the adoption OF
the underground telegraph system within the 'hi'o VI
our cities induces communicate 10 you the results
of investigations OF this subject while in an oc posi-
ton From year year the wires como In greater con
ct with the stately rows shaderees which grace the
streets Of our city, The great telegraph companies arc
even frequently puzzled where 10 place tue poe''
Many thiny-seted streets partly planted "itn grow"
trees permit however passage from one sde Oh 'no
street to the and back again. or turn lnto othr
streets inasmuch as tho foliage of line OF healthy
treos aesroys tho Insulation, and intereres with the
working Of the limos even IN calm weather and more so
when the air strs. Ctzons consider 1t utterly mad
missible curall the symmetrical development OF the
trees by the process OF thinning out or cutting Daeh or
the necessities Of tho wres and the frequent apphca
tons of the telegraph companies for authority TO do
this has always caused utter clearly indicating that
before long this case has TO be met by the only
remedy at hand, resort TO underground
wires within tho limits OF the CITY,
Extensive lines OF underground wires were laid through
Prussia as far back lS but they had TO be aban-
doned and have received official information on the
whole subject from Col. Meydam, the DreotorGenerai
OF the imperial elegraphy Berlin obtained through
the Kindness OF Baron Scbloezer, the German Embas'
sador The unfavorabe results obtained % years ago
wero not attributable to the SYSTEM as is erroneousy
supposed by some persons but rather to the lack OF e
perience in regard TO the qualities OF the Insulating ma
tera to the then very imperfect machines Tor 'he man
ufacure OF insulated wires, and TO the undue hase WIN
which the work extensive lines was pushed Ihcse
old lines consisted OF gutaperchacoated copper Wres
lid An fhp n.
percha OF that period detective full OF bubbles ana
tho wire was thus imperfecty covered. External pro-
lection being wanting the gutta-percaa' whoh Is pae
caly indestructible under water, Dut rea1ly deoom
when exposed to the air or wherin contact WIN
earth was destroyed by chemical action, by rats, by
spades and even primarily by careless handling during
the transportation and lay ing OF the wres Inc lnSu
ton in consequence Of no account At the present
time mechanical progress, footing on former experience
and protng by the experiments for tho manufacture
OF submarine cables has overcome all tue lot
NOR objections to subtcrranean lines, and has proved
tho adartaby Of the cable by the establishment OF
permanent suoterranean lines in and between many
Eiropean cities and among Others between the Ger
man fortresses of the Rhine The difficulty OF insulating
the wire belongs 10 past time Copper wire Is now
cOncenricaly coated with three layers OF guttspereha
united by an intermediate glutnous soating comPosi
ton Chatterton compound" The insulated wires In
tended to be combined into cable then united and
ze the destructive influence Of tho earth on the gutta-
pereha Next comes tissue OF iron wre securing the
cable against injury from mechanical cauSes ana
heavy coat OF asphaltum guards the wire externally
against corrosiOn. most careful examination OF the
wires with highly perfected instruments especially by
siemens's method, enables one to detect the slightest
defects causing OF current and to youch for uhe1
ceptional material. Cables laid 2Oyears ago. and IN
use since that time, have lately been taken up In
Cologne and other places and found unnjured.
The vast extent Of elegraphy In our cities VIII Induce
in most cases the adoption Of tubes with dsks pefo
rated admit the passage Of the cables and keep
them In position think In London cast-iron curb
been adopted TO some extent In the cavities
OF which the cables have been placed The retardaton
OF the and speed Of transmission caused by the
static charge, which suberranean wires take TO nuch
greater degree than aerial wres cannot come into ac-
count for the comparatively short space within city,
and facts have proved that the working with Morse's
and similar apparatus is not impaired for such Limited
distances The difficulty of repairing injuries has also
been urged as an objection against the underground
wires but the experience OF the German service shows
that while the original investment comes high. the
running e1penses are found 10 be quite trifng Test
boxes sunk under the pavement of the dewaks serve
to trace any irregularities
Experiments are In progress In Prussia whereby
underground lines be extended thousands OF miles.
The cable Is alternately brought in communication with
the battery and then with the earth, where Ravanc
currents of opposite direction are used for tegrapmng
purpOses. The difficulties of tho static charge are
| thereby reduced 10 minimum, and the velocity OF
Is restored IL cannot be expected that the
cheaper aerial lines will be entirely sCpplanted by the
more costly underground lines since tue increased e1
peDse involved would tend TO retard materially the
growth OF the telegraph, which has come to be the
nervous system OF nation and should most speedily
be allowed to spread throughout all its extremtes and
ramAcaons as the pioneer OF railroads and steamships
those Quasi blOodvesses of the nation. But
WHY should not the General Post0fice Depart
mept, instead Of buying up the stock OF the
present telegraph lines, has been proposed,
take this predestined telegraph OF the future In hand
and establish an underground line between the leading
cities OF the Union which, instead OF competing with pri
yae could be relied during and after anos
nheric revolutions other occasions when the exist
ing cheaper lines of working oIderi II is well
known that the expansion Of the aerial wires during the
Summer them to hang slack ana renders
them liable durrg gales TO touch another and inter
tvipe; and moreover that heavy coatngs OF ice dur
ing sudden changes Of temperature III Winter are apt
when followed by gale to bring whole lines down by
dead,weight; and finally that the destructive power OF
heavy gales several periods brought down whole
sections OF the substantial aerial lines by unearth
ing or breaking off the poles shatterng the lDsuItoIs
and entangling or tearing the wires mus a IN
terrupton OF Communication for DAYS and weeks-per
haps at most inOppOrtune time Shall not thls pro
gresive country, in which teegraphy has attained an
prominence take leading part IN obtain
ing an exemption Of communication from all acct
dentist Why not have postal underground telegraph
along the leading airline railroads; and, 10 begin win,
why not have d moderate appropriation Tor nnishlng
the section between Washington and Bostonf
Washis0ton Feb u, 1875. ADOLF CLUES.