Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-10-30

Of the work, exclusive OF the salaries The
nelo Work or the main lrian ,u:atioa is now
complete, all or the stations having been
observed; OF the secondary triaugulafton I!1
stations out Of $50 have been observed. tn,
typographical parties will begin work as 500
forward as rapidly as possible, depending o
the weather. The triangulation win be com
puted during the winter. and In the spring the
tr1angulation points. which are about half a
mile apart. should be permanently marked In
stone for future reference.
=. BY the end Of the fiscal year 1t Is expected
that two, or perhaps three. sheets OF the final
the inch, and showing the contour of the
ground at vertical intervals Of five feet An
estimate OF 5000 Is submitted for continuing
When these maps are completed It will be
possible to mark the lines OF the public roads as
now required by law, and what is of more i'm
poftance it WIN afford the data for proper
STUDY or the subject OF extending the streets
and avenues to the District line on one general
plan instead OF allowing streets TO be laid out
Id the disconnected manner now seen In the
pan streets Is matured it should be submitted
to Congress for approval In order that iC may
have the force OF law. and that all subsequent
subdivisions OF property into building lots and
streets should be required TO conform 10 IL.
TELEGRAPH LINES.
There are now in this city Il miles OF tele-
graph lines consisting OF 1866 poles carrying
about $50 miles of wire, In addition TO telephone
and fire alarm wires carried over the tops OF
houses and estimated to amount to 100 miles of
Wire. They belong to I different companies, VIZ:
the western Union, Atlantic and Pacific, Amer
ican tnion. Rapid, Capital Telephone. Amer
lcan District Telegraph and the Fire Alarm,
beside a few miles OF wire belonging to the
general government and connecting IT'S build
lngs With the Capitol and arsenal The poles
are source OF constant and well founded COM
plant principally on account of their unsIghtly
appearance. There has also been some trouble
arising from the trees which Interrupt the
working of the wires when the latter come in
contact with The wet leaves. As yet this has
not been very great, but five years hence the
majority Of the vast number OF young trees on
our streets will have attained sucn height
that the wires cannot with safety be placed on
poles above them. The difficulty Will then be-
come serious one and the trees will
have to suffer or else the wires take another
stand 1t is not possible to limit the number OF
them, or to do so would seriously cripple the
business OF the community, prevent the exten-
sion OF telegraph facilities, and limit the re-
ton OF rival companies Norris IL possible to place
the poles on unfrequented streets for the main
onces must, OF necessity, be in the very center
OF the city; the branch lines connect the diff
ferent parts of the business portion OF the city,
and the telephone lines are used by the resi-
dents OF the handsomest streets. Every evil
resulting from the telegraph poles Will increase
very greatly In the next few years. There is
but one remedy which will have any permanent
value, and that Is to compel the removal, within
stated Pc Re,osd Of every POLE and to cause the
|, therefore, recommend that the matter be
taken seriously in hand, and that Congress be
urged TO pass the following bill, or one Of a
similar nature, at the coming session, viz:
1st day Of s 49, sha not b o Tel or
aos of G5 pos x f f
limits Of the city q washington. EXCEPT as herein
ing within said limits shall be removed on or before
said date at the expense of the owners thereof in
streets or pavements by their erection or removal
Sec. z from and after thel st day OF January,
hlss2 the main lines of all telegraph companies shall
them WHICH lies along tracks of the Baltimore and
and the Commssoners Of be Dsrict Of
shall designate the route along which each line shall
S We FRI der the ts of the
that the companies, corporations or individuals lay
o he District Of for
expense incurred in repairing the pavements dis
rfded tfther. that the wires shall be SO laid, with
boxes at convenient intervals or otherwise, that it
or the 20 OF sh
Sec g. Where lines Of wire belonging to different
pipes, trenches boxes or Other apnsrt4nances In. in
which they shall be laid shall be nsed in Common
and it shall not be lawful TO lay or construct more
than one set Of pipes other appurtenances for tel
egraph wires ON the same street The terms of such
ranes themselves, or in case Of dsssreement, by
the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia
with the mai offices of the different companies aud
the wires OF telephone companies may be carried
owners thereof; otherwise they shall be laid under
ground in the manner previously provided for.
The use OF underground telegraph lines is no
untried experiment. 1t was attended with Ger
tain defects and failures when first used In 1852
AID 1858 on the long lines connecting London
with Liverpool and Manchester; but these have
flhce teen overcome and for the last Is years
he in of,n tf.Nyz nh
cities In Europe, and also In many instances
between distant cities.
The details Of the methods of laying and
operating such lines are fully described in Cul.
l,ys and other standard works on pr ctlcal
teiegraphy; In the journal or the English So
cieiy OF Telegraph Engineers and in other
publications. devoted to telegraph Interests.
No telegraph pole is to be seen IN London,
Paris and other great cities and there are TO-
Gay more than thousand miles Of under
ground lines in successful operation in Europe,
compiled from authentic information, viz: In
London 10 miles OF line; other cities In Eng
land, 100; Paris, 1l9; other cities In France.
100; Berlin, so; 80 other cities In Germany. 40;
the Hague, 4; IS other cities in Holland, l9H
various cities in Switzerland. ~: between Bsrr.,
lin and Halle 400; between Liverpool and Man
chester, &c. Total, 1,0l6 miles
These underground lines carry from to 80
wires each and average about 80 wires. There
are, therefore, considerably over 900 mites OF
present time. No doubt, therefore, exists as TO
The perfect feasibility Of the system. IC is true
that the expense Is greater that in the system
OF carrying the wires on poles, but 1t is a ques-
ton whether the streets shall be any longer
disf1gured on account OF this expense. The sys-
TEN, which has proved most successful In Euro
pean cities, consists in carrying a number OF
separate wires, insulated with gutta percha, In
iron pipes, laid about two feet below the sur
face. Tie Western Union company Is now lay
Ing an experimental line between New YORK
and Newark, on what Is known as BROOKS
patent" This consists Of cable composed or a
number OF small cotton covered wires (gen-
orally copper led through an iron pipe filed
With parafine Oil. Whether this method will
prove more satisfactory than the method now
so extensively used In Europe remains to be
SEEN Since 1876, an underground line carrying
l25 wires has been IN operation In New York be-
tween the main office OF the Western Unioa
Telegraph company and their branch offices III
Pearl street and Hanover square similar
line has been in operation In the Capitol
grounds In this city since 1857. There Is moth
Ing to prevent its extension to all the lines of
the city, except the cost This might eQuitably
be reimbursed to the different companies by
remitting the taxes on their stock for certain
number Of years. There would be no objection
to allowing the poles to remain along the two
lines OF railroads entering the city, so long as
these roads remain as az present The main.
underground lines should connect the railroad
depOts with the main Offices the signal Office,
government buildings and Georgetown, and two
north and south lines along 9Th and 14th Streets
from Boundary street to the river, would also
be needed. The total length Of main under