, 1880-08-01

| tNl1c1l ~ I1t DEW0ETlLlc plssl u LiH tAtl&s
session., for 'a full vote, free ballot, and
fair count" in National elections?
TELEGRAPH~WIRE NUISANCE.
One Of the most troublesome nuisances
with which Chicago is afflicted and threat
ened is the ever-multiplying array Of tele-
| graph wires stretched on poles along tile
streets or-crossing from honse-tops to house
tops. On the cross-bars of one Of these poles
we counted a few days ago ITO less than sew
enty wires. These wires belong to the West
ern Union, the commercial lines, the fire.
alarm, aud the telephones (of which there are
| two companies now in operation). There are
| now 2, 700 telephones in use, each requiring
| q separate wire; this business, however, is
| now but in its infancy, and III few years
the number will be ten times as great.
The nuisance Is Of varied character. In
| the first place, the poles are unsightly and an
obstruction. III the next place, tile wires
| stretched on these poles present serious OBJ
struchon to the operations Of the Fire Depart
ment. No ladders and no fire escapes can be
used to advantage where there is line Of
| telegraph wire Oh poles planted along the
u
fenced in by these wires the Department is
| greatly incomnoded, and its operations
| delayed and defeated by this unsIghtly OBJ
struction.
The evil has already reached great magni-
tude, and is increasing rapidly. The tele-
graph companies are becoming satisfied that
the nuisance must soon pass the point Of for
bearance, and that change must be made ut
all early day i'll this city and in other 1arge
cities. The experience OF European cities
for some reason seems to be rejected by the
telegraph companies, but why is not exactly
clear. Iii London, Paris, and Berlin there
are no posts or wires to he seen in the
streets: The wires are aIl laid under ground,
either in tubes, tunnels, or boxes, in
trenches under the streets or; under the side
walks. Whatever he the mode, no wires are
allowed to be stretched along the streets and
no poles are permitted to dislgure or Oh
struct the public thoroughfarcs. The wires
are put out Of sight.
One objection urged against this plan is,
that in, Chicago the use OIL necessity for wires
is infinitly greater than in European cities.
The use Of the "tfcker" is almost universal
i'll Chicago, while it is comparatively ull
known in European cities; here these wires
60 to every part Of the city, and are used by
nearly every business house, while in Euro.
pean towns, if they are used at a1l, it Is bya
few persons, and these are confined to some
special locality. The same may be said Of
the telephones. These, while comparatively
i'll their infancy, are already largely III use III
this city, and are certain to become so general
that no wholesale,o or retail establishment
from the dry-goods store to the butchers
shop, druggist or confectionery establish
ment will be without one. Every doctor aud
DENTIST every lawyer and notary, as well as1iv-'
cry stable and restaurant, will have telephone
through which to communicate with Gus
toners and dealers III every part of the city.
They will become a necessary appendage 10
every business establishment and to every
family residence located at my distance
from the business quarter. Such general
use Of the telephones, 1t is represented, is not
likely ever to take splace in any European
city and hence the necessity for wires has
never and probably will never exist in the
older countries as it does in this. AL this'is
unquestionably true, but this doesnot change
the fact that, If the underground telegraph
wires used III London. Paris. and Berlin can
be successfully operated in those cities,
then like wires eau be operated in the
same manner in Chicago. Tie tube or
tunnel through which ten or a dozen
wires can be conducted underground
or out Of sight can be made to carry tliou-
sand wires just as successfully, and il they
can be carried in this manner under a dozen
streets or alleys in one Of these cities, they
can be laid just as successfully in hundred
streets, or in as many streets as there may be
occasion to use them.
One wire is laid underground for short
distance on the North Side. 1t belongs to
the fire-alarm service, and there has been no
trouble in operating or laying it. What was
done in that case might be made general. |
We print this morning statement made by
the Superintendent of the tire-alarm teIe-
graph in this city on this subject. He takes
practical view of the matter, but, like all
others, is slow to reach any plan. 1t is |
said that the Western Union Company |
have long had the matter under
consideration, but hare reached no satisfac- |
tory conclusion. It is possible that that Com |
pany and all other companies will remain |
unable to reach any conclusion as to how to |
substitute underground wires for the over !
,ground service until municipal authority is |
driven to interfere and to compel the re- |
moyal Of nll poles and wires from the streets. !
Public patience Is nearly exhausted con- /
cerntng this nuisance, aid the telegraph |
companies cannot be too soon In maturing
some plan other than that now III use, because
public safety will demand that like the
Chinese, the oyerground wires and tele-.
graph poles must go-from the streets Of this /
and other cities.
:.
EDIs0N'S ELECTRICAL LOCOMOTIVE.
The frreprcssiblc Edison, though still en-
gagged in studying the vexed problem OF the