National Republican., 1883-03-17


copper, forming fifty conductors with metallic
circuit Each wire is covered with fine cotton
tapd and wound spirally in sets of two wires,
The fifty conductors arc then placed in u lead
pipe, and this is filled under pressure with hot
paralnc and resin, which is boiled In the pipe
so as 90 fll the intcrstices Of the tape and form
n complete insulation. The external diameter
Of the pipe IS one and onc.cighth inches
The Day cablc consists of forty-thrce con-
duCiurs ui small copper wire. Each wire is
insulated with kcritc rubbed with plumbago
Seven conductors are coicd in the center
forming core which is covered with tinfoil.
Two layers of other wires are then wrapped
srimly around this core, the first layer to the
right and the second TO the left. The exterior
is covered with tinioil and then wrapped with
two thicSncssc, Of rubber cloth rs an outer
protection. Tho external diameter of cable is
one aud a half inches.
The Phillips cable has thirty.eight conduct-
ors Of small copper wires, each wire being in
sulHt,d with india rubber and surrounded
with tnloil forming u lcydcn Jar. The OK
tcruHl protection Is braided cotton prepared
and painted. Diameter ono and n quarter
inches
such cables as these are necessarily very cx-
pcnsiyc. They are quoted at two cents per
foot for each conductor, with discount de-
pending on the quantity of the order.
In New York nearly all the wires are car
ried overhead, partly on fixtures attached to
the roof and partly on poles. In certain dis
tricts the number of wires Is so great that
cables arc used on the poles similar to those
Just described. Tho Western Union company
has, however, one line of underground cable
carrying about one hundred conductors from
its Office Oh Broadway TO the Hudson river
aud another line from its office to the stock
exchange. On the latter line this company
has also n line of pneumatic tubes, which are
found to be very scrviceablc and to dispense
with the use of number of wires This COM
pany has also made contracts for the laying
of another line of pneumatic tubes from its
central office to the branch office at Twenty
third street and Broadway, a length of nearly
three miles.
There will be four tubes of brass three
inches in diameter. Two of them will form
circuit for through business and two of them
for local business, with connections at inter
mediate offices. A constant current of air is
maintained in these tubes by fans, which ex-
haust at one end of the tube and pump in at
the other.
The messages are carried in small leather
pouches at velocity of about two miles u
minute.
These tubes will do away with large
number of wires-probaby as many as fifty.
At the same time the company proposes to lay
in the same trench pipe carrying three hun
dred insulated wires loosely coilcd together in
the form of cables. The insulation is gtrtta
percha, and the price was stated Mt four cents
per foot for each wire, which, If correct, seems
TO me to be altogether excessive, as compared
with other forms of insulated wire.
The telephone wires are all carried over
head in New York at present: some of them
as single wires and some in cables.
The electric light wires are also overhead,
except in Edison's district No. l." This is
district containing about one hundred and
fifty acres bounded by Wall, Spruce, and Mas
sau streets, and the East river. In this dis
trict there are four thousand incandescent
lights in use, and the electricity is supplied
entirely by underground pipes, The system
is extremely simple and successful. 1t is fully
described in Edson's aud Kruesis's patents
Nos. PSI, 252, and 266-4S3. Mains are laid on
both sides of the street, consisting of two inch
or three inch wrought iron pipes, carrying
the two poles "copper" bars) insulated in com.
pound of asphalt. The pipes are in sections of
twenty-five feet united in n junction box,
which can be opened at any time in order to
make the house connections. At each inter-
sccting street there Is a manhOlc, where the
mains are brought together and put in cleo
triral connection with feeder (Which is
simply large main) coming direct from the
electrical machines in the central office.
There are twenty such feeders, and in all
twenty-onc miles of mains and feeders, inde-
pendent of the house connections.
This system Is in complete and successful
operation at the present time. and il cOnsti-
tItCs an unauswcrabe argument TO the plea
that such system is not feasible for electric
lighting
did not visit Philadelphia, as there are no
underground wires in use there at present.
Negotiations are in progress looking to the
introduction Of the Brooks system in that
city This Is fully described in the letters
patent, and consists essentially of wires COW
cred with tape, placed in pipe filed with
pamtnc oil. Until this system is fully tried
it Is not necessary to discuss its probable
merits and defects. | submit herewith sew
eral printed documents giving the opinions
of experts concerning the underground sys-
TEN.
The experiments now in progress in New
York and Boston and the long use of UNDER
gIvund wires in London and other cities in
Europe prove incontestably that the under
ground system is perfectly feasible for trunk
lines Its first cost is greater than that OF
the pole system, but the immunity from
storms and other overhead dangers may pos
sibly make it cheaper in the end. At all
events the expense is not beyond the means
of the companies. There are Several systems
in actual use, and an immense number of pro-
posed systems, covered by letters patent, some
of which appear TO have merit and some have
none. 1t is for the companies interested to
determine by experiments which Is the best
The electric light wires, the telegraph wires
and the trunk lines of the telephone can all
he carried underground with perfect success
The distribution of the telephone wires ia
separate houses in an underground system is
attended with difficulties which rs yet have
not been overcome. This, however need give
no inconvenience in this city, for single
pipe can be led to the alley IN the center OF
each square which will carry all the conduct
Ors needed for that square. They can be
drawn into the pipe rs needed, and can leave
il in the alley and be carried up pole ion
distribution to the rear of tho houses whcrt
needed. There would be no objection tC
single wires in the alleys and back yards Of
houses.
recommend therefore, that the commits
sioners pass an order prohibiting tho further
erection OF any poles whatsoever on the pub
lie streets lOr carrying electric wires, provided
that such poles as may be necessary for dis
tributing telephone wires may be erected in
the alleys,
Also that certain experiments he made on
the tire alarm wires to test an underground
system less expensive than those now in use
that estimates be submitted TO congress noxl
fall for placing all the fire alarm wires under
ground, and that special report he made L
congress and plans Of the underground route
proposed iur the different companies in thi,
city aud the draft of II bill to compel the re
mOyal of tho overhead wires ut an early date
Very respectfully L. V. GREENE,
Captain Of Engineers, u. $, A,
INpORsEMENT or MAJ, LYDECKER.
The valuable information supplied by Capt
I,r.rup i'm mi, rpnnrt l., thp result ut inycsti