Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-12-04
A. to Underground Wires.

I'll" Washington EyENISG STAR falls into an
Prruf common with opponents of our telegraph sys-
trirS, by asserting tnat in Europe there are hun
drel- and hundreds of mites OF telegraph wire
1md1r ground. more fallaco1ls idea does hot ex-
1t England Is just beginning To aEftare the sub
J'cj ~ Pc icg the wires Un,iar ground III general
Sense. While believe that, with all the expense,
VI. fel9,lHd wires should n t1e rule, not The eX-
Ftti W t't-' To see our co5iitiilrilitIl@- tunD-
iliE INTO unnecessary errors and misleading their
read =. -Ae5r Yo.k Commercial Arrertise,,
Oar esteemed contemporary IS either not srf-
nccufy Informed mel careful enough In its state
menf- TO justify its charge that The STAR has fall
len into all error in this matter. The allegation
made ia these columns iey days ago 10 the effect
that there are hundreds and hundreds OF miles of
underground telegraph wires in use III Europe was
made iii the abundance OF knowledge and was
very Iar inside OF the facts. easily b. proven
by reference 10 The most authentic sources Q! III
formation on the subject.
According TO late issue OF the DagrscIp BTHzsff-
a3'9. German publication which ought TO be well
qualified 20 know whereof it speaks there are
now in operation in the German empire alone no
less than twentythrce Thousand miles OF subterra-
heal! Uire out OF total OF hundred and sixty
TWO thousand miles Of line. France has seven
thousand two hundred miles OF underground wire
In successful Use. AIstrii-IIungary comes next
with three hundred and fifty-four miles Of her lines
under ground, and Russia follows. with subterra-
nean system covering one hundred and ffty-flye
miles.
We have not OF hand the means OF showing all
Inc cfoSs-country lines making up these several
totalS nor Is such showing necessary at the pres
ent time either Tor the purpose of making good the
statements heretofore made or of establishing the
points we had ia View. which related solely to
intra-nural service OF The use OF wires in cities
We ere. however, able to name number OF in
stances where wires are carried for long dist anceS
under ground through stretches OF open country
where there are no objections TO the pole-strung
lines. such as exist iii popuous and crowded cities
Between Berlin and Halle in Germany. there are
over four hundred miles of WIRE in ALL laid be-
meath the surface of the earth and working as sat
lSactoTily as the alr-stTUng lines. with the addi-
Ional advantage that they are less liable to injury
and interruption from atmospheric and other
causes Ia France the telegraph lines belonging to
the railway between Paris and Nancy, distance
OF one hundred and seventy miles, are wholly laid
under the ground. portion OF those belonging to
the Paris, Lyoas and Mediterranean railway liue
are similarly COnSJTu tied, and measures are now
being taken To put the system into more general
operation on that route. In England the under
ground wires have also been worked successfully
between distant points for some time past.-the
lines between Liverpool and Manchester some.
thiTty-SiX miles apart, being notable instance
1t is however. with the teirability and feasibility
OF underground wires liz cities that the discussion
oi me subject has mainly To do at the present time
and upon this phase of The question We are fortu-
ndttif able 10 throw good deal of positive and
quite conclusive light. An Official report prepared
some three years ago from authentic data then OBJ
tanned showed that there nearly six hundred
ineS or Subjerraneau wires worked successfully at
that tire IN the principal cities Of the British ISL
ANS and the coltint 1T Gs follows: In London ITO
miles; In other cities in Great Britain. 40 In
Paris. 119; otha" cities in France. 100 In Berlin
81; thirty-two other cities i'll Germany a. In Am
steTlam. ~: the Hague 4: fJrty-ve other places
III Holland. 49, IL Brussels, 81: Antwerp = In
various cities in Switzerland ~.
Since these statistics were furnished the Under
ground system has been very .muCh extended in
the countries named as vel III the cities where
i was then in US as in other places where the ex-
pertinent had not yet been tired. 50 that # is quite
within reason 10 assume that The length of Wire as
reported at that time has now very nearly ii not
wholly doubled. BIT the figures given above very
Clearly demonstrate they stand the ho!lowness
o. the pTctenca se up by the telegraph interests Of
this country ana those serving them hat the under
ground system is not practicable. In the interest
OF truth and the spread Of knowledge not less than
In spirit OF 1airiAS5 To TIE STAR. which it has
lnlsrepleSentei, We ask the Commercial Advertiser
to Law the facts before its readers. Ii may also
Smelly add, for their comfort, that the poles and
poie-s;Ispended wires il large cities must go.