The Portland daily press., 1883-08-18
UNDERGROUND WIRES.
Successful Experiments i'm Philadelphia
and Chicago.

Successful Experiments i'm Philadelphia
and Chicago.
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 1.-THE Brooks Un-
derground Conduit Company have completed
arrangements for a trial of their system for
laying electric wires underground. 1t has
been maintained that telephone and telegraph
wires could not be laid in the same trench or
conduit together, no matter how insulated, as
the click of the telegraph instrument would,
by induction, drown out all messages sent over
the telephone wire. This new system of lay
ing wires. as far as the test shows, entirely OBJ
viates the difficulty. A number Of wires are
taken, which have been wound with cotton
and boiled in parafine. Thus all watery moist
ure is driven out and the wires are insulated.
From the wires cable is made. Around the
cable another wire is wound, which prevents
induction. The cable is then led through
wrought iron pipes, sunk Is inches under
ground, and at openings in this pipe, two or
three 10 block, connection is made with
houses and lamp posts When the arrange
ments are completed, parafine oil, from an ele-
waited reservoir. is forced into the iron pipe,
driving out air and surrounding the cable. In
the test of the system the company have Ca
BILE Of % telegraph and telephone wires, which
extends from basement at the northeast COR
ner of Third and Chestnut streets to the Ken
sington railway station, distance OF two
miles and half. Ten of the wires are in con-
slant use by the Western Union Telegraph
Company connecting their Office at Tenth and
Chestnut streets with New York. The tele-
phone wires are laid side by side in the same
cable with the telegraph wires. At the tele-
phone, although the ten telegraph instruments
in the office kept upa constant ticking, show
ing that they were in use. Not an inducted
sound disturbed the voice of the operator at
Kensington, as he read the chief engineers re
port on the water supply, or the strains of an
orguinette as it murdered "Pinafore." Be-
sides the fact that underground wires are by
far less liable to interruption, it is claimed that
by that system a cable of 100 wires can be laid
at a cost of $40 mile per wires while ordinary
overhead telegraph wires cost 500 per mile,
and telephone wires $50.
CHICAGO, Aug. H. An important step to
ward relieving the city of the pole nuisance
was taken yesterday when il. was announced
that the Postal Telegraph Company had been
completely successful in its conduit scheme
for carrying wires under ground. Speaking of
the results one of the stockholders said yester-
day officially: "The conduit which we laid
from Thirty-ninth street down Wentworth
avenue to Thirtieth street, and thence to
Lasalle and Washington stress, has proved a
complete success. 1t is now in permanent use
by the Postal Telegraph Company, which has
leased room for two Paterson cables. This
company has experienced no difficulty or in
convenience whatever. The Vandepole Elec-
trio Light Company has also placed wires in
the conduit from Thirty-third street to Went
worth avenue as matter of test, and the re-
suit has been perfectly satisfactory. Tele-
phone wires have been tried in it with like re-
suit Why, Prof Elisha Gray, the electrician,
and other experts, have made tests to their
complete satisfaction, and they all unite in
saying that combination of telegraph, tele-
phone and electric wires in the conduit will
not DESTROY its utility.'