The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-12-05
Underground Berlin.

A picture of underground Berlin,
with a detailed explanation ofits plan,
Growth and management, is given in L
recent number of q popular German
monthly. The underground "wire"
Tor the telegraph was introduced in that
.itv as long ago as 1850. and it has
gradually grown into o well-organized
system. fully equal to all the demands
made on it. Pneumatic tubes Y also
used by the united postoffice and tele-
graph, for in Berlin both are managed
l,v the one department under the Gov
eminent. The gas supply of Berlin
furnishes light for 1000 street-lamps
and 700, 900 private burners, and,
although gas lighting was first intro
duced in that city in 1926. it has been
steadily improved, meeting the increased
demand and furnishing power for
great many small Industries, SO that tho
use of electric Lighting has not dimin-
ished the production of gas. The pipes
are laid under the sidewalks, and thus
little Inconvenience is caused to ordi-
nary street traffic for repairs or extern
sions. The water supply was first in
troduced in 1854 by a private company,
but since 1878 it has been owned and
managed by the city: Twenty-three
great reservoirs supply the city BY
means of enormous pumps through q well
devised system of pipes, and II 900 water
meters measure the supply for as many
consumers, while a thorough system
of filtering the water has recently been
successfully introduced. A thorough
system of underground drainage, de-
vised by the chief engineer of Berlin, q
recognized authority in hygiene, Ho-
brecht, begun in 1873, has been gradn-
ally introduced, providing canals I'M
foreground of solid masonry, and a sup
Elementary system of e~arthenware
pipes, through which all city wastage is
carried off to great fields where the
drainage is recovered and utilized.
Every house in Berlin is connected with
this underground drainage by an ap-
proved system of pipes, and the rain
water from the roofs and streets is also
carried off through it. Every house.
too, must have its water supply, and
this is also regulated by law, with care
full consideration of the needs of the
inhabitants. Twenty-Five steamer
gines, with $3.50 horsepower, in
five stations, scattered throughout the
city, supply the power for forcing all
the waste of the million of people that
inhabit Berlin out to a distant point.
The cost of the City Gas Works in Ber-
lin amounts in the aggregate to $1,000
900, of the water works to So, 900, 900,
and of the drainage to $1,000, 900, and,
of course, the great proportion of this
large capital of over twenty millions of
dollars is invested in the work under
ground, and yet it Is not complete.
The City of Berlin has recently CON
tracted with the German Edison Elec-
trio Lighting Company for q thorough
system of underground wires, by which
every street can be lit, and every house
too, if the owner chooses to introduce
it. Water and light and drainage are
now fully supplied, but Berlin is dis
cussing the American plans for heat
and power, to be supplied from cen
trail stations through underground
pipes. under such system as may be APP
proved by its local ~scieutific authori-
ties. DIR. Werner Siemens, n of the
lannon's family of inventors so well
known in both continents, has already
submitted n plan for supplying heat
from coal mines only a few miles from
Berlin. all this work is done under
the care of mel who are recognized
masters of their SPECIAL branches, and in
such thorough scientific method, that
once done, it is done for all time. IN
~derground Berlin is, in its way, as well
ordered as the city above ground. and,
indeed, the cleanliness and healthful-
ness of the city are largely dependent
upon and secured by the well-mauaged
work beneath it. When can Philadel-
phia get to that point?-Philadelphia
T,adgar