Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-08-17
DioRsEs ORIGINAL PLAN.
Telegraph Wires to DO Laid Under
ground Why the Method Was
Changed

Changed.
From, the Ns,o York Herald.
WASHINGTON, Aug. Alt is curious
commentary on the progress OF telegra-
ply that Prof. Morse, IN his original plan
for building the fret line between WASH
ingtOn and Baltimore, not only proposed,
but actually laid the first ten miles from
Baltimore north underground. That was
in 1S43. The Baltimore and ONO 1ele7
graph Company, in a recent publication
called tbe electric b. and o." gives
a detailed account Of the laying OF the
first wire, which WAS 20 unite W Arlington
with An electric current, via the branch
OF the Baltimore and Ohio to this city.
After Congress had made an sppropria-
ton this company was granted permls+
sion TO build along its line, and rendered
important aid. II is known to the few
that the first plan was to lay the wire ia
a lead pipe under ground, and that the
resort 10 poles was not thought OF until
the trench encountered the solid masonry
at the viaduct at the Relay House This
part OT the interesting story is told by
Mai. Pangb0rn, who compiled it from the
cOmpany's records, and from information
obtained from prominent actors In the
matter at the time,
"The resolution by which the board OF
lows
"Res0lDed. That the president be au-
thorized to afford to Mr.. Morse such IA
cilities as may be requisite 70 give the
invention a proper trial upon the Wash
ingtOn road: PrOgided, In his opinion and
in that of the engineer, it can be done
without injury TO the road and without
embarrassment to the operations OF the
company, and provided Mr.. Morse will
80. a. Nf Nla
telegraph upon the road without expense,
and reserving the right Of disseminating
tho use If, upon experiment, 1t should
prove IN any way injurious"
POLES AN AFTER-THOUGHT.
"There are still living quite a number
Of the practical employees who remember
the preliminary proceedings, and who
were frequently In consultation with
Morse himself as we'll as those engaged
with him in the work. They all agree the
matter Of poles was aforementioned at first
and the discussion was confined 10 the
underground plan. Mr.. Latrobe says the
line was TO have been laid in a trench dug
in the road bed, and in none of the re-
ports where mention is made is the ques-
tiOn of poles referred to. The prObabili-
ties OF the stretching of wires above
ground were not considered until the plOw
with which the trench was made, not
upon the road bed, but on the companies
right OF way, reached Relay and the Via
duct at that point.
"Here il was impossible to continue, as
the viaduCt was of stone, and, as matter
Of course, not 10 be plowed. The carry
ing of the line so as 70 be out of the reach
OF the curious and mischievOue necessi-
tated it's being run over the viaduct on
poles However, before this emergency
arose the buried section became DraCtic-
ally useless as the current could not be
maintained, and all the money spent
some $12, 900 of the $4,000 appropriated
was as good as thrown away.
THE CURIOUS PLOw USED.
LUCKILY it was no more, aud with the
assistance so freely extended by the rail
road company, in the way Of machinery
and transportation, the crisis was avert
ed. The plough by which the line was
laid from Baltimore to Relay was a pom
derOus Implement, showing no ordinary
ingenuity in its construction. The plOw-
share was cast by the present foreman OF
the moulding room at the railroad com
/ p8ny's chops at Mt. Glare. 1t made fur
row two Inches wide and twenty inches
! deep, feeding the leaden pipes, in which
the wires were encased, from the bottom
"In the top Of the beam of the plOw was
a cylinder holding some sixty feet OF the
pipe, which uneoiled and passed down
over little pulleYs IN the rear edge of the
blade of the pillow TO the earth. uncOiling
the line, rs heretofore stated. A plumber,
with his fire pot and soldering irons. fol
lowed Immediately in the rear, and n the
supply on the cylinder ran short would
step up, wind on new section, wipe OF
Join the ends and thus keep up the opera,
fiOn of laVinU tho line -