New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-02-03
THE PROBLEM OF THE WIRES.
DIFFICULTIES OF THE COMMISSIONERS.
THE LAW LOOSELY DRAwN-COMPULsIoN THAT
CAN'T BIZ ENFoRCED-A DILEMMA.


THE LAW LOOSELY DRAwN-CoMpULsIoN THAT
CAN'T BE ENFoRCED-A DILEMMA.
The law under which the Electrical Subway
Commission created is fine specimen OF. ineffective
legislation. 1t is weak in nearly every enactment and
the gentlemen who have been spI outed
find themselves in peculiar and IN many ways un-
pleasant position The law states that the expenses Of
the commissi"ns shall be assessed upon electrical
companies IN the proportion OF the mileage OF each 1t
says nothing whatever about the companies making
report OF their mileage to the State Controller Conse
quenty they have paid not The slightest attention to
that officials request, and he has been unable
them cent. So the commissioners have yet the
first dollar OF their salaries the incidental expcuse they
have paid out OF their pockets and their Oil rent
is still an outstanding liability.
This state OF affairs Is unT easaut but that isn't half
the story. The law states with hay ndeniteness. that
the commission shall compel" the companies to put
their wires under ground. About the means by which
this compulsionis to be exercised there is painful un
certainty. Whether the commissioners to visit the
offices OF the companies ana operate upon the executive
with stuffed clubs until the desired pom
gwen whether they to sally forth with their
little hatchets ant down the poles OF the inutinous
companies is question whose answer is hidden In the
deep abyss Of doubt State Controller Alfred C. Chaplin.
who is a well known lawyer. said yesterday that
abStyact question OF law he could not see how the
commissioners could compel the companies to do auy
thing without further legislation The companies were
grasp the situation, and their attitude has
the reverse OF doce. IN effect l. has been this:
." We want to go under grorn nd Necessity will compel
do In snort time. But we want to do 1t IN oar
own way and only to the extent which we nnd con-
yen.ent"
Tue multiarOus systems whose models adorn the
rooms OF the commission may be divided INTO two
classes: First, those Of which the Dorset 81 stem Is an
eKampeH conduit Of insulating material ia whlch any
kind OF wire De used second those like the system
of Colonel Warng which Of wires tho roughly
insulated by shield OF compressed metal that they will
Warning says that his wires will work II laid in the bare
earth. Mr.. Dorset says that a naked wire will work
haty to tue commission: II you don't give Us conduit
OF insulating natera vel nsht y9n .idi me Gonat oI
say: ANY simple iron pipe Is good enough for ns II
you will forfeit the high regard in which we have always
Win electric light wires there are few difficulties
about going under ground The distribution is REGULAR
the uss OF current greater under ground tam i'll the
air, cost OF repairs much less With the tele-
pr;,pn wi rs there are greater difficulties. but with
CONDUIT which will exclude moisture ana gases there is
l,e trouble Water is of the greatest enemies
TO subway structures IL leaks mnch and decompJses
into gases and acids that pecoate into condns eat out
insulating materials ana leave explosive gases when
raise the feusranco premiums of those VINO nave tue
condults charge. The telephone wires present the
phase Of the matter. Their distribution Is com
plicated and and their feeble currents are
to the disturbances OF induction Tue telephone
people with tears III their eyes that II tey are PUT III
tho conduits with the electric light companies III
Will ruin ther business no myter II terc are thlee rec.
OF Insulating material bet" eei the wires where tue
electric light wi-es down one side OF Broad way and
the telephone wires the the
say they have shut up shop white tls electric light
people doing business. The telephone companies
are quite ready and willing to pCt their wires under
ground DeOS Chambers st. but they say tley eau tak
through cable five miles Ous Both their ont -Of-tOwn
connections and their trunk connections between one
exchange and auOuer must he overhead On the otnei
hand Colonel Wdring says that all these dncutos VIII
disappear before OF iubedling wires III lead
under pressure OF 1000 pounds to the iUch lie
BAYS that he has talked through hftysix miles of THIS
telephone. aud that he has LAID unprotected
electric light right on top Of his cable without
IN terierng with tue telephone currents- -
SIR. Dorset has been IN town since sunday. lie sald
yesterday have fifteen miles Of conduit In use In
rhcagO whore 1t gives per Get satisfatilon anu Tue
OF the company which holds the conduit irahculse
per above par There are five miles down In
Detroit and have contracts TOR forty more III 81 Louis,
Milwaukee aud other laces. The usual method IA to
lay side side, each about the size OF an
Ordinary pipe and each containing eight twO-lnci
holes Through conduit tue high tension currents
tor light and power tarOugn the other the low
companies controlling more than half the wire
in New York No other system has the sSntest
Endorsement from any electrical company. dOn
know ~ any combination or OF any ring having
been formed We nave simply presented our soheme 10
the commission aud confident that they Will adopt IL
as the best" 49,
The commissioner. getting in tho last reports from
experts and it Is hoped that one more meeting VIII
bring about decision. Commissioner Moss has come
tho cant be used aud rather leans
60 the idea that some combination system must DE
adopted COMMISSIONER I.Ocw Is only anxious To gel
something that shall meet the conflicting requirements
the case The problem is muon deeper one than tat
e.entel by Chicago In the lower part OF the city I'VE
hundred wires frequently run into one building