Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-08-30

ING suggestion that rival electric companies are
responsible for the principal opposition 20 over
neau eiectrc-railway wires In Washington Is non.
senSic2L The hight Is that or the people of WASH
Insson' VINO have been pleading for years to be
IenS'eu OF the existing wires and who now nnd
themselves threatened with an Aggravated az the
nuisance and an alarming increase Of the forces
~uicn VIII resist Its abatement II It Is proved
maj as motive power for railways Is as
JET insunicfently developed for practical use In
the storage battery and conduit systems and the
only available method Is that which involves the
oIshsurement OF the streets with more overhead
eieeeric wires then Washington will ask that the
Use OF electricity by Its railways be postponed un-
III tne SAFER and less objectionable systems have
oeen developed to the point OF successful operation
washington should not be made an expert
mental station TO test new systems OF overhead
electric wires OF o kind which, according to Capt
Gnhn, are not 10 De tolerated In large cities,
which In Detroit are mot considered suitable for
street trac In the thickly settled portions OF the
city, which in Montgomery are pronounced seri-
ousiy Objectionable as an arrangement disnyuring
10 the streets and, In case OF the wires breaking
dangerous and which are denounced and
In part disused In several other places
which have experimented with them. To
be sure It Is Invariably claimed In be-
half OF these wires that they are not danger
GUS but all that Is meant by this assertion is that
the ordinary shock from them Will not certainly
Kill healthy man. Cases are reported from
various places Montgomery and Richmond, for
instance, where horses and mules have been killed
by contact with them, aud there IL the additional
danger, which makes even telegraph wires 50 often
deadly, that through some breakage in the net
work Of city wires they Will communicate to per-
sons touching them the fatal current OF neighbour
Ing wires So well Recognized Is the danger In
cities from these overhead systems that volun-
tarily TO touch hanging electric wire. no matter
what representations have been made as TO its
Individual harmlessnesS would be criminal
carelessnesS or Indicate a tendency to suicide
Numerous deaths have occurred In this way
through the so-called harmless wires. II Is not
necessary 70 approve the conduit system OF electric
raiiwas in condenning that which uses overhead
wires. but it may be fairly said that Major Ray.
mond In his report does not appear 10 do full Justice
10 the claims made In behalf OF the practlcaDilty
OF the underground method. He states that he
has very recently learned that such q system Is
now operated successfully at Allegheny City, Pa,
but thinks that the experiment can hardly be con-
sidsreI decisive until 1t has been operated
through at least one winter. Capt. Griffin, In his
report forwarded to Congress In March, mentions
this Allegheny City conduit road, and says that
ON IL " in two inches OF snow and during heavy
rain the car heavily loaded, has climbed ali the
grades at a speed OF over i've miles per hour. This
IL remarkable performance" The Allegheny
City Company claims to have been in continuous
and successful operation since January 1, 1888,
and from Its experience last winter maintains
that It's conduit Is constructed that neither
snow nor rain can interfere with the running OF
its cars. But whether the conduit system Is a
success or failure, Washington wants no more
overhead wires.