Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-12-11
OVERHEAD AND UNDERGROUND.
Commissioner Raymond Makes a Report
on the Wire Problem.

on the Wire Problem.
HE URGES LEoIsLATIoS LOOKING TO PUTTING ALL
WIRES NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. REGULATIONS
TO GUARD PUBLIC AND PRIVATE INTERESTS
PRAcTIcABILITY OF UNDERGROUND SYSTEMS.
The report of Engineer Commissioner Ray
mond on the electric-wire system of the city
was yesterday afternoon submitted to the full
board Of Commissioners and then forwarded
to Congress. The document is voluminous
Major Raymond states, however, that he ex-
poets to receive much additional information
OF value, which will be impaired to Congress
in supplementary report. At considerable
length the Commissioner discusses the various
working systems of conduits, and maintains
that wires can be put underground and still
work satisfactorily. The Commissioner has
been in correspondence with leading electri-
clans and with the great telegraph, telephone,
and electric-light companies. and the testi-
mony Of all these supports the Commissioner
in his stated conclusion, that 1.-The practicable
ity of maintaining and operating such buried
wires appears TO me to be thoroughly estab-
hshed by practical experience in many places"
THE EXISTING LINES.
The routes taken in this city by both over
head and underground wires are shown in q
number of maps. A table is also submitted
showing the miles of wire owned by the COM
Panles now operating in this city. In the fol-
lowing table the first figures following the name
of the system indicates the number of miles Of
conduit, the second the number of miles of un-
foreground wire, and the third the number of
miles of overhead wire United States govern
ment. 274. 1914, 8; District government, 46, "a,
$50 United States Electric Lighting company,
4, Is, 10; Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone
company, So, 1,570.S, 1,4O32; Western Union
Telegraph company, 6, 6. $50; Postal Telegraph
2 20 IL eH NJ Ok Total pilaa of
duit, 20.07; miles of underground wire, 1,671 49,
miles of overhead wire 2,6SS.45.
The plan submitted. the report says, shows
that the lines of these various electrical sys-
TENS do not, a rule. follow the same routes
ANY attempt to consolidate them would require
radical and expensive changes ia their arrange
ments. Moreover, 1 consider it in the high
est degree desirable that these systems
should be placed underground along diff
ferent routes, far is permitted by the
objects for which they are established The
reasons for separating high and low tension
systems as widely as possible have already
been given, and am satisfied that success can
only be attained by considering each system as
a problem by itself. Cases win no doubt occur
where two or more systems of similar character
will occupy the same route and may be placed
in the same conduit, but these will be excep-
tional and may be provided for by mutual
agreement under the authority Of the District
government.
THE GOVERNMENT WIRES.
The conduits required for the purposes of
the general government should be constructed
and maintained at the expense of the United
States. Col. John NJ. Wilson, corps Of engi-
neers. the officer in charge of public buildings
and grounds, has earnestly and repeatedly
recommended the undergrounding of all the
wires operated by the general government. In
compliance with the resolution of the Senate
of March rs, 1888, he submitted to the chief Of
engineers, on April 9, 1888, full report on this
sr1hi Of
comprehensive system. His project cortem-
plates the use of the Warning 1ead-covered Ca
bles laid in a box and imbedded in pitch,
which method has been already employed with
great success both by the general and District
governments. He estimates the cost of this
system at $50, 040.61.
The wires of the District government should
be placed and maintained underground at the
charge of the general revenues of the District
The method recommended for the general gov
eminent is also the best for District purposes,
although it may be found desirable to use the
combination curb conduit before described to
a limited extent. The report of the Commits
sloners of the District of Columbia, submitted
April u, 1888, in response to the resolution of
the Senate adopted March 26, 1888, estimates
the cost of the complete system at s1S0,0O0.
WIRES OF PRIVATE CORPORATIONS.
'As regards the construction and control of
conduits to be occupied by the wires Of private
corporations" the report continues, ''either of
three methods may be followed:
Il A private company may be authorized to
construct, OVID. and control the conduits and
rent them to the electrical companies.
-. The cOnduits NAV be constructed. owned,
controlled. and rented TO the electrical compa-
MES by the District government.
''3. The electrical companies NAV be author
lied or required to construct and maintain
their cOnduits themselves under suitable con-
dltions and subject TO the control of the Dis
trict government.
The first method. the construction and con-
troll OF cOnduits by private company. is. in my
opinion, very Objectionable. BY some the
opinion is still maintained that the conduit
should serve not only as a mechanical protec-
ton TO the cables. but also as an insulator. Con-
sequentlv. when the conduit and the cables in
closed therein are under the control of differ
en-. parties. any failure in the working of the
system is charged by one party to faults in the
conduit and by the other to defects in the ca
bles. There is. in fact. an irrepressible con-
fct between conduits and cables which can
only be suppressed by placing the whole system
under one control. Moreover. the electrical
companies themselves are the best Judges of
the special underground arrangements which
their systems require. and nothing is gained by
introducing third party between them and
the District government
This plan of an independent conduit COM
Pany has been followed in the city of New
York. where the underground problem is of
complicated character. and the results have
been great dissatisfaction and constant con-
tention. According to the public prints the
efforts to place the wires underground in New
York have been in progress for about three
years. Conduits have been constructed with
total capacity of 10000 miles of single wire
enough to remove every conductor from the
poles and the housetOps. With this capacity
only about 5000 miles of single wire are in the
condults, and no more than COO miles are actu-
ally IN operation. 1t is said that the Western
Union telegraph company, the largest owner of
wires IN the city. has no wires in operation in
any conduit built by the subway commission
am decidedly of the opinion that no COM
pany shonld be permitted to construct con-
duits IN the District of Columbia except for
occupation by its own wires.
The second method-the construction and
maintenance OF eonduits by the District gov
ernment-appears TO be inadvisable at the
present time. The objections urged against
the control OF cOnduits by an independent pri-
vate company are. to some extent applicable
TO this method. For the telegraph and tele-
phone services, which maintained by far the
larger part OF the electrical conductors in the
District. the employment of solid conduits is
quite admissible, and if the companies should
prefer to employ such conduits, 1t is evident
that they could not be owned by the District
being merely solid castings around the wires.
The construction of open conduits by the Dis,
trlct government would involve a large initial
expenditure. and : the assasapant a o.II..