The Washington critic., 1888-05-15

probably Interested ulieCtly OF lnuifcCtiY
in cables. Thcssis a big lobby in that
town in the world where a cable has been
made to work two years that has been
subjected to 1900 volts of pressure
This Washington Company is using
lead covered cables with success for in
work; but as to the under.
of arc light wires, confirmed
as late as February 4 1883, they report
that out Of II miles of arc light cable in
fourteen different circuits all have proved
total failures, and have been abandoned
except a very small amount.
At Philadelphia elaborate experiments
have been prosecuted. All kinds Of
cables have been employed and q great
variety of conduits-grcat trouble has
been experienced. The systems largely
employed were such having ducts
through which the cables were drawn
in most cases the insulating compound
rapidly deteriorated and became useless;
in others IL would be rotted and become
water. soaked. Where lead covered cables
We're used in conduits where creosoio
was employed, the effect was to
rapidly oxidize the lead covering and dis
integrate the same. II was found that gas
could not be kept from the ducts; al
piosions followed. Recourse was then
had to ventilation by lamp posts, but the
trouble was not corrected. After several
explosions in one SYSTEM in which per-
sons and property were injured,
power fan was adjusted to force air
through the conduit doeming IL better to
do so than to draw the air through, which
might simultaneously draw in gas. When
shortly afterwards the lighting company
was congratulating itself that it had over
come the difficulty, tremendous explo-
sion ensued, extending for long dis
tancc ripped up the street and broke
large plate glass window That entire
system of lights had to be aban-
doncd. IL was some six months
ago determined by the man
ager that as n result of experience no
conduit would suffice for arc light wires
in which there were open ducts, and that
success lay in the employment of lead
covered cables buried solid. This plan
suggested by the city electricians was tried
and success seemed assured, but they
now report the experiment unsuccessful.
The section covered is not great, but three
bad grounds have recently developed;
two were repaired, but the third necessi-
tated the temporary cutting ont ofa part
of the line and the training of wires on
poles until the earth may thaw and en-
able access to be had to the wires
The various companies of Philadelphia
are at loss what to try next. At this
point ! would note that these demands for
u system FOR arc light wires have greatly
stimulated inventive ingenuity, but as yet
without success.
Out of the y patents that have been is
sued in this line, SO of them have ema-
mated from Philadelphia, New York,
Boston, Brooklyn, Wilmington, Camden
and Washington, all being in the imme-
diate vicinity of the places where the
operations were being conducted. The
others were mostly from the general
vicinity of Chicago.
Now as to Chicago, much has been said
of its system. A visit to Chicago satisfied
me that its electric arc light industry was
being strangled
A few blocks in the immediate heart of
the city'were using electric light very Law
ishly, but the area lighted Is scarcely II
half mile square. This small area is
served from no less than nine separate
plants, formerly belonging to rs many
companies, but now consolidated into one.
A letter under date of September 20,
from an officer of the consolidated com.
pany, explains the situation there. He
says 1--WE have had an enormous amount
of trouble with our underground arc light
circuits, averaging, | would say, for the
last three months, one burn out every
day. The expense of reconstruction and
the losses in rebates have been enormous,
and the annoyance to our customers more
| damagngstill. Commencing in April last
we bought out some nine arc light plants
in Chicago, and have proceeded to con-
Centrate them into four man sta
tions burning about ! 100 lights their
owners had all been using underground
conductors composed for the most part of
okonito, kerite calender and underwater s
wires. Every one of these insulators has
failed constantly, the only thing that has
held up at all is lead-covered cable, and
we have been driven to the great expense
of taking out every foot of the old con-
structions and substituting new lead
covered cables throughout. This work
| is not yet done. Our people are confident
| that large business awaits us here, but
its development will depend entirely
| upon service. These lead circuits may
fail much sooner than is anticipated, and
| il is almost certain thatwe shall be com
! PEELED to reduce the number lights upon
circuit, very difficult matter in city
| like Chicago. Our conduit space is already
| filled along the main routes and add.
| tional conduits will be necessary. The
constant tearing mp of the pavements fol
| all kinds of purposes makes our street
| departments very unwilling To grant per
mits for laying additional conduts and
| several times they have been refused
altogether l would say here that arc.
| light business in Chicago has developed
entirely since the passage of the under
| ground ordinance of 1881. The result
| has been the multiplication of small iso
lated plants and the formation of the
nine small central station plants bought
! out by this company. None of these
/ plants made any money. 1t was i'm,
| possible for them TO do so, operating
underground and upon so small 0
scale. No streets have ever been
lighted by electricity here, in fact
the whole industry is in very
backward condition, and is likely to re.
main so, except in the most densely
arrangement can be made with the city
authorities for overhead wires. The city
is trying an experiment of its own in
Lighting Chicago River, which will, / am
confident, demonstrate the truth of tho
foregoing statement; and in the course oi
year ] hope that our city fathers wll
permit overhead lines, in many place,
where public convenience demands elcc
trio lights while underground oonstruc
ton would forbid it,"
At Milwaukee, Wis, three systems
have been tried and abandoned, I, o., q
wooden trough plain and tarred iron
pipe, and grooyed wood A fourth. con
sisting of tile conduits, with a heavily
insulated, but not lead-Covered, cable ha
been recently introduced and is now bein(
tested. The company doubts whether i
will stand the trying spring season.
AT Detroit, the ThOmson-H Houston Co
employed cable of the most expensive
and approved character in the Dorset
conduit and the mechanical work was o
the best quality.
While the cable was new tine result
were fair though loss by seepage rendered
it impossible to produce normal lights
II was found impossible to operate tcle
phone wires in the same or adjacent pipe,
The company soon abandoned the system
and when its cable was removed it wa
found the insulation had so rotted or soft