Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-08-29


The District Commissioners to-day transmitted
70 the Senate the report OF Engineer Commissioner
raymond with reference to the erection OF electric
wires and the EFFORTS OF the District government
10 have such wires placed underground, since his
detail as Engineer Commissioner on January 20,
1883 as directed by the resolution passed BY the
senate yesterday. He states that In y letter to
the Hon. j. c. Clements, chairman OF the subcom-
miteee on appropriations OF the House OF Repre-
sentatlves, June q, 1885, he submitted his views
upon the subject OF placing underground the cleo
tric wires employed for various purposes In the
District, and said "the great desirability OF ae-
comprising this as as ii can be done without
the various electrical systems and without detri-
10 other public interests is fully recognized.
Win respect to some OF these systems the practi-
eai ptooem Is, however, one OF great dlmculty,
anu IL has not been completely and salts
1actorily solved in any city In the world"
MS views with respect to electric lighting and the
teiepnone and telegraph business, the only practi
ca Applications OF electricity then contemplated
IN tne DISTRICT so far as he was informed; and TO
tnese views he has consistently and persistently
auhered. He relates the difficulties the Commits
sioners met with In their efforts TO solve the prob
lem Oh now 10 dispose OF telegraph, electric light
ing, and telephone wires, and refers to the letter
10 Hon: ); Z. Clements, in which were set forth
legislation which, had they received the approval
y, Congress, ne says would have enabled the Com
ulsSionefS 10 TAKE the vigorous and effective &C
lion they have always desired.
THIS PLAN OF ACTION
contemplated the burial OF all electric light wires
as rapidly as possible; the burial OF all the tele
phone trunk lines still overhead; commencement
OF the burial OF the telegraph lines and finally the
burial OF the air lines employed in the District
service 10 such extent as the appropriation would
permit. This last item he says, was regarded as
vi great Importance by the Commissioners,
and us favorable consideration was urged
q frTp tra-f n a
but the provisions OF the Appropriation act, as 1t
nnally passed, efectually put an end to these
wires was stricken out, and 1t was provided "That
the Commissioners OF the District may. under such
reasonable conditions as they may prescribe, au-
thorize the wires OF any existing telegraph tele-
phone, or electric-light company now operating In
the District or Columbia, TO be laid under any
street, alley, highway, 1ootway, or sidewalk In the
DlStrlct, whenever In their judgment the pubic
interest may require the exercise OF such author
ity." This is the only provision OF law, Major
RAYMOND says, under which the Commissioners
have any authority whatever to authorize the
laying or maintaining OF electric wires under
ground; It follows that the commissioners were
compelled either to enter into contract with the
existing company or to light the city entirely with
overhead wires, abandoning the long line or un-
foreground conduit already constructed and In use
contract Tor electric lighting was entered into
upon the best terms possible Tor the District.
The company agreed to put its wires underground
on Pennsylvania avenue Tor the full distance from
LIST street TO Washington Circle, and also on New
YORK avenue and 18Th street, and the Commission
ers agreed not 10 authorize the erection OF any
overhead wires except where they considered
themselves compelled to do SO by the action OF
Congress-
ELECTRIc-RAILwAY WIRES
On the subject OF electric-railway wires, Major
Raymond says:
''The subject OF electric railways received little
or no attention in the discussions and recommend
atoms preceding the passage OF the District APP
preparation act. No such railway existed in the
District and it was not anticipated that any
n r adG hA hlll nraarl fAn ha
future. Many bills, however, were introduced for
the Incorporation OF railway companies, and all,
or most OF these, contained provisions authorizing
the employment OF either horse, cable or electric
power; but it was understood that these pro-
visions were intended to empower the companies
10 change to electricity should future develop
ments render 1t desirable, rather than TO enable
them to make any immediate use OF this agency
1t was, however, fully recognized by the Commis-
siOnerS that the method or employing electricity
for such purpose would probably become
serious question In the future. Accordingly every
effort Was made to obtain reliable information on
This subject Under the Instructions or my prede-
cesSor in Office, Capt. Eugene Grinin, Corps OF
Engineers, had already prepared a valuable re-
port upon the employment Of electricity as a
motive power Tor street cars, and under my own
orders he supplemented that report by further In
formation, principally obtained direct from the
localities where electric railways are in operation
These reports are contained in Senate Mis-. Doe
No. 81. Flftieth Congress- first session.
These Investigations convinced me that the use
OF electricity Tor this purpose, unless subject to
the most careful and Intelligent control might re-
suit In serious annOyan and danger to the public
Accordingly, recommended the Insertion OF the
following paragraph In every report or the CON-
miSSoners upon any railway bill containing the
provision referred to:
The motive power should be distinctly stated,
II electricity Is TO be employed II should be pro-
vded that the method OF construction, in so far as
relates to the development and TRANSMISSION OF
electrical power, snail be subject to the approval
OF the commissioners OF the District and that
said Commissioners shall at all times have the
power 10 compel the company to make such
changes, renewals and repairs as may, in their
nlence or the public
This provision was considered OF vital tmport-
trio railways 1t was introduced In the reports or
the commissioners on fourteen different railway
Oils. AS lar as l am informed, 1t has In no Case
received the approval OF Congress.
THE LEXINGTON RAILROAD
The lexington and Soldiers Home Railway CO.,
Incorporated by Act Of Congress approved June 10.
1888, Is the only company which, up to the present
time, has applied for permission to construct an
electric railway Its charter gives 1t authority to
horse cable or electric Dover When the 1
OF the company informed me that 1t was proposed
10 construct an electric railway, called his atten-
tion 10 the ract that although the report of the
commissioners to the Senate committee upon the
bill 10 incorporate the company contained the
usual recommendation above mentioned, the Com
lnlssloners were given no authority whatever in
the act OF Incorporation to exercise any con-
troll over the electrical ARRANGEMENTS to be en-
ploycu. ne Tepuou mat, without regard to this
lack of provision In the law, the company would
agree to make no construction and employ no
method without the approval OF the Commissioners
Under these circumstances considered iJ NV DUTY
TO make every possible Investigation In the inter-
est Of public safety and convenience
The nrSt plan which received attention WAS the
use or storage batteries to furnish the motive
power for the propulsion or the cars. The grades
upon the railway route are SO gentle that IL was
hoped the serious difficulties in the practical ap-
pllcaLi0n OF tins method might in this case be
overcome, and the method, II practicable nresents
so many advantages that The project was aban.
dOned with the greatest reluctance by myself and
by the railway company. IL is not necessary In
this statement to give all the reasons which deIer-
mined this decision. II Is SUFFICIENT TO say thar
there was not at the time or this Investigation
and believe there Is not at the present Time q
single railway In the United States which has
definitely adopted this method. was further In
formed that the company manufacturing such
the work required. II Is possible that In the future
this method OF applying electricity 10 the purposes
OF motive power may be SO improved as 70 be OF
practical value. AT present it Is In the expert.
mental stage. and believe the practical problem
TO be sLill uns0lved.
THE CONDUIT SYSTEM.
The next plan examined was the so-called con-
duit system. In this system the current fiOws
through an uninsulated conductor laid In a con-
duu constructed at the surface OF the street, and
contact pillow passing through q slot In tue con-
duL The cost OF conduit FOR this system Is esti-
mated at $780, 900 per mile, or 500 900 per mile for
the double track, an expenditure absolutely pro-
hibiting its adoption in the case OF the railway
under Consideration. II upon investigation this