Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-08-24

superintendent Miles has submitted TO the Com.
mlssioners his annual report on the telegraph and
teiepnone service OF the District He says that ow
Ing 70 meager appropriations It was Impossible
TO Add new signal boxes to the nre alarm tele-
graph, although many are needed for the protec-
ton OF life and property. He recommends that the
patrol service should be extended to all precnts In
which II ID not In use. He states that the total
NUMBER OF hneal feet OF underground cable laid
during the year under contract with the standard
Underground Cable Co. was 10 406. ct cost Of
$7,476.69
The est mates for the fiscal year ending June
Us aUd
ohe additional repeater and other necessarfes for
enIarging the are telegraph. and $1,000 for gene
RAJ expenses OF the department.
RKCokMRNDArIoNs
''For two or three years past" the report says,
'both In my annual reports and in numerous spe-
ctai communications on the subject have In
vited attention to the urgent necessity for recon-
s,ructing the lines OF the nre alarm and
Underground If possible. and II not possible then
the alternative OF rebuilding the air lines by the
erection OF higher poles 80 as to get the wires up
plans will have to be adopted and carried
into speedy execution, or the reliability OF the
w q the SSs
ances and for that reason II for no other ought to
be used for fire-alarm and police telegraph. The
many comforts ana convrnienees which the tele-
graph affords so cheaply, demands that IL b. kept
IN the best possible condition, and certainly no
cables when properly laid.
UNDERGROUND WIRES.
Knowing, as DO, that IL IL the policy Of the
District government, as well as the personal
desire OF the Commissioners to place its wires un-
derground as rapidly as circumstances MAJ per-
NIT am relieved OF the necessi OF making an ex-
tended argument In favor OF an underground
system, other than to state few OF the many
reasons which might be adduced why there should
be no further de ay in the work than can be
avoided. Nearly all the poles which support
District wires were erected many years ago.
Streets s and the few that d exist were too sma
to interfere with the wires. Now all Is changed,
the trees having grown 10 such height as to very
wires Everywhere the trees are in contact. with
the wires causing great escape OF the electric
current 10 the earth, even In dry weather, while
10 wet weather It renders the workings very I'M
certain. Nor is this all the trouble. When the
wind blows, as 1t often does blow, the wires are
kaoe at any moment TO become so crossed as TO rem
der 1t wholly impossible to transmit alarms for
fire or TO transmit important police messages.
These difficulties can only be overcome by rebuild
poes need sca ce rs aiuds 10 the act but st
Is true and may as well De stated that nearly an
poles are badly dtcayeo, and must for that reason
10 recommend that all wires belonging TO the Dis
trct OF Columbia be put In good cables and placed
securely underground as eariy as IL can be accom-
plished, and that the ultimate plan or system nm
ally adopted may be comprehensive enough to
meet both present and future wants for many years
to come. owing to the fact that recent legislation
ture work 1t would be supernuous as Well as high
~ improper that should suggest plans or attempt
TO estimate the cost OF putting the wires under
ground, and as am convinced that no effort will
be made TO secure the rebuilding OF the lines
overhead, / deem estimate for sucn recon-
structiOn as unnecessary and hence have made
none" AS TO the estimates FOR the cost OF en-.
larging and improving the fire-alarm
telegraph, and the requested increase in
support OF this Department, he says, that ex-
penses must necessarily increase from year to
year as the Department work increases, and that
the entire sum asked for will be needed. The small
increase IN the salaries Of the three telephone ope-
rators is asked for the reason that they earn all
that Is asked for them.