Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-04-04


electricity Is taking tho most progressivs
position In science and ia destined m
superseds all other discoveries. II ia the
medium which will furnish us with lioht
power and fuel. No discovery in tha
history OF the world has IN ade such ranid
progress, 1t 10 marching 80 faat that mo
one can conceive where il will end. Foy
the transmission Of power IL is rapidlv
being introduced, especially for ANAL
manufactures and electric railroads Rnt
itB browning success Is the electric li0bt
IL Ia In our stores, factories, halls aud
streets; and will soon be in eyery house.
hold. Gas will BIO superseded and ba q
thing Of the past except for fuel. With
ehs march OF progress In electricity. ind
its many virtues, like every new discny,
cry OF force, comes It's difficulties and
dangerous elements, but one by one tbesa
troublesome and dangerous features ave
being overcome by the inventive oenina
Of our man OF science. For telegram
/, telephone and electric lighting the most
objectionable features have been the dip.
figuring Of our beautiful streets with nm.
slightly poles and labyrinth Of wires
that are constantly menace TO life and
property. To-day overhead wires are
Ahe great and only drawback TO tho final
and great success of electricity, scien
hacAiiy and commercially. and they must
So The opposition to placing all wires
underground comes from giant nonopo-
lies and trusts. They are defying the
will OF the people and placing every
obstacle In the way OF success. They say
1t In not practicable, that no System has
sver been invented that will successfully
accomplish the object; that no conductor
or wire will stand the gases and damp.
ness and finally they will be ruined il
compelled to go underground.
! LET US GET AT FACTS.
AT convention OF the Electric Light
Association, held in Chicago In February
an attempt was made 10 pass resolution
that would have been death blow To
underground wires. But thanks 10 a few
staunch and firm men who possessed facts
to the contrary, the resolution was killed.
Prof. John r. Barrett, city electrician of
Chicago, after hearing the report read,
said: "lf this convention iB In condition
to receive information In regard to I'M.
foreground oondnits and wires, | will be
glad 10 offer II. l want 10 say for the
benefit OF this convention that We have
had underground service here for the past
thirteen years. Wehave been using cleo
trio lights with underground circuits for
the last six years. This municipality
proposes 10 extend its electric light sys.
tenn indefinitely, SO far as the limits of
Chicago are concerned. hoped that
should receive some information from
other communities. When l SEQ in thia
convention gentlemen who are prepared
20 guarantee to construct and maintain
conduits In any form TINT you may re-
quire and right along side OF them gen.
tlemen prepared 10 furnish conductors
tnat will carry anything you want, IN face
Of these facts, ] say, find it stated by this
report that 1t is an irapraotiosbility. We
think we'll Of it here in Chicago and have
plenty of It,"
MIR. W. II. tombstone, OF New York.
said he WAS another grieyed party and in
long speech presented facts Ia direct
contradiction TO the report, and further
said "It you do not want TO put them
underground nj your own risk here stands
an individual who is prepared to give
bonds to put them In any town or city ia
the country and to make more money out
OF them than you are now mahing.d
Major Charles W. Raymond, engineer
U. 3. A., in o voluminous report to the
United States Senate on the subject OF
placing wires underground in Washington
says he sees mo reason why all kinds OF
wires cannot be successfully placed under
ground, both mechanically and soien-
tihcally." He states that in Europe the
practicability OF maintaining both incan-
descent and arc lamps by underground
conductors, seems TO be unquestioned
as.1 Vs.A a.,
the letter OF MIR. William E. Gray OF the
India Rubber Gutta- percha and Tele-
graph Company of silvertown, England,
which Is the largest cable mandatory in
the world. Among other interesting in
formation no states that cable seven 90
eight miles long, laid In q three-inch
iron pipe, has been operated at East
born, England, since 1885, with 1000
volt alternating current. or this cable
Mr.. Gray says: 1--WE have tried many
insulators, but have come to the decided
conclusion that up to the present date
no insutator has been found to equal
yulcanized india rubber, If we'll mixed.
Of good quality OF rubber and put ON
under great pressure. or such cable,
when carefully laid, IL wound be difficult
TO estimate its life" MIR. Gray also says
IL cannot help thinking that most of the
reportedsfailures OF underground cables
can be traced to tho employment OF in-
feriUr rubber or other cables that have
been thoroughly unsuited for the work
to be done or to the laying Of the cables
by inexperienced men"
Another similar cable was laid in Bill
vertown 10 1862 and 1883, also eight
miles long, and 10 still In good condition.
In London like cable, two miles long,
laid In 1887, carrying 2, 400 volts electro
motive force, alternating current, is
still in service and giving great satisfac'
tion. At Brussels still another, five
miles long, laid in 1887, is entirely salts
factory. In Germany there are ~ 900
miles of underground wire, oil working
successfully. in England there are
20, 600 niilss, and in Geneva, SWitzer-
land, an extensive system of electric
lighting has been established and in full
working order with underground con-
ductorB.
In the United States the placing Of
wires underground has met with deter
mined opposition, and our electricians
BEEN to have gone about 1t in the most
crude and ridiculous manner, especially
for arc lighting where high potential
alternating current Of $500 volts 10 en-
ployed. The insulation they have here
tofors used has been entirely too poor TO
stand this high electro motive force and
many failures have been reported. FOR
arc lighting, in order that the light may
be steady, about 40 or so volts nre re-
quired for each lamp. For economy the
lamps are arranged in series and the
electro motive force increases in direct
proportion to the number OF lamps In a
circuit. About 80 or 55 lamps comprise
the maximum number that should bscsr-
a. a is Nuh tat au