Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-03-11
UNDERGROUND WIRES.


 One of the gravest questions, from the point of view of safety as we'll as conve- nience, now cor fronting the larger cities, and one that will sooner or later agitate our own community, is the disposition of the wires used by the telegraph, tele- phone and lighting companies. Whether we shall have these wires put underground,c whether they shall be left overhead to disfgure the cites and endanger human life, is the point that is receiving attention.
 The convention of electricians held re- gently at Chicago discussed the matter from scientific and practical stand point, the question coming up on the re- port of a committee that underground wires could not be safely or economi- fly laid when emp o 'ed to c Try a cur rent having power of 1,0oO or more volts; at least, no means having yet been discovered of arriving at this re- suit. Strenuous objection was made to the report, there being two general ele- uentS among the delegates-one representing the men who sell or lease electrical appliances, coaduits included. and the other those engaged in the practical work of managing electric companies and supplying electricity. The former largely favored the under ground wiring, while the latter stren- uously opposed it. e The advocates of the conduit system referred to the success that had been met with by the use of this method in the city of Chicago. There are fifty-five miles of underground wire in use in Chicago, and the presi- dent of tue Chicago Arc Light company admitted that, scientifically, he thought the system was all right. Financially, it left at the present time great deal to be desired, as the cost of maintaining arc lights by means of it was at least one cent per lamp per hour greater than by the overhead system. In other words. it cost by the underground system a hundred dollars night more to keep up the ,194 arc lights used in Chicago than if an overhead system had been used, making the cost for the year nearly siO,OOO.
 That wires can be buried, and when so concealed can be used, has been demon strated by experience in Chicago, Phila- delphia and Brooklyn, and to a limited extent at least in New Haven where Captain O'Brien recently placed under ground a portion of the electric lighting system in the center of the city. The expense of the underground system is found not so much in the laying of the wires as in the fact that the leakage, even through the best of insulation, is so great that, in order to produce a given number of lights, each having a stipulated candle power, it is necessary to generate a considerably larger quan- | tity of electricity than would be needed if the overhead system was used. The great danger, therefore, that confronts | the practical success of the underground | system is not from q scientific so much as commercial point of view. There is ing and other traffic by wires must see a still greater reduction of cost to the cities, and ye. it does not seem clear that the method of underground wires can be adopted with high tension currents without loss equivalent to what would be considered fair profits for carrying on the business. Until it is set tied that such can be done it is not pro- bable that we can have the desired safety with the desirable economy.
 We believe, however. that the world is still in its infancy in regard to the possi- bitities of electricity, and the time will probably arrive when the ingenuity of man can devise some means whereby we may have underground wires and yet have their u. es at a reasonable price that will leave far margin of interest for | the capital i.,v,>>>i |, the business. And great many are of opinion that the day is not far distant when such will | be the case