The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-04-18
4HH WIRES STILL FALL
And a Large Portion Of NewYork
City in Darkness,
A VERY GREAT IMPROVEMENT
on Broadway-Thc Eleo'
trIc Light Companies tho Great
est sunerers-AwakcnIng
to Their Senses,

NEw YoRE, April l7,-Wires came
down with a swish and rush upon the
cobble stones on Broadwaythis morning
faster than the raindrops, In every d.
rectlon, US far as the eye could reach,
were gangs Of men hacking and cutting,
as II their lives depended upon it,
A contractor, an inspector and fifteen
men began work at O'Clock this morn
ing. They commenced at the corner OF
Seventeenth streetand intwenty minutes
the twelfth pole, eleven having been
chopped yesterday, toppled over with
crash. By o'clock four more poles
were cut down.
By 10 o'clock eight poles had fallen,
and by 1880 O'Clock, there was not a
pole or a wire In sight on the east side OF
Broadway between Fourteenth and
Twenty.seCond street, Then the men
began their work Oh the last block on
their march from Union Square to
Madison Square. While these oper-
ations were going on, another party OF
men were working on Twenty.third
street, beginning at Broadway, The
street between Broadway and Sixth
avenue has net work OF wires, but
yesterday Mayor Grant modified his
order In regard to Twenty.third street,
so as 10 have only the electric light wires |
removed thereirom. The reason is that |
there is no subway for telegraph or tele-
phone wires on Twenty.third street, so
the men gave their whole attention to |
the electric light wires and they were
soon down. The last electric light wire
fell under the Sixth avenue elevated |
station at II o'clock. The wires up
Sixth avenue to Thirty.third street,
were nipped before dark.
The Brush Company and the United |
States Electric Light Company have at
last awakened 10 the fact that the Mayor
means business, and 1t dawned upon
them to-day that the miles upon miles
Of fine copper wire was worth saving.
Unwilling 70 do anything at first toward
saving the wire themselves, the Brush
Company to-day sent out their superln-
tendent Of repairs, Sears, who turned up
this morning, accompanied by couple
OF trustees and half a dozen men.
Sears and his men attempted to take
the wires, but they were stopped by Su-
perintendent Richardson, OF the Bureau
Of InCumbrance. "If you want to save
your property" he said, turning to Mr..
Sears, "you can go on ahead OF us and
take down. all the wires and poles you
like" Sears then procured an extra
force OF linemen and at once CommenC-
ed taking down the wires. Commenc.
ing at Twenty.third street, his men
stripped everything to Twenty.iilth
street, and through the latter street they
will strip everything along the route OF
destruction. The United States Com.
pany is doing the same thing. They
have already taken down about sixty
poles and several miles OF wire.
At the offices Of the different com.
panies this morning everybody looked
glum. Superintendent MCGraLh, OF the
Brush, said that he had made cOnnec.
tlons on the east and west circuits and
that Fourth, Fifth, Sixth aud Second
avenues would be lighted tonight.
Along the roadway II was dark. At the
United States Office there was also blue
feeling. They predict that electric light
ing has received its death blow.
Broadway presents queer appearance
in the absence OF the maze OF wires.
Everything looks bare and rather de.
serted, but decidedly improved.
Tonight the upper portion OF the city
from Fourteenth street 10 Fiity.ninth
street is still shrouded In darkness. Fifth
avenue was entirely black from Twenty
eighth to Fiity.ninth, Broadway from
Fourteenth to Fifty.ninth streets, and
also the principal cross.town streets in
that district. There are few gas lights
burning.