The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-03-17
AN ORDINANCE NOT ENFORCED.
The Danger Councilman Sees in Are and In
candescent Lights on the Same Circuit

A councilman said. yesterday, that no
city in the country is more unfit for dam
age suit than Indianapolis with such a
fact staring every city official squarely i'll
the face" he continued, III is reprehensible
carelessness on their part to SIT silently by
and permit many of the most important
ordinances to be violated without dissent
ing voice. One of the most important re-
lates to the electric-light system now In
operation on our streets. Section D OF the
ordinance authorizing the construction and
regulating the maintenance of incandes-
cent and arc electric lighting says: All in
candescent lighting shall be done from
independent dynamOs. especially con-
structed for that purpose, and in no case
are the lights to be supplied with electricity
from arc circuits. nor are arc lights to be
supplied from incandescent circuits. ThIs
ordinance was passed last December. and,
Notwithstanding the fact, there is not one
portion of that section complied with by
the Brush Electric-light Company where
they have placed In operation fncandescent
lights within the past month. As an ex-
ample, take the first square OF Pennsyl-
vania street, between Market and Wash
ngtOn streets. and you will find number
of incandescent lights in one store alone,
and also number In a certain restaurant,
and in both instances the electricity Is OBJ.
tanned from the arc lines on the east side OF
the street by simply running one OF the
heavy wires from the poles opposite to the
point where the connections are made.
docs the violation of the ordinance end
theres"
mo; the manner of stringing the wires
thus used is in direct violation, as the Ordi-
nance states that no overhead line, wire or
conductor of electricity shall be run over
or along any building, or across any street:
avenue. alley, or public OF private ground"
rs there any danger from this use OF the
wiresf"
The electric current thus used is power
full enough to kill a regiment of men If
brought in contact with it. One of these
heavy wires stretched across the street is
exposed to all kinds of weather and it is
not an uncommong thing to find the wires
broken by heavy winds and flying embers
In every instance of this kind, it means in
slant death to whoever may be so UNI
fortunate as to come in contact with them.
1t also increases the fire hazard twO-fOld
and makes the fire fighting business doubly
dangerous. No care Is apparently taken 10
guard against the origin of fires from this
source; the wires are placed through wood
terial other than the insulation around the
wires, which will wear by the constant
swinging to and fro that they
are subjected TO and in every in
stance, the result is a fire. The
same trouble that arises from such cases as
above mentioned is the direct cause for all
the Eastern cities compelling such wires to
be placed underground, and unless some
law is soon forced upon such corporations
in this city, the same experience of fire.
quent fires and an occasional loss of life
from this cause will be witnessed. There
is but one remedy, and it is to be hoped
that the Council will at once see that the
ordinances governing this dangerousmethod
are strictly enforced, and that every re-
quirement to insure immunity from acct
dents is carried out to the letter"