Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-01-04
NO DEAD WIRES TO co
Chief BigelOW'S Order Evolves
Interesting Information.
TLIGHTNING MEN SAY
COuncilmen Hear Expert Opinion on
the Equine Martyrs.
WHATLIGHTNING MEN SAY
OPINIONS UPON WIRE INTERMENT

If the equine martyrs who gave their lives
as a sacrifice on the altar of modern prog
ress on New Years Day were able to look
down from horse heaven and see the stir
their death has created and its beneficial re-
suits they are doubtless consoled by the re-
Election that they did not die in vain.
There is general demand that overhead
wires must go. all of them, and that defunct
wires must not stand on the order, but 60 at
once, and the latter part of the edict is, pro-
fessedly at least, being enforced promptly.
Superintendent Morris Mead, of the Bureau
of Electricity, hath said it and all inter
ested profess to be willing to obey the order
with alacrity. Interviews with men proml-
nent in each department using the electric
fund possess peculiar interest, and some e1-
pressions of opinion were made that were
scarcely to be expected, among them that
the present overhead network is safer than
burial is likely to prove.
Mr.. William h. Graham, County Re-
corder, was seen at the Office of the Pleasant
Valley Electric Railway Company on Fifth
avenue, and he took strong ground against
the bury1ng of the wires on the score OF
safety. He stated that it had not been
proven that 500 volts, the power used to
propel cars, would kill, and that at the
company's power house employees had fire.
ouently gotten the full shock since the road
had been in operation; gotten it accidentally
while working about the machinery, and
without serious results. A horse might not
be able to stand that amount, but it had
been demonstrated frequently that a man
could.
STATISTICS UPON SAFETY.
Continuing, Mr.. Graham stated that there
were 179 electric railways in the United
States. There hadn't been recorded to date the
killing of a single man, woman or child by
the power used. Men had been knocked
down frequently in the power house of the
Pleasant Valley Company during the past
two months, but the results were not serious.
eff you put the wires underground" said
Mr. Graham, ''you only, in my opinion at
least. increase the danger. The streets are
Iull of water, gas and other pipes, and by
putting the wires underground there isn't
house in which water or gas is used that
would not be subjected to danger from con-
tact It is well proven that our lines had
nothing to do with the killing of the horses
the other day, for they were not charged,
except as the cross-dead line resting on
them might have charged them.
II tail to understand why people have
conceived the notion that overhead wires are
so dangerous. do not recall to mind more
than two. or at most three, fatalities in this
city since the highly charged wires have
been strung, and that amount of life is sac
rifced in the building of almost every large
structure The deadly wires we hear so
much about are doubtless deadly II not well
managed, but not more so than most of the
appliances considered indispensable to mod
ern human happiness.
ELECTRICITY is but imperfectly understood
as vet, ard accidents must be expected until
we learn how to harness it. properly; but so
far fatalities in its management have been
remarkably few and 1 honestly believe the
damage will only be increased by putting
the wires under ground.
PITTsBURG LESS DANGEROUS.
s'The fact is that there are not the obliga-
tions to overhead wires in this city that
there are in New York, as ours are much
better protected. Edison claimed that
his wires were less dangerous than those
used by Westinghouse and in consequence
there were not the precautions used there
that there were here" Mr.. James Camp
bell, of the Postal Telegraph Company said
he didn't think they had any dead wires in
the city. For their own protection they had
instructed their linemen to weed them all
out MIR Campbell stated that his company
was the first to put wires underground in
the CITY, but he was not particularly enam-
ored of the plan and was inclined
to admit the force of Mr.. Graham's
reasoning, as to increased danger thereby
Mr.. Campbell thought there would be likely
to be a great slaughter of "Italymans," if
all wires were buried, as they had had mar
row escapes already when making openings
in the streets. One of Mr.. Campbell's prin-
cipal objections is that when a wire is
grounded If under ground, it is much more
difficult to put in order than if overhead.
The galvanometer will locate the seat of
trouble within ten feet if it be under ground
1.-The first thing to do" said Mr.. Camp
bell, "is to look up the proper officer to get
permission to open the street. This gained
and the opening made, you NAV strike
exactly the place you want, but it is more
than probable you may be ten feet away
from it and day consumed in making the
repair, whereas if overhead 1t may be done
20 minutes"
''Then," said Mr.. Campbell, ''if an acci-
dent happens and the transmission of news
is delayed, the public is dissatisfied, and 1
think there are none We would hear from
of an overhead wire is a matter of easy ac-
complishment, but that of an underground
wire usually one of considerable difficulty
and delay.
NO WESTERN UNION MoRIBUNDs.
Mr. j. w Clark, of the Western Union
Telegraph Company, said: 1--WE have no
dead wires, and we have $40 under ground
between the Monongahela river and the
Union station"
Pointing to the great cables spanning the
street at the crossing of Fifth avenue and
Wood street, Mr.. Clark said: ''There are 10
wires in each OF those cables" He seemed
to regard them as absolutely safe, "but."
said he, ''we want to get our wires under
ground. Those we have there work we'll.
There are some, however, that must be re-
tained above, or some people must do with
out telegraph service 1 mean brokers
who have stock tickers in their
Offices. If all wires are put under
ground they must either pay considerably
more for service, or do without It. The
telegraph companies could not afford to fol-
low them after each moving day if the wires
were under ground, for present rates of
service, and this would apply to all who
want temporary service. Enough wires,
however, might be LETT to serve this purpose
without detriment to the public They
could be so strung as to be out of the way Of
fremen, and without danger to any one.
General Manager Metzgar, of the Central
District and Printing Telephone Company,
stated that his company had about dozen
dead wires in the city, but that orders have
been issued to have them all removed.
Morris W. Mead having already assured
the public that the Bureau of Electricity
had no dead wires strung, the statements Of
Messrs. Campbell and Clark representing
the Postal and Western Union Companies
and Manager Metzgar for the Central Dis
trict and Printing Company, leave the mind
OF the reporter in some doubt as to what
dead wires were meant by Chief Bigelow in
his recent official communication.
DISCUSSED BY CoUEcILMEN.
The question Of whose electricity killed
the two horses belonging to the Pleasant