Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-07-24
OVERHEAD AND UNDERGROUND,
Opinions of the Attorney for the Dis
trict on Questions as to Electric Wires.

On July 10, as stated in The STAR at the time.
Capt. Lusk submitted certain questions to the
attorney for the District for his construction.
The questions were substantially: First. if
there was any law restricting the power OF the
Commissioners to authorize the placing of
overhead or underground electric wires in
alleys. Second. permission having been granted
the United States Electric Lighting Company
to place underground their overhead wires on
14th street between New York avenue and 1
street northwest, said wires. not having been
suitable for electric lighting, can the
conduit built in accordance with said permis-
sion be legally used for the purpose of electric
lighting?
OPINION OF THE ATTORNEY.
In his opinion the attorney saws: ''The
only restriction upon the power named
is contained in the 25th Stats, page 1923. under
the head of telegraph and telephone service,
and the provision OF law in the same volume
on page S04, under the same head, which is as
follows:
"'That the Commissioners of the District of
Columbia may hereafter, under such reason
able conditions as they may prescribe. author
iZe the overhead wires of any telegraph, tele-
phone or electric light company to be laid
under any street, alley, highway, footway
or sidewalk in the District whenever in
their judgment the public interest may re-
quire the exercise OF such authority, such
privileges as may be granted hereunder TO be
revocabie at the will of Congress without COM
pensaticn, and this authority to continue only
until the termination of the Fifty Congress-
You will observe by the foregoing that alleys
stand on the same grounds as streets. &c.
In answering the second interrogatory m
OF the opinion that the conduit can be used for
electric lighting and that the right of the
company to use it for that purpose does not de-
pend upon the condition Of whether the over
head wires prove suitable or not upon actual
test underground. The purpose of
Congress in the enactment of this provision of
law and in comforting the authority which it
has upon the Commissioners was to change
the system OF electric lighting from an over
head to an underground system and certainly
it did not intend in case one set of wires should
fail to do their required work that another
should not be employed in their place that
would do that work.
ANY other construction would be unreason-
able. think, and especially it is well
place in the development OF the art of electric
lighting and will take place until q still higher
state of perfection 10 reached in that art the
necessity Of which Congress well understood
when it created the law under which this
conduit was built. 1t is well settled that the
authority conferred to construct a. work Of this
kind for q certain purpose carries with it the
right to use for that purpose"
King Leopold, in his reply TO President Car
nots congratulations on the occasion of the
jubilee, says he hopes for q constant and thor
ough maintenance Of the best relations between
Belgium and France.
The Touring mill Of Mead Bros, at North
Jackson, Ohio. was completely wrecked yester-
day by the explosion of boiler. Geo. Mead,
the engineer, and VIM. Thomas, an employe,
were killed instantly, and VIM. Mikesell probably
fatally injured.
The Paris Siecle says that a French
expedition TO explore central Africa is being
organized. Il wiz be divided into three sec.
tons. which wiz start simultaneously from
Algeria and the Niger aud Congo rivers. and
converge at Lake Tchard.