The morning call., 1891-01-01
UNDERGROUND WIRES.
A Conduit System Which is Be-
ing introduced Here.
The Enterprise of the Telephone Company
Description Of the Work-The Immense
Gables Now Being Laid.


rapidly forward, though as yet 1t has at
tracted little attention from any but
the propertY-owners along the line of opera
tions, is the building of the conduit or I'M
derground piping for the reception of the
city's telephone and telegraph wires. The
work thus far done is but the beginning OF
more extensive operati0ns-the opening up
of vast system which will reach out 10
every part of San Francisco, give the clti-
zens improved Geographic and telephohic
communication, and rid the streets OIL Ihe
unsightly poles and wires which now mar
the beauty of its leading thoroushfares'
Ground was first broken for the conduit IN
November last, since when IL mas clep'
steadily along from the starting point oppo-
site the Mercantile Library building 10 Tie
center of Market street, southeastoi It's Julc-
| ton with Battery, with branch along D"V-
| terry TO Pine 1t is owing in a great measure
! to the consideration which the promoters Oh
| the enterprise are Shawing to the properly
| owners and business men along the route that
the character and extent OF the WORK mas
| not as yet drawn puzzle notice TO any large
| extent Their aim is TO advance the work
! with as little Inconvenience to the people as
! possible, and, for that reason, the trench
! dggers arc so quickly followed by the pipe
| layers, the fillers-in and PAYERS t u, inc ~
teiIupViI H. u ~ SnrnIms Garth from the eXcava-
.in is RANGED at once; the pipe is brought
80 III spot only when needed, and when the
I Work Is done the streets are left, stran sc as
1t may seem, in even better condition than
that III which the workers find them. In
word, the 0bstructians and annoyan,es
which are the usual Incidents to work OF the
kind are conspicuous by their absence H.
deed, were is not for & small painted sign in
the nelghb0rbO0d of the open trench bearing
the legend, Pacific Telephone and Tele-
graph Underground Department" the care
less passer-by would he oblivious of the fact
that Il great public improv -ment was ia
progress before his very eyes.
INTERESTING ITEMS
Yesterday a CALL reporter happened
aganst John l. Sabin. the President
ana Manager of the local telephone com
pany, under whose auspices the work is
neing done, and CLEANED a number OF inter-
es.lng tens from him concerning the under
taking. Tie principal work done so far, he
sald,ls ne oulidl q of a tunnel on Bush street,
| opposite the Mercantile Library, which is
to be the companys central office, as soon
| as the library association moves out. The
| tunnel, which Will be the cOnverging point
| Tor all OF the wires in use, is a double cham
| Der OF a substantial character, IS feet in the
! clear inside from top to bottom by 20 feet in
| Width. The TWO main Conduils start from
thlS point ID an easterIy and westerly direC-
| ton, each consisting OF nine eartheGware
| pipes, which, in turn, are divided into two
compartments capable of receiving three
| cables each, the cables themselves contain
Ing 100 pairs Of wires. From this it will be
seen mat q 800 wires will converge here as
soon as the full limit of the onduit's capa-
city : reached. The entrance to each of
the underground passages is provided with
shelves from which the cables will be led off
IN such manner that each can be identified
at glance and repaired withdrawn or re-
placed as occasion may require.
these cables are something extra 0rdinarV
in their way, They consist of 100 double
No. Is copper wires; tightly packed in cot
ton and paradn, and after all moisture has
been expelled, encased in thick leaden pipe,
he diameter of tile " hole being about %,
'lehes- OnIng 70 their great weight, these
cables can only be manufactured IN lengths
OF 900 or 800 feet, ana this neeess.tases tie !
bnllding OF manho.sS which, though they |
may be nearer, cannot be placed farther |
apart than the limit 'named. AS 2 matter Of |
iact, these maBholes VIII be bu:l. whenever |
a change OF direction Is required, as at street |
corners, or where it is necessary for any
reason 10 come 10 the surface.
The Conduit so lar as il it at present con-
sssuStSd. s--s. Stz at aines lines Of yitr{fie6
eariheaware piDes laid IL Gers q tsI-sv one /
above the other Alter he ptck ana shovel ,
men have dug trench OF saGie:tnt depth 10
escape the 05strnEQ0sf Cf gas and vst.I I
mans, a asor Of taree-taeh neart-Isdwotd
plants IS laid in the DtttOm. They cover
the pipes In twelve fees iengths. These are !
Joine.. by broad anA.ses II buriaT, dinped
10 boiling asphaitaaf. ana wDsa laced ~
position are packsl SoEk ia wet sand and !.
covered with . boarding siis.la. to that,
the II Or Should The sandy foundation at |
az POM "VeF be washed away by breakage
Of sewer or any other rausr, these precau-
tions Will etfectuallr guard the conduit from
damage.
CONNECTIONS.
The man-holes with which the conluits
connect are, Ike the tunnel at the starting
s,f 5,If aAf,r Il
distributing points for the wires. From
them II is intended TO lay a cable into the |
centerof each block where such privilege
can beob aimed, wbere It Will connect with
a pole provided. with a distrbutingOOX ION
which Vlres viii I've run out TO The offices of
all of tls patrons in that block only. Where
block is entirely covered with buildings
and there is n rear yard il which TO erect a
pole, the cabl5 VIII be run to the roof and
the distribution VIII be arranged from !
rack situated there, the cable in all cases
being protec ID by a 3-inch iron pipe from
its underground exit tOtne distribution box.
. At present there is a.dithcully In getting
plpeto keep%uiore than sixty men busy. Of
that number nearly One-hali are now EN-
I-ployed iii the company yard splicing the
s3-fOot joints together with their asphalum
<bandages:=As; II, was a new employment for
the men IT. became necessary TO. instruct
themin ti::work, which they now perform.
with all tle= skill required. The test Tor
L
consists lntaking forty feet Of the prepared
/: Joints and resting both ends upon supports,
| when workman takes posltlon:ln the
| nnteT and jumps with all his might.upon it.
| solid ear3tIs good one;-some part OF the.
buriap wrappi1pe, will break before the.
In other words, the johnny s.ga oil l.ac9%[s
| The strongest parts OF. the pipe =:
/ In & few days ills intended to put in Ia,
cables in the completed portion OF the con-
duit: This will be done by means of iointed
| rods OF some five orslX feet in length which.
| as faSt as they are put under ground, will
| be screwed together and pushed forward to
| The nearest manhole. On reaching that
| point rope will be attached to the last rod,
and 1t Will be pulled through by the men in
| the further manhole. who will take the
joints apart as they come to hand. Once
the rope is in, the cable is attached and
pulled through and the same operation is
repeated over and over III til all of the cables
are in place, when another section is taken
in hand and the business gone over de novo.
After two or more Sect9nS have been thus
laid the electricians descend into the man
holes, make the connections and lay off
such cables or parts of cables as are neces-
sary to supply the needs of the adjoining
blocks.
The conduit will be built under every
other street, and as soon rs the manufactuT-
ers can supply sufficient material will give
work to between 900 and 600 men until it is
completed. The compaHg expects in short
while TO have enough material on hand to
enable them to increase their working force.
a liberal scale of wages is paid In all the
branches OF the WORK, and as the men get
ther money each night after the days labor
the enterprise is quite boom at this time
| 10 lhose who are in lis employment.
NOT ON THE BILLS.
/ DI.fn