The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-12-27
NEW TROLLEY DANGERS.
The Return Earth Current Plays Fantas.
tic and Possibly Periious Tricks.
TCor. of the Phlladelphia Press. !

NEW YORK, December 12-The trouble
which the operators who receive and
send messages by the Atlantic cables
vealed a remarkable condition lof things
that confronts the managers of trolley
railroad systems. An effort has been
made to keep these endorsements from
the public, probably on account of the
hostility to the development of the troll
ley system, which is met with every
where. This newly discovered compiled
ton promises to seriously interfere with
the future development of the trolley
system unless it is overcome, and the
problem of overcoming it is what is now
attracting the attention of capitalists who
are interested in electric street railways.
The operators on the Atlantic cable,
which is brought via Long Island to this
city, discovered some little time ago that
there We're serious interruptions to the
electric current. They were unable to
read clearly the messages at some times.
1t was plain that some occult influence
was operating upon the cables, and the
tests showed that this was in Brooklyn.
Investigation made it plain that this
deleterious agent was created by the
trolley system, recently put up in that
city. fits reported to, be the intention
of capitalists to build other trolley roads
in Brooklyn, and this report gives the
managers of the cables considerable
anxiety. Something must be done to
paevent the continuance of these disturb
ing influences.
Investigation shows that while the
Atlantic cable has furnished the first Sc
rious complaint of this sort, yet other
developments have recently occurred
(which suggest how great source of evil
this system may become, especially in
crowded districts, unless the remedy be
applied.
Trouble With Earth Circuits.
The telephone companies were the
first to detect trouble. The older tele-
phone plants were those using earth
circuits, just as the trolley does. 1t was
found that where telephones were used
in the same district in which the trolley
was employed the service was sometimes
SO unsatisfactory that many of the sub
scribers gave it up, and the telephone
managers on investigation made the dis
covery that the return circuit through
the ca tn Of the trolley current seriously
interfered with the return telephone cir
cult.
This trouble was obviated in many
places OH the discarding of the earth cir
cult and the substitution of the metallic
circuit for telephones.
Soon after the telephone companies
learned of this interference there came
another development. In one of the
western towns it was found that lead
pipe running from well to house was
out of condition, and when it was dug
up its appearance indicated that it had
been subjected to an electric current
powerful enough to corrode it seriously.
This current unquestionably came from
the return circuit through the earth of
trolley railroad system in that vicinity.
1t was then suggested that if this effect
was common it mightiresult not only in
destroying lead water pipes, but also by
dissolvng the lead salts produce lead
poisoning.
OF course the danger was not regarded
as very imminent at present, but with
such extension of the trolley as now
seems inevitable, it might, scientists
said, result in a very serious menace to
health.
Other Remarkable Demonstrations.
Swiftly following this discovery came
some remarkable demonstrations. One
occurred in Boston. In a mandatory
in that city there was a water pipe and
gas pipe entering the building, about
foot apart. No electricity was in use in
any form in the building.
A workman one day desiring to put up
an improvised towel rack, stretched a
wire rom one of these pipes to the other
but he did not use it for a towel rack.
The wire became heated niue to the
surprise of the workman. 1t had, in
fact, established an electric circuit be-
tween the two pipes, and it was discov-
cred that the current which passed over
it had been furnished by the earth cir
cult of one of the trolley systems.
An ingenious man living near Boston,
learning of this fact connected wire
with two pipes and was able by means of
the current thus received to run small
motor. Neither of these pipes had any
connection with electricity other than
that which was furnished by the earth
through WHICH Iu6y EXTENDED.
There were evidences obtained in some
places of the action of the current upon
water pipes and gas pipes laid beneath
the surface of the earth and such evil
dences as indicated that if the current
had time enough it might ruin these
pipes. Scientists being now interested
began to make experiments and it was
found in one case where measure of
the voltage was taken that it amounted
to as many as 100 volts; that is, the es-
Gaping current in the earth, to use pop
ular instead of technical phrase, was
equal to one-ffth of the voltage required
to run the trolley cars.
Other measurements showed frequent
ly as many as forty OF fifty volts thus es-
Gaping in the earth, SO to speak, and it is
probably current of equal voltage
which ha' been affecting the Atlantic
cables.
May Be Source TO Peril
OF course, such an influence as this I'M
derneath the surface of the earth, espec-
tally in crowded districts, must, if con-
+;n,,od for o,,v lanUth of time ha a sorrca