Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-03-11

Lives Lost and Property Destroyed Becaus
Of BOst0n's Overhead Wires.

Lives Lost and Property Destroyed Because
Of Boston's Overhead Wires.
Boston Special to the New York World.
The condition of the trolley and other over
head wires here, to. which tine World called at
tention as long ago as last August, has at last
received some attention from the people Of this
city. The results of the Sc yeral large fires re-
Gently and the manner in which these wires have
interfered with the work of the fremen have
aroused the insurance companies to decided &C.
ton in the matter Of raising rates all build
ings having overhead electric conductors ar
ranged about them in manner which would
interfere with the raising of ladders or the
proper directing of streams of water
A legislative committee has retured from an
investigation of the underground systems of
New York and Chicago and bill is before the
legislature providing for burying of wires at
present running overhead.
The property owners in the city, because Of
their own interests and the action of the board
of fire underwriters. are petitioning the board
OF aldermen 10 revoke the permits which sew
eraI companies hold for erecting and maintain
ing overhead conductors. Whether all this
Will mean the eventual shutting down of the
largest system of trolley traction in the world
or not can only be surmIsed and will depend
largely upon the degree of success the legisla-
As WAS demonstrated in the World some
time ago. the trolley wires interfered very con-
siderably with the tiremen at the big fire on
Federal street. From shocks received bv the
firemen in trying to raise ladders and direct
streams. and the difficulty of forcing the
streams through the overhead network, any
thing like efficient work was impossible until
the whole trolley system at this point. which
was the junction of several streets and needed
a great number Of wires for its interlacing
tracks, was cut down altogether
The removal of the trolley wires in the bust
ness section of the city would mean an enor-
nous loss to the trolley company, both because
OF the original construction outlay and the fact
that their cara can be propelled in no other
manner than from overhead lines.
The removal OF the overhead lines of the
lighting, telegraph and telephone companies
will also involve a great loss because of the
long delay of Bostons action in the matter
having led to the erection of vast web of over
head conductors throughout the city. Many of
the largest and finest buildings are defaced by
immense poles and wires running directly in
front of them. photograph of Trinity
Church, in Copley square. taken recently shows
a great deal Of telegraph pole line and very
little church.
The Youths Companions large new building,
on the corner of Berkeley street and Columbus
avenue. has one of the finest entrances in the
city and is a costly structure. In front Of it
iu"o o"''eiy "Hes Oh poies carrying n1teen
cross arms and six wires on each arm besides
two streets full OF trolley lines and an arc light
line. There are eighteen poles on the four
corners here.
Such examples explain why accidents and
fires from wires have been numerous, though
more particularly from trolley wires than from
Others. Both have hindered iremen in extin-
gushing fires in about equal proportions.
The approximate fire loss during the months
OF January and February which has resulted
partially from the fact that wires were sus-
pended in front Of the burned buildings
amounts to nearly 81, 600 900.
There we're nineteen accidents on the West
End railroad in February. The cars Of the
company killed one man and injured twelve
persons: Horses and vehicles, too, were prey
to the electrics