The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-06-02
DESTROYS WATER MAINS.
Corrosive Action Of Electric Currents
From the Trolley System.

From the Trolley System.
A Leakage of Current From the Rails
of Electric Railways Is Collected by
Water and Gas Pipes Which Are
Corroded and Destroyed-Some In
stances Given Where the Wires Are
Almost in Contact With Water Pipes
in Savannah-Instances of Danger
From the Collection of Currents in
Pipes.
Unless some change is made In the
trolley system this city and every other
city where the conditions are similar, are
liable to suffer severely through corro-
sion and wearing away of the water
mains caused from the electrolytic action
of currents passing from the rails into the
ground and into these pipes.
The fact is a scientific one which has
| been much discussed of late. 1t is en-
! tirely demonstrable and a matter which
it seems has given concern to more than
one municipality which has had the troll
! ley system in connection with its water
mains to contend with. The water com
pany of Peoria, Ill, has notified the
council of that city that its mains are
being injured by currents from the
street railways and unless the ground
currents are removed the water COM
pany refuses to extend its mains any fur
Their.
AS is well known, the overhead wire
| carries the positive current from the
| dynamo, while the rail is used as the
negative pole, carrying the current back
to the generator.
TROUBLE AT THE JOINTS.
At the joints of the rails they are con-
nected by copper wire to prevent too
great heating and also to make them bet
| ter conductors. The conductor, how
ever, is not a perfect one as it is, for,
! being in contact with the earth, it has
been shown that branch currents go
off in all directions. Water and gas
pipes, being better conductors than the
EARTH take a large portion of these es-
| capped currents. This charging of iron
| pipes from leakages of electricity at the
| joints of the rails involves a discharge at
| some point and here the electrolytic action
is established. Arcs are formed and little
| by little the metal is oXidiZed and carried
away until the pipe becomes so thin and
| weak at these points that the pressure
causes it to burst. In this condition a
! stroke of lightning during a thunder
storm following the system of conductors
might burst the mains and cause almost
untold damage.
CORROSION TAKES PLACE.
When these points of discharge occur
at some bend in pipe the corrosion is
| rapid, and, though slower on a long
straight pipel it has been established that
| it is always sure.
| Attention has been called to several
places in the city where the current
| comes in actual contact with
the water mains, which, of course,
| serves to charge it 50 much
easier and makes the discharges which
cause corrosion so much more fire.
| quent. An electrician of Savannah who
| has given the matter some attention
noticed at the time the pipes were being
! laid that one of these loose wires was
corked into pipe Joint at Gwinnett and
! West Bread streets, and he says several
other instances of the same kind have
been brought to his attention.
REMEDY FOR 1T.
Several plans have been suggested by
which this evil could be abated, one of
them being to use The rail as the positive
conductor, as the current would then pass
| to the overhead wire, the electric current
! always passing from the positive to the
negative pole This would avoid an es-
cape of the current into the earth, but
| the objection, or one of them at least, is
that the current could be too easily tapped
| and stolen. Another plan suggested is
the electric welding of the rails in SEQ
tions of about 1000 feet, and in some of
the northern cities this is being tried.
Currents have been obtained from
pipes in houses which were some dis
lance from trolley lines, and the National
Board of Fire Underwriters have
recently given this matter Sc
rious attention, as it is be-
lieved that many of the fires to which I'M
known causes have been assigned are
caused in this way
| CHEAP ELECTRICITY.
Some very interesting experiments
have been made along this line in Boston
and the story is told of a man in that city
who got enough current from his water
pipe to run motor. Cases in that CITY
have been found where sparks could be
brought from pipes sufficient in strength
to ignite paper or waste, and in many
cases of this kind pipes have been totally
destroyed.
An instance is cited where q water
pipe and gas pipe We're so close to-
gether that they came in contact when
Jared by an elevator which was near at
hand. This had been going on so long
when discovered that the arc formed
every time the current was made and
broken had almost eaten through the gas
pipe. The result can be imagined If the
| pipe ndu Oeen edIen euJlrely through ana
the gas ignited by the spark.
Another remedy which has been sug-
gested is the use of low resistance
metal wire laid along side the rail as a
return circuit While this would be
costly, it is believed in the saving of
power to the companies it would in time
pay for itself The fact that such cur
rents are destructive to water and gas
mains may again lead to the discussion OF
the question of underground wires or
some change in the system which will do
away with the danger from this destruc.
tive source.