The morning times., 1895-11-03

Thousands and thousands Of Washington
fans have no doubt from time to time
stood on the edge of the big @ ch and
watched with interest the CONSTRUCTION OF
the cable cond uits of the street rail-
ways, but how many have gone further
and learned how they are cleaned and
Kept from choking with dust and debrIs
from the streets?
Not many, probably. In fact, there ara
many who do not know that such a
thing 10 ever done, as the operation, of
necessity, Is performed in the wee sma'
hours" and only comes under the obserya-
ton or the wakeful cop, Few night liners,
the onlnipresent pencil pusher OF the be-
lated pedestrian.
Ii tue work were done by one of tho
many machines patented for this special
purpose description OF the nIodus operandi
would be interesting, but, as the operation
Is performed by means OF an ordinary
shovel and scoop 1t is doubly Interesting
because the more Ineligible.
From the nature OF the case the work
must be done in the hours when the cars
are not running, that is, between 1 and
a. M And again, on account of the
construction Of the conduit and the linn
tied space in which the men have TO
work the process is a slot one.
QOi4E Ear fENSlfE E.
So IN the case OF the Capital Traction
Company, with its twenty-five or twenty
three miles OF cable line, IL is no small un-
dertaking, aud necessitates a great ex-
penditure OF money. as IL is necessary to
clean the cOnduits three or four times dur
ing the year.
When the occasion demands that the
trough through which the cable line runs
should be opened or cleaned two gangs OF
hands are started to work, one going from
each terminus OF the cable. The whole
force or men is divided into squads Of
four or five In humber, each OF which is
armed with q long iron-handled shovel
and a scoop.
The shovel Is not one OF the common,
ordinary, everyday shoveis, but one made
specially for this work. II consists OF
blade about five and oue-haH inches wide
and six inches long, with = long iron handle
one-half OF an inch in diameter, SO that it
may freely pass through the grip slot,
which is only three-Quariers or an inch
IN width. The scoop is q more ordinary
looking implement. II is made OF double
tin or sheet Iron, Is circular and deep ike
a common dishpau, and viii bold about
q peck. In addition TO these, with each
gang of hands is cart, ready TO haul
away the scrapings as quickly as they
come from the conduit.
The conduits are built in the form Of an
ellipse, bisected On its lesser diameter,
standing on its narrow end In conse-
quence OF its shape all the dust and debris
from the streets fail to the bottom and are
easily removed by a man with one OF the
shovels mentioned above.
PUSHING IT ALONG.
Beginning at either terminus, the show
elers gather up the dust and debris at the
bottom OF the conduit by pushing it along
rk1r,Ia tn nj -fVRrG ia
piled up. Here the man with the scoop
takes IL out through the manhole, throws
1t into the cart which Is in waiting, and
it is carried off. This operation is carried
on rrum one manhole to another throughout
the whole length OF the cable line Ii IS
a slow, tedious Job
. However uninteresting 1T may seem to
be, the work is sometimes very profitab!s
to those enga ged in 1t by reason Of an occa-
sional rich find" Shortly after the lay
ing of the cable, during the first clean
rp," the harvest of finds was rich in
iewelry and coins. Among these Were two-
solitaire diamond rings and diamond pm
of great valae, and coins varying in value
from a nickel to q So gold piece The
jeweiry was evidently lost by visitors to
the city, who did not discover their loss
mill after their departure, IOr, though
the articles were advertised, they were
never claimed by their owners The coin.
Of course, was dropped in some other slotby
the lucky finder.
In certain sense the speculation in
conduit bonds is the most profitable in the
,ity. A shovelful of 1t, with the solitaire
diamonds that goes with II in the conduit
S W orth from S100 to $500
VALUABLE REAL ESTATE.
Fifty feet front of this kind OF real
state. is " orth more money than Caesar
aid for his magnificent open air dinners
TO the 1000 people of Rome.
One can imagine the scene when one OF
.hese sparklers is found in the yarcgated
stuff in which 1t is usually imbccded-
rhe light in the conduit, by which The n;en
= ork, is furnish by a spirit lamp attached
o the upper edge of the man-hole.
The finds are so valuable at lines that
he work kmcn on the local diamouc. gcid,
liver and copper mines keep :hSir eyes
IS kinned" for the flash light of the
,parkler or the yellow or the white sheen
If the more familiar dimes, quarters,
md halves Of the coin Of the realm
So clearing the conduit is not 80 Ilosalo
. work after all. Unused, unpunched
tickets are common revelations, but there
: not a diamond of the first or any other
rater for every workman. Men make
wings, and occasionally good ones, by
Seeping a watch on the turhid toe OF all
manner of things that flow through tho
ew ers of Paris, but it is doubtful Al they
ind as many rich prizes as these men W no
make the street so picturesque in the quiet
.ours of the night in Washington