The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-10
UNDERGROUND WIRE SCH
Telegraph and Telephone Companies
submit Their Plans.

M. J. Carney, general superintendent; A.
A. Thomas, general solicitor; n. G. Warth,
assistant superintendent; Z. n. jackson,
manager; John NJ. Baker, superintendent,
and r. o. Hawkins, attorney, of the Cen
trail Union Telephone Company; w. /.
Cooper, manager of the Postal Telegraph
Company, and J. f. Wallick, manager
of the Western Union Telegraph Com
pany, met with the Council committee
on streets and alleys and the city officers
last night, at the Mayors office, for the
purpose of considering the plan for re-
lieving the streets of wires, as outlined by
the Telephone company. Maps We're pre-
scented showing the plan. In general, 1t
consists of removing all wires from the
streets in the central portion of the city
and placing them in the alleys, within
small cables, such as may be seen now
in some parts of the city, strung on the
telephone poles. In short the general plan
for the original mile square of the city
is as follows
Cables, which will carry all the wires
to be used in the city will be laid under
ground in Ohio street, from Mississippi to
Alabama street. From this cable the
branches will run through the alleys as
they are passed. For instance, at the first
alley west of Pennsylvania street, five one
hundred-wire cables will run south on
poles. distributing wires to the block
bounded by Pennsylvania, Ohio, Market
and Meridian streets. When Market street
is reached the wires will go underground,
coming up again the south side of the
street and distributing as before in that
block. These cables will continue in this
manner passing under the streets and
overhead in the alleys until the first alley
IF ST IN naia
is reached, when they will come to the sur
face to stay, one line passing down Della
ware street and another down Virginia
avenue. These two lines Line viii be over
cables. and not scattered promiscuously
over the poles.
Thls same system Will be followed IN dis
city. The only streets within this dis
triet on which there will be overhead
cables, besides the two already named, are
Pennsylvania, south from the first alley
south of MARYLAND street; Capitol avenue,
street to Kentucky avenuei Kentucky
avenue, southwest from Maryland
street; the entire length of Massachusetts
one-half block either side of
Pennsylvania street; Ohio street, east
Of Aab na Mo, and west of Mississippi ISL; a
street
These poles will not carry any separate
wires. for they will all be in cables. They
will be used by the telegraph companies
and for the city fire alarm telegraph. Out
side of the district named the lines of
wires will be punched doing away with
some lines now in use and placing them
all in cables and running them through
alleys as much as possible. The poles will
be painted and of any height the city may
designate. This is substantially the propo-
sition as made by the telephone company.
1t will necesSitate entire new plant, as
very little of the wire now in use could
be used in the new system
fho
explanation of the. proposed changes and
the committee Will meet again soon to
consider the matter more in detail. The
city officials do not look with favor upon
the plan to have so many wires strung
in the alleys downtown, even though they
are mostly in cables, but would rather have
all the cables go underground in the square,
mile district. Such a change will be sug-
gested at the, committee meeting and will
likely be insisted upon by the city before
any franchise will be granted. The mem
bers of the committee refused to make
any direct statement to what the city
should require of the companies, but the
trend of the talk seemed to be that now
while the opportunity is at hand provision
should be made for the future and a sys-
tenn of wires installed which will be suit
able for use fifty years from now.