The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-10
A CONDUIT DOG.
How the Wire Cables Are Run
Through the Filing.

The contractor who is putting in the con-
duit system for the Central Union Teie-
phone Company had considerable trouble
yesterday morning with the work. When
the men left the trench on Pennsylvania
street Tuesday night it had been finished
for almost a block and was ready for the
laying of the thing, which was to begin
yesterday morning. When they returned
yesterday morning they found the trench
nearly full of sand and gravel. The Earring
of the street cars close TO the trench had
caused it to cave badly the west side.
Men were put to work cleaning out the
ditch and putting in wooden supports to
hold the sides. This had been deemed I'M
necessary before account of the shall
lowness of the ditch and the short time
1T would be open, but there is only about
one foot of clay under the pavement and
then comes loose sand, it was found that
the least jar caused the sand to fall in
BY noon the work of laying the thing had
begun and it progressed very well the rest
of the day.
The whole process is one of considerable
interest to those people who are inclined
to an inquiSitive turn of mind. Many peo-
pie are now wondering how the tile con-
Quits will be used how the immense lead
and wire cables will be put into them. The
conduits laid and covered before the
work of putting in the cables begins. In
the ditch in Pennsylvania street sixteen
rows of thing are being laid, each one be-
ing designed to contain one cable contain
ing 100 wires, which will make the Penn
sylvania-Street system have a capacity for
1000 telephones.
There is a break in the long rows of til
ing at every street crossing. The thing ends
in large basin, somewhat like an ordi-
nary catch basin which common in
connection with the city sewerage system.
This basin is covered with iron lid
which may be removed in a very short
time. After the conduitS in for one
section the laying of the wire cables win
Of h1
puzzles MANY people and makes them Won
der if the men really know what they are
cable can be poked through a row of til
ing block long. 1t is not put through
The cables contain one hundred wires
each and are about one and one-half
inches in diameter. When the time comes
to put them in the. conduits little me-
chanical device, variously termed a dog
''crawler," ferret" and other names
which indicate it's use will be put into
tached to small rope. 1t contains pow
erful spring, which. when wound up, en-
in the tile, carrying the rope after it.
When it reaches the other end there is
conduit. To this rope larger and much
stronger rope is attached and with wind
lass it is pulled through the conduit. Then
all is ready for putting in the cable, which
drawn through with the aid of a windlass.
At each end of the cable the wires are
conduits the ends are attached to the loose
ends of similar cable in the conduits.
which extends down the street, thus
making the connection complete. After this
connection is made the wires are soldered
together and covered with an insuator.
AT the rate the work is now progressing
it will not take very long to put in the
entire system. When the work is we'll
under way it can be done at the rate of
a square day by one gang but it is like
~ that more than one gang of men will
be put to work so to complete it sooner.
Street Through the Ball Park.
Misfortunes never come singly. Closely
following the freshest evidence that In
dianapolis will not win the pennant this
year, comes the announcement that the
| Board of Works will open two streets
| through the ball park. For two years in
| tereSted property. owners have made eff
| forts to get these streets opened, but the
| board declined to take any action until the
| present lease on the park expires, which
| Will be at the end of this season. Yester-
| day the petitioners called on the board
| again and received assurances that the
| papers for opening these streets are being
! prepared and that they will be open be-
| fore the beginning of another baseball sea-