The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-18
EATS UP THE WATER PIPES.
ELECTRoLYsIs AND HOW 1T GETS
IN ITS WORK.

rent Leaks Away From Imperfect
Connected Railway Tracks and
Takes to the Iron Water Pipes TO
Get Back Home On-The Pipes
Only Affected at Points Where the
Current Takes Its LeRve-COnsid-
cradle Leakage From the Lines In
savannah, But No Bursted Water
Pipes Discovered From This Cause
Yet.
A good deal of attention is being paid
to electrolysis all over the country and
elaborate measures are being taken in
many cities to prevent the damage TO
water mains and pipes by electric cur
rents. Little has been done in Savannah
recently, though some time ago a partial
inspection OF the mains was made.
Electricity. instead of being an orderly
and well behaved servant, after having
once been captured and set to work, is
inclined to be something of a vagrant,
and unless a clear route is provided for
its return to the source from which II
originated It will seek it's own route
through devious channels, to the injury,
in many instances, of these self selected
channels. Iron water pipes are the favor
tie roads by which electricity returns to
its headquarters when the ways provided
for 1t by It's employers prove too narrow
for comfortable transit, as Is often the
case. Where a street railroad e not prop
erly bonded" that is the connecting of
the rails by copper wire in order to af-
ford an uninterrupted connection for the
| return of the current to the power house
the current leaks from the rails in much
the same manner that water would from
a pipe with holes in it, and takes to the
nearest water pipe or other iron road
way which offers itself.
The current does not hurt the pipe so
long as it uses It, but when 1t reaches
the point where IL must leave the pipe
and take a short cut through the earth
| to reach the power house or get back
| to the line again, damage occurs. This
is attributed to the releasing Of the salts
| in the soil by the action of the electricity.
| The acids thus created act upon the iron
pipe and gradually eat ii away, until the
pipe is finally worn down TO the point
where 1t bursts under pressure.
| The main pipe leading from the pump
| ing station of the Atlanta water works
| on the Chattahoochee river to the city has
burst three times during as many years
! at the same point. The city was at one
time for ten hours without water 1T was
at last discovered that the breaks were
| due TO electrolysis. One of the electric
| lines of the city runs out toward the Chat
tahoochee river. At some point in the
city the current leaves to the line and
4 takes TO the water pipe As the pipe
nears the river there is one point where
1t is nearer the railway than at any other
| point between the city and the river. 1t
! was al this point that the breaks oc-
| Cured. The current left the pipe here
and cut across to the railway track in
| order to get back to the power house. In
order to prevent future trouble from the
same source, a heavy copper wire, suffi-
Client to accommodate the current was
run from the water pipe to the power
house.
Manager r. II. Polk of the Southern Bell
Telephone Company is something of an ex-
pert on this subject. Two years ago he
made an investigation at the request Of
Mayor McDonough, with view to discov-
ering If any damage had been inflicted on
the city's water pipes by this new disease.
The investigation was made and a report
submitted, but as 1t was near the end of
Mayor McDonough's term no action was
taken on the report and the matter has
never been taken up by the present coun-
Gil.
Manager Polk, In a talk with a Morning
"
covered ample evidence that there Is a
considerable amount of electricity escap-
ing from the electric railway lines and
finding its way back to the power houses
by way OF the water pipes. Only slight
evidences of damage were discovered.
however. The most notable instance was
on Gwinnett street. near the corner of
Harmon street. where the water main on
the former street comes to dead end not
far from the Electric railway power
house. He found that the current had
been making it's way along the water
pipe and escaping, following the water
main to this point and escaping from there
TO the power house The testing appa-
ratus which he used demonstrated this at
once. The pipe showed slight evidences of
disintegration where the electricity escap-
ed. Finding the soil at that point strongly
impregnated with electricity, he gathered
a small quantity and carried ii to his Of
flee. The earth had a strong smell of
ammonia due TO the salts in the soil
which had been released by the action of
the electricity The earth was placed In
jar filled with chemically pure water
and developed enough electricity to work
a telephone battery.
Il can best explain the action of the
, current" said Mr. Polk, "by likeninC the
, power house to a water tower. The troll
ley line is the pipe which leads from the
tower and distributes the current alons
, the pipe which returns the current after
II has been used In order that It may he
used again The dynamo is the engine
which forces the current out and also
forces It back. II the wires with which
the rails of the railway are bonded are
too small to accommodate the return cur
rent 1t is like trying TO force a six-inch
stream through a two-inch main, or
rather, 1t is like large main with small
joints every few feet. II the underground
. connection is too small for the volume of
the current, or IL the connection is broken
the current is forced in some other dlrec-
ton and leaks down through the ground
until It finds water pipe, along which II
makes It way. The only damage to the
pipe 1t at the point where the current
leaves 1t to return 10 the rails or TO the
power house.
There Is undoubtedly a great deal OF
leakage from the tracks In Savannah be.
cause the tracks are not as well bonded
as they should be, and there are num-
Der of broken connections. You sometimes
notice little arc of light at the Joints