Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-07-13
REJECT THE APPLICATION
Commissioners Refuse Permit to Potomac
Electric Power Company.
The Request WINS for Authority to
Connect Ii. and r. Depot With
Sixth Street Conduit.

Based upon an adverse opinion of the
attorney for the District the Commission
ers have. refused the applica.i ton of the
Potomac Electric Power Company for a
Permit to connect the Baltimore and Po-
tomac depot with it's conduit in 9th street.
The question is one of interest, since it
establishes a precedent in the matter Of
electric lighting and the extension of con-
Quits
The attorney fer the District, Mr.. s. T..
Thomas. in his opinion. says:
THE clause in regard to electric lighting
in the District appropriation bill, approved
March 3, 1897 provides. among other
things. the following:
That the Commissioners of the District
of Columbia are hereby authorized 10 issue
permits fer house connections with con-
duits and overhead wires now existing cd
Jacent to the premises with which SUCH
connection is to tie made; and also permits
for public lighting connections with con-
Quits already in the portion of the street
proposed to be lighted
Whether the desired permit should be
granted depends upon the question whether
the Potomac Electric Power Company had
conduit in 9th street March ). 1881. with
in the meaning of the act OF Congress of
that date.
"A permit heretofore issued to this com
pany authorized it to construct a conduit
in Missouri avenue, rs follows: Commenc-
ing at 4 point IL feet west of he west
curb of AZ street and running west on
line Gia feet south on the lortn curb of
Missouri avenue to the east following the
line of 9th street 1t appears the Potomac
Electric Power Company laid its conduit on
this line, and that no part of Its Missouri
avenue conduit extends into 9th street.
Short Line Conduit.
"It also appears that public arc lamp is
located at the northeast corner of 9Th and
Missouri avenue. and that this lamp was
placed on the 9th street curb outside the
lines of Missouri avenue extended, and
that to operate this lamp from The Mis-
souri, avenue conduit short length Of single
duct terra Gotta pipe was put down.
There is definition in the statutes of
the word conduit or the term house con-
nections.' In the Standard Dictionary the
word conduit is defined rs A means IF
conducting something. particularly tube.
pipe or passageway for fluid; an aque-
duct. A passage or subway for conducting
electric wires. underground cables gas and
water pipes. or the like.
The Only Real Difficulty.
The term house connection being self
explanatory, the only question of real diff
Guilty in the case is whether the single duct
terra Gotta pipe correcting the lamp liz
9th street with the west end Of the Poto-
mac Electric Power Company's Missouri
avenue conduit Is a conduit within the
meaning of the act OF Congress of March
3, 1891 permitting house connections with
cGnduitS.' If this sir gle duct is such a
duit. then premises known as the Balti-
more and Potomac railway station are adj
Jacent to such conduit. and the permit
should be issued, but if this single duct is
not conduit within the meaning of the
statute. then the permit ought not to Issue
The case presents interesting ques-
ton. The word conduit is one of very
general Specification. 1t may mean con-
duIt of several ducts, carrying several
electric lighting wires. or it may mean a
conduit with one duct, carrying a single
wire: II may mean street connection or
it may mean house connection and 1t
may be of greater or less length.
I'm the District appropriation bill ap-
proved March 3, 1871, Congress prohibited
the Commissioners from permitting the ad-
Iitioral construction of more than five
miles of conduits or subways in aggregate
length for electric lighting purposes, but
declared that this should not apply to nee
essary street or house connections, and
tliis. believe, is the first and only time the
term street connection is used in the
statutes in regard to electric lighting. Its
equivalent, however. appears in the act of
1897, in the term public lighting connec-
tons
The Distinction.
Now, what is the distinction between
SO far as the fundamentally for making
the connection is concerned. If street
connection is a connection between an cleo
trio lighting conduit and a public or pri-
vate lamp in the street. then is the conduit
used to make such connection a conduit
as that word is used in the act of Congress
OF March 3. 1897?
IF a street connection is identical with
a house connection in this respect. it is
manifest that there can be no such thing
as d house connection upon house con-
ncction, or a street connection upon a
street connection, since, If this is possible,
the electric lighting companies would have
no difficulty in Indefinitely extending their
respective fields of operation contrary 10
the plain intention of Congress.
How Connections Are Made.
"In point of fact, street and house con-
nections are made, as they can only be
made. by means of underground conduits.
and there would seem to be no material
distinction between a street connection and
house connection, as these terms are used
in the electric lighting statutes, except that
one is a connection with public or private
lamp in the street, and the other with pri-
waite property abutting the street.
"A street connection. l am told, is in the
electric lighting in that street, whereas a
house connection. as the term implies,
means connection between such conduit
and the private property of citizens abut-
ting such street.
If the electric lighting connection be-
tween the conduit in Missouri avenue and
the public lamp in 9th street is a street
connection or public lighting connec-
ton then, in my opinion, the terra Gotta
pipe duct making that connection, while
conduit, generally speaking, is not such a
conduit as is contemplated by the act Of
Congress of March g. 1897, authorizing
permits for house connections with con-
duits now existing etc, and this
application should be refused