The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-02-12
DAMAGED BY
ELECTRICITY.
Police Telegraph System
Will Not Work.
BOX HEADS BURNED OUT.
Cables In the Underground Conduits
Also Affected.
NEW CABLES MAY BE REQUIRED
BOX HEADS BURNED OUT.
NEW CABLES MAY BE REQUIRED

The general impression that the burial
accidents incident to the effect OF the re-
cent storm is likely to receive a shock be-
cause of the condition of the underground
telegraph!c system of the police depart
ment in the center of the city.
Since the storm the police telegraph
lines have refused to work and efforts have
been made TO ascertain the cause. 1t was
discovered last evening, when 1t was as.
certaiDed that stray electric current
had gone into the street toxes, burnt out
the box heads and badly affected the
boxes. The current also went into the un-
dereround conduits and il is believed that
the cables are injured. Workmen are now
engaged in an effort to sec il such is the
fact.
. If it proves to be true ther, is trouble
ahead, because the cables will have to be
taken out and replaced " ith new ones be-
fore the system will BE- Of any service.
This is not the worst o! it, Ihe under
ground fire alarm wires are in the same
conduits, land If the police wires have to
come up 81 will the fire alarm wires. The
latter do not appear to be affected as they
ssem to work all right. IL the conduits
have TO be cleaned out Of worthless wires
then the city will be without ire alarm
protection directly in Its most wealthy
and important part
TO obviate this dangerous condition it
will be necessary, so IL Is said, to leave
the conduits as they are and put the police
wires in another conduit. thus leaving
the fire alarm system in its present con-
dition. The underground system will per-
NIT of this because there is surplus con-
duit space. Investigation, however, may
show that tho cablss have not teen
affected and that the present difficulty is
confined to the toxes and the material
Immediately adjoining them.
CONDITION OF TELEPHONE WIRES
The Providence Telephone Company
has had its hands full during the past
two weeks trying to get its telephone SER
vice into running order again after the
general disorganizstion resulting from
the big storm. Delay has followed
disaster, fer the company has not been
able To secure as many experienced lines
men as IL has needed. and this has de.
layed the progress of the work. Besides
uhis there has heen delay in GETTING the
poles which had been bought even before
the storm. 1t was numb ber of days be-
fore freight cars could bs had. and after
the poles aid get started they were de-
layed still further by getting into wreck
on the road.
All the trunk lines out of the city are
now in service except the lines TO Attle-
boro and Woonsocket. These will prob
ably te up by Tuesday or Wednesday.
The lines TO Centredalei had 10 he prac-
tically reconstructed aud men have been
at work on them so that they VIII bs in
use in few days. There are still about
700 city instruments out Of use. but they
are being connected as fast as possible,
and the company hopes to have things
pretty we'll straightenCd out in few
days. When the men commenced to
work on the wires q much worse con-
dition of affairs was found than was ex-
pscted, and altogether the ktoim has cost
the company pretty penny.