Evening star., 1898-08-30

with new ones and substituting copper for
the old iron wire. Ths removal of it's main
office from the corfler of 18th and F streets
to the Wyatt building at 18th and +
streets, necessitated change in the routes
ef it's main lines. which was accom-
two lines: of poles aad wires on 18th street
from u street 70 Pennsylvania avenue, and
one line on 18th street from Pennsylvania
avenue to G street. and by building new
line on 14th street from B TO G streets and
piac1ng the wires in cables.
The work done under this permit in
VOWED the removal of approximately 49, :
$50 Ieet OF overhead wires, the removal of
~ line ana z guy poles, the erection of -
!lne poles and l guy pole and the string
ing Of 23,j5S feet of aerial cable. These
cables are brought to a large pole at the
ounce building. are carried down the pole
on neatly arranged brackets and then pass
under the sidewalk through iron Mines to
the terminal board
The stringing of wires on 14th street was
InAoe the subject of congressional inves-
tisauon also. 1t was fully explained, how
1rer. py Ine District Commissioners. The
western Union Company improved its va
rions lines by rebuilding, etc
Illegal Wires.
The Mutual District Messenger Com
pany' says Mr.. Aliens report, has con-
tinued its illegal stringing of wires, al
detected and stopped. This was in Wash
inston Heights. where two wires were
strung from Wyoming avenue and 18th
street to Prospect avenue and Crescent
Stfeet. was stopped by the police
curing the work, but managed neverthe-
Tess, TO complete it. 1t was not until per-
emptorily ordered to do so by the District
Commissioners that 1t removed ths
wires. 1t has declined to give the
commissioners a proper, accurate and in
teihgiRle description of the routes followed
by its wires, for the reason that It
prefers not to have known where it has in
stalled the burglar alarm and call box sys-
tenn. NO adjustment nor control of it's wires
can be had unless their location can be as
certained.'
War with Spain.
A table shows the length Of wire of the
District fire alarm and police telegraph
system to be 2,001 $40 feet, or 379.09 miles.
Since the declaration of war with Spain
1t has been necessary to string many wires
to provide adequate service for the vari-
Gus executive departments Ahis has
been done only by the Western Union
Telegraph Company and by the United
States government, but, as no permits
We're issued and the work not supervised
by this department, no record has been
made OF this increase in the overhead con-
struction No new pole lines were con-
used in every caSe!'
The total number of poles for telegraph
and telephone use inside the city limits is
2.543 line poles and 1G4 guy poles; outside
the city limits, 1886 line poles and 112 guy
poles, total in the District of 6 ,144 line
poles and 216 guy poles.
Report on EIectrOlysis.
Under the head 'Electrolysis," the report
says:
"A second report ON the subject of cleo
trolysis was submitted in October. 1897,
with numerous diagrams and tables show
ing the results of the tests made by this de-
partment. This report was printed for the
use of the Senate District committee and
embodied in their report on
Senate bill 3641, For the protection of sub
surface pipes, cables wires and other
metallic constructions in the District of
Columbia from damage from electrolysis.'
which bill was submitted to the Colnmis-
sioners. Since making the second report re-
ferred to above. several instances of Ge-
to pipes have occurred and nu-
merous tests have been made. These are
inserted in the report, so as to furnish a
complete account of this subject to date
and as d supplement to the printed report
These tests and instances of electrolytic
action have been printed in The Star. A
bill prepared by the Commissioners on the
subject was passed by the Senate al the
last session of Congress, but failed to pass
the House of Representatives.