Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-10-27
vAonAsr rLrorRio CURRENTS
startling and Interesting Facts Regarding
II.ct rnlNsIa OWEN BY A. A. Knnh.nn.

New York. oct. IA. A. Knudson
read a paper before the hq meeting
OF che American institution q Elec,n.
cal Engineer on Nagrap Electrical
currents uud the vast amount ~ dln-
ugc that may De Inflicted by them on
all m .uillc STRUCTURES Dol whole Jr in
part OF subteriauran character
Mr.. Snudson showed hs a result q
exhaustive tests made by him ,hls 4he
escape ~ the electric Curr o. tINm
0verh 0ad trolCys cNercls i a d1m1rirg
Influence on she elevated STRUCTURE aud
the system u water pipes Ia ihe upper
PARTS " he rEy.
lie ais1 showed chat currents osssp-
Ing from trolley llrcs 10 Brooklyn
found their way into all the lower s.c-
tihn VI New York. tnfccung by electro
lyaa nG only ihe pillars % che elevate
"a roads hut possibly tn very anchor
ages 81 the bridge ITSELF lie o. come
mondod thls legislative aolnn b. taken
10 check IN dlnEDr. declaring INA, un-
les regulations were adopted the hi'
u public properly would be greatly
short ned.
Dealing with the results Of elor,ro.
lyle action on the terminal rails ni
the trolley syftems. u was tcunl thli
q large amount " metal hld been re-
moved hy olcctrplysls. an bottoms %
the rails having been cut down 20
kmfo-cdgcs for several feg back Of
IN ends.
Il was ale, found that In many In
stances the lie rods ana cross bars,
which keep the rails IN position, had
been safcn entirely through.
In describing one u the moo. re-
markable Of his discoveries, Mr. knud-
son said;
Coming down the west side Of che
city I Nas surprised to encounter a full
iicdgcd trolley currcte ~ N, ,N'r'n'
lower part u the city. tn hfat lnu-
nation was found at Rector and
Greenwich streets. u becoming moe
pronounced IN the vicinity % South
Ferry, whore IN fCH.lng boswccn the
rails Of she Metropolitan cable rad ana
an elevated pillar. a variation VI upi'
thiriioih to eight -thirucihs v1t was
found. the rails positive and the same
rtaiiug bctwclu fhc rails ana chs
"Aft.r making four tcuis the eurrcn,
Aas found 10 come from thc brooklyn
Bridge Having poirfcd out how an
overhead trolley. using the water pipes
aud Incidentally the rails nh ftturu
can spread Is influence Tor twcpy
books u0igh and Hluih, the cNis,uuse
~ This current through the bridge u
accounted for"
ITSELF he continued. Ia whaf cJniliivn
might We expect 10 ana the Anchor
bIhs and she non foundation o. GhoHa
pillars. for previous 10 any USE " elcV'
iriclty Oh the bridge Il had bcsu known
that currents were escaping over Shn'
structure from trolley lines ~ Brook
iyn. ard. passing over. would nni ihcii
way through the cky by uDdergrat lnd
p.pls and thence rg.crosslng shc river,
arrive back " the power house ia Kent
avenue.
In conclusion he said;
"It appears 20 be che duty Of en-
gii.scrH to exercise every prccav.loFi
aglinst the effects of this Invisible clo-
moIs u destruction which. II LETT 90 u.
sclf. will certainly shorten the life VI
valuable city properly.
THE damage already done by cleo.
troly sir 20 power works In England
has led 20 th- establishment Of rggula'
lions TO prfyrnt such aotinn N the fus
turc and similar legislation may be cN-
pcu,cd In ghlH country Il these cnudi.
tons BE- allowed 90 continue. Proven
lion l. simply a question " additional
expense.
'The lncandeacont light currents !
do nus consider aS particularly danger
Gus at the moment on account of shclt
light voltage. but q having bccu cH-
,ahliuhcd that the fraction ~ vus
difference u potential viii cause clec-
tr0lyflc action, . simply comes duNa
30 a question % zine when these stray
Ing incaudssccnt currents Will have 20
be- seriously considered,
IL IL my opinion that ordinary eau
ton would suggest that periodical fcata
should be- made IN every city whore a
trolley road using q ground return II
IN operation. In fhis way threatened
damage by clcoirolysis % water and
other pipes a. we'll as 10 bridges mlgh,
be arrested and finally controlled"