Evening star., 1898-08-30
annual Report Of District inspectors
/ Allen Submitted Today.
ALL BRANCHES OK WORK IN CHARGR
Overhead Wires and Details of
Each System in Operation.
EFFECTS OF ELECTROLYSIS

HIeht 10 capt Lansing ii. Beach, the En-
gmeer Commissioner. The report is very
lengthy. containing many tables showing
the length of conduit laid the length of
wires strung and by what companies as
we'll as photographs of the overhead wires
at different sections of the city,
Mr. Allen says in part:
; Il have the honor to submit the follow
ing report of the various branches of elec-
trical work under the control of this office.
Since September 1, 1897 conduits have been
laid as follows: Under permit dated Sep
tember 30, the Chesapeake and Potomac
Ielephcne Company replaced their old solid
asphalt conduit, between 9th and E streets
along T. street to Sth and up Sth street to
the PoSt. Office Department building by
laying 400 feet of terra Gotta ami construct
ing two mannoles. The company also 1e-
placed the last of the old solid system con-
dult by laying 200 feet of terra, cotta con-
ault and 169 feet of terra Gotta pipe aud
constructing one manhole This line ex-
TENDS from the northeast corner of Yer
mont avenue and * street along Vermont
avenue into the alley in square 217
The destruction of the cable power
mouse OF the Capital Traction Company by
iLe IN november, 1887 resulted i'll. the
chanSe or motive power on the line from
cable to an underground electric system
similar to that employed by the Metropo,i-
tan Railroad Company
iepoit SHOWS tnat the total
OF duct laid by the Capital Traction Com
pahy was 399,SJ1 feet. 1t also shows that
the United States Electric Lighting Com
Pany extended their underground lines in
St'ii9i SSoiuinnla ana Washington Heights by
puiiuinS lateral conduits in numerous
streets. The total amount of conduit laid
was S,4iS feet, while the total amount of
uuct was 55,I92. This was laid In Bancroft
piate. California avenue, Leroy place Co
lumbla road, Roanoke street Yale Prince
Ton Harvard, Bacon. Binney and Chapin
streets. f
Refers to Local Contest,
lie report next refers to the fight of
the Fotomac company against the United
States company over the right of the latter
to lay conduits up 9th street The fight in
TINS instance, he says, was won by the
United States company. The report then
recites the injunction proceedings of the
Potomac company against the United
states company. After trial the Potomac
company was upheld At the time the work
on 9TH street was stopped, 51e2 feet of
terra Gotta pipe had been laid, and twelve
large and thirteen medium manholes built
leaving the. conduit practically completed
as far north as L street. July l. 1898 the
conduit had not been legalized by act of
Congress, nor the decision of the court
reversed. 1t was, therefore, not in use on
that date.
Mr.. Allen shows that the widening of 10th
street from d to F street last fall and
SAit ititly iiiS VI llG I Hlleu states company
conduit, cost the District for the electrical
wcrk $1,164.9S.
Telegraph COmpany's Conduit.
. ''The Postal Telegraph Company was
granted a permit to rebuild its conduit on
l4th street, from F street to New York
avenue. They laid S3S feet of terra Gotta
conduit, containing 1852 feet of duct At
the point where this conduit crosses that
OF the Potomac Electric Power Company,
at the northeast corner of 14th street and
New York avenue. a manhole was built
embracing the latter conduit At the time
of the partial destruction of the plant of
the United States Electric Lighting Com
pany by fire November 25 1897, the Postal
company was deprived of power to run
their motor generators for telegraphic
work To overcome this difficulty cables
for carrying current from the Potomac
Electric Company's lines were drawn into
this conduit from the joint manhole men
tiored above to the office of the telegraph
company at Pennsylvania avenue ana 14th
street. This use of telegraphic conduits for
electric light and power purposes i'm
meGately made the subject of congression-
al investigation.
From the correspondence attached it
seems that the cable was run as an emer-
gency, after consultation with Engineer
Commissioner Black, and the streets were
not disturbed 1t seems also that the cables
were not used as by the time connections
were made the United States company had
-reLalreu It's service. Vur. AlCTlcn states III
his report:
.'Phese cables as stated verbally to me
by the Potomac Electric Power Company,
are now in for private electric lighting
Length of Conduit Service.
The following table shows the length
of conduit in in the District of Column
bia: United States Electric Lighting Com
pany, 223 194 feet of conduit, S25, I55 feet
OF duct; Potomac Electric Power Company,
5G, 120 feet of conduct; sos, IA feet of duct;
Postal Telegraph Company, 14663 feet of
= conduit. 1S944 feet of duct; Chesapeake
and Potomac Telephone Company, 19,IS1
feet of conduit, 69S,216 feet of duct; Metro
politan Railroads Company, 81 At feet of
conduit 2e4 40 feet of duct; Capital Irac-
ton Company, 4S21S feet of conduit, 399,-
S51 feet of duct; total feet of conduit, 1o3'-
s93; total amount of Duct 2,745,05o feet
Overhead Wires.
With regard to overhead wires Mr.. Alien
SINS that the situation has improved cen
siderably during the year, both as regards
the appearance of the lines and the num-
Der of wires removed. OF the United States
Electric Lighting Company's wires $500
feet of main and 1,S46 feet of service wire
were removed frcm 10th street between d
and f, six poles being moved This COM
pany also mad L, S15 feet of wire on the
poles of the Western Union Telegraph Com
ptny on 18th street. from Alhaugh's al
ley to G street. Although the latter COM
pany removed it's poles and wires from this
street, those of the latter had to remain,
as the conduit capacity was entirely III
adequate to hold them. This necessitated
the retention Of three of the old wooden
poles and the replacement of nine others
with iron ones. In addition to this the
company removed 3,415 feet of wire. In
the alleys IN squares 49, and 49, 1920 feet
of.overhead mains were removed and ma
jority of the service wire placed under
ground Owing to the removal of the tel
egraph poles, $50 feet of wires were
taken down from the Western Union pole
line from the corner of 9th and streets
across Pennsylvania avenue to the corner
of 7th and streets.
All the overhead wires of the Potomac
Electric Power Company inside the city
limits have been removed. with the excep-
tion of two services 2,290 feet long, run
ming principally over housetops and con-
tanning 3.23o feet of single wire. Outside of
these limits no extensions of their lines
have been made. and only three overhead
services connected in.
[ The Chesapeake and Potomac Company
was allowed to erect poles that enabled
them to connect theiI line on Brightwood
avenue. at the Military road to the line run
ning to Tenleytown, by way Of Woodley
road, and from Tenleytown to the Chain
bridge. The report next mentions the stop
ping Of the work of erecting poles on Cha
n f .a&