The evening times., 1900-02-08

/ Congress during the present session will
be called upon to consider bill providing
that ali telegraph. telephone. and other
! wires now strung on poles within the city
Of Washington be placed underground
Such bill, 't is said. win be introduced
in the near future by Mr.. Mcmillan. Chair
man Of the Senate District Committee. The
/ Senator has expressed himself in favor OF
the measure.
For nearly twelve years the authorities
Of the District haYe had in view the ne
cessity Of forcing the companies coatroIl-
ing the overhead wires in Washington to
place them under the ground but thus far
/ have made bur little progress. However.
/ at present conditions look quite favorable
! toward the desired end and there is but
/ little doubt that in a very few months the
/ city viii be rid Of unsighly poles and
/ wires and that a splendid underground
( system OF wiring will result.
/ The Commissioners have a plan in view
/ regarding the construction or the under
/ ground Conduits, which if Senator Ne
| Miiian's bill is passed. will undoubtedly
/ be followed
/ On July /. 1899 the two electrical com
I panies OF the District, namely the United
States Electric Lighting Company, and the
Potomac Electric Power Company. had. re-
/ sPectiveIy, $3.50 and 6L9S miles Of wire
strung overhead on 734 and 46s poles made
Of wood and iron. and in addition there
were i51 miles Of wire used by the United
States.
Rapid progress has been made OF recent
years toward perfecting the conduit sys-
TEN Of the District. and many miles Of
conduit are being laid each succeeding
year.
In 1898. in the annual report Of the
Engineer Department, was the following
statement:
"Conduits in Washington: United States
. Government PA miles; District Govern
ment. 400 miles; United States Electric
Lighting Company 4 miles; Chesapeake
and Potomac Telephone Company. $50
miles; Western Union Telegraph Company,
so miles; Postal Telegraph Gable Com
pany, 2.33 miles. Total. 20.U7 miles"
II is interesting TO note by the follow
ing report OF the same department for ;ue
year ended June 80 1899 the great in
crease iu the number OF miles Of conduit
and the various companies controlling
these systems.
The United States Electric Lighting
company udu IN use July i, 1889. -4l.N4-
feet Of conduit the Potomac Electric
Power Company, 57.924 feet. the Chesa-
peake and Potomac Telephone Company
1871 feet: The United States Government
80 feet, the District Of Columbia l9J feet;
the Auacostia and Potomac Railroad Gem
pauy, -i5 feet. the Capital Traction Com
pauy, 4S,2lS feet. the Metropolitan Rail
road Company, 1886 feet. and the City
and Suburban Railroad Company. 42.0l0
feet. There we're thirty-oue couduits CD
July I OF last year. the Jo.al number Of
feet in which amounted to 5ls,S49, OF over
IS miles.
During the year ended July 1. 1899. in
the District OF Columbia many couduits
were laid; more than IN any one year
previous. The following is a statement
from the report Of the Department OF
Engineers or the istrict regarding the
amount Of conduit laid during the year
ended June 80, 1899, by The various COM
panes.
The United States Ele tric Lighting
Company laid during the year S320 feet
Of conduit, the Potomac Electrical Com
pany, 1887 feet; the United States Gov
eminent, 50 feet, the District OF COlum-
bia, l95 feet: the Anacos "a and Potomac
Railroad Company. PAS feet; the Metro
politan Railroad Company. 1853 feet and
the City and Surburb1n Railroad Company,
5000 feet