Omaha daily bee., 1901-01-05
EXPERT OPINION ON SUBW AVS
City Engineer ROsewater Enters Into a
Detailed Discussion.
WILL SOON MAKE REPORT TO COUNCIL
while the City Engineer Has Not
Definitely settled on a Plan
IL IL Certain lie Fn,ors
Subwnys.

In compliance with the request of the
council city Engineer Andrew Rosewater
is preparing an opinion on subways whicn
will be included in his annual report, to be
submitted to the councilmen in a short
time. MIR. Rosewater went to New YORK
and other eastern cities to secure his
data, and has the assistance of City Elec-
trlcan E. +. Schurig who recently re-
turned from Chicago, where he made
special study of the methods employed In
burying electric wires In 1891 Mr.. Rose
water served on the Electrical commission
for the District of Columbia and spent
year in planning the suoways which are
now used in Washington.
MY report is incomplete at this time
and ! cannot announce exactly what plan
of subways 1 will recommend for Omaha.
In fact, / have not fully decided yet. /
am positive, however that subways are
practicable. Investigation of the systems
in use in various cities has convinced me of
this" said Mr. Rosewater. 81 also know
that municipal subways have been sue
cess in some cities. They are like munich
pal water companies and their success de-
pends entirely upon the amount Of business
judgment exercised in their management.
Electrical stock Argument.
electrical companies invariably con-
tend that 1t Is not advisable to put wires
OF heavy and light voltage in the same
subways. This is the stock argument which
Is advanced in all cities which propose to
construct subways. 1t is fallacious. New
York Chicago and other cities have the
wires of light companies. power companies
and telegraph and telephone companies in
the same conduts. When the construction
is good there is no induction.
while | was serving on the Electrical
commission for the District OF Columbia In
1891 the Western Union Telegraph company
secured number of professional electri
clans. who appeared before the commission
and testified that it would be absolutely
impossible for the company to operate its
lines IL they were placed in subways with
other wires. We communicated with w.
H. Preece of London, who had charge of
the postal telegraph system in Great
Britain, and he assured us that ia England
the government had had its telegraph wires
In subways with all sorts of other wires
and that the service was not impaired in
the least.
"Other electricians who had had wide
experience with electrical conduts offered
similar testimony and we recommended a
system OF subways for Washington. Con-
gress adopted our recommendations and
the companies soon had their wires under
ground. The system is entirely satisfactory.
Washington's experience is the same as
that of many other American cities. In the
last ten years there has been a great i'm
provement in the construction of conduits.
Gas Causes No Trouble.
Gas in conduits used to cause con-
siderable trouble, but this has been done
away with by connecting manholes with
lampq ho hof
enough of it accumulates to be dangerous.
The explosions which electrical companies
tell of are thing of the past and fear of
this sort OF accidents should not prevent a
city from constructing conduits. 1t is also
contended that water in subways causes
much trouble and makes them impracticable,
but there is no truth in this objection. Sub
ways can be readily connected with sewers
and water need not affect wires where care
is exercised.
TT is also maintained that electrolysis
plays havoc With cables in subways; that
electricity is transferred from one duct to
another and ruins the insulation and wires.
No such difficulty is encountered in sub
ways which are built according to approved
methods. Terra Gotta is the most desirable
material for conduits Age does not affect
II. Metal ducts which are lined with
cement are impaired by age. The cement
cracks and drops down the wires. In
some cities wooden conduits which have
been treated with creosote are used, but
these are not as durable as terra Gotta.
baltimore Sets Example.
''If subways were a failure 1t is strange
that Baltimore should be constructing one
at the present time. When Seth Low was
mayor OF New York he contended that
wires of all sort could be placed in conduits
side by side without conflict OF currents
Various electrical companies said this was
impossible and assured Low that he would
ruin their business IL he carried out his
plans. They were notified that all wires
must be buried within certain time, but
failed to pay any attention to the order
Finding that the companies were disposed
TO run over him. Low sent out large parties
OF workmen who began to cut down the
poles of the various companies. II was only
short time until they put all their cables
under ground and nobody has heard any
complaint from them since that time. They
were merely trying to avoid the expense
OF placing their wires out of danger.
AFTER wires have been placed in sub.
ways the expense OF maintenance is NJ
greater than when they are overhead. II
some cities the wires OF high and low
voltage are on different sides of the sub
way and partition wall is frequently con
structed to prevent any possible com
munication between the different sorts o
currents WIere cables are placed in diff
ferent terra Gotta ducts there is littl,
danger OF communication and in some cities
several wires are placed in the same duct.