The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-14
SUBWAY is NEEDED
CITY ENGINEER DISCUSSES sOLU-
TION OF THE OVERHEAD
WIRE PROBLEM
PLAN WOULD BE EXPENSIVE
In Time, However, City Would BE
Amply Reimbursed From Pow
err and Heating Com
panies.

City Engineer Claussen is of opinion
that the only really satisfactory way to
solve the overhead wire problem is the
construction of a subway. Discussing the
matter with the G o b yesterday he
said:
There is only one real solution of this
problem, and that is a subway such as
the one that Boston is famous for.
I'm Boston, as we'll as in a number
of the larger cities in the East the cicy
government has built and maintains
large subway through which all the cleo
trio wires of the city, both light ana
power run. OF course, this was built at
an immense cost, but the city of Boston
is rapidly being repaid for the money
expended, not only in actual financial re-
suits but in other ways and they have
successfully disposed of the problem of
overhead wires that are a nuisance and
in many cases menace to public safety.
This Boston subway was, as ! said
before built by the city, and the use
of it is leased to the different light and
power companies of the city. They are
in every case willing 10 pay almost as
much as it would cost them to raise
poles and string wires, even if the city
ordinances would permit them to do so.
In this way the city is constantly get
ting returns for the use of the subway.
and when a new company desires
franchise the question of stringing wires
does not enter into the negotiations at
ALL
RENT THE BIG SUBWAY
1.-The council has proposition to make
to them. Here is our subway Are you
willing to pay us so much year for
the privilege of laying your wires there?
If the company is the franchise is
granted; that is of course, everything
else being satisfactory, and the work
goes on.
Now, these subways are large enough
to accommodate great many wires, and
besides they are so built that only about
one manhole to the block is needed, and
when anything goes wrong with the
wires {; gang of men go down into it
and go right to the seat of the trouble
and the expense of pulling the broken
wires out to manhole such as is nee
essary under the present underground
system We are using, is done away with.
AS the city of st. Paul grows there
must be more wires for light, heat, tele-
phone and telegraph service, and in my
opinion it is only a matter of time when
st. Paul will construct, own and oper-
ate a subway similar to tho one in
Boston.
AT present here in the down town dis
trict we are making fairly good prog
ress, but it is expensive work for the
companies, and they do not accomplish
much unless We are continually urging
them on. The wires are coming down
pretty fast, and l think that by some
time early next year the down town dis
trict will be free OF overhead wires. Of
course, the district where this over
head stringing is prohibited will be en-
larged from year to year, and it is only
4 question Of time when they are all
down.
You see, when the lighting and tcle-
nbaninr nj WHY nm
foreground they have to make under
ground connections with the buildings.
This in itself is one Of the most eXpen-
sive features of the system. OF course
they do not have to make an under
ground connection with each Individual
building, but they have to make them
every so often and then connect the
buildings from one to another 1t all
takes time and costs money, and as the
light and power companies look at it
from an entirely selfish position, the
progress is necessarily SLOW.
NEW LIGHTS GOING UP.
LAS to the new arc lights on the orna-
mental poles, | think that by Wednes-
day, at the latest, the balance of
the 500 lights will be up. The company
have not been at fault in this, but nave
been unable to secure the lamps from
the manufacturers. | received word
however, yesterday that the balance of
fifty lamps had arrived and that they
would be put up at once.
Il had some trouble in getting the
lighting company to remove the dead
gaslight posts, but they finally got to
work. and l think they are nearly all
down now.
There are still great many scatter
ing poles in the down town districts,
for the companies put underground wire
in for 200 CT 800 feet and then they
skip to another spot and repeat the OPP
GRAFTON. We are after them though, and
L will push the thing right through until
there is not a pole standing in this dis
trict if they don't stop, by force