The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-12-10
TO SAVE The MAINS
u T-7-- .fsage}sayT
RAPID TRANSIT COMPANY MUST
STOP LEAKAGE OF ELEC-. 81
TRICKY
Asow est .taft-T
WATER BOARD TAKES ACTION
Secures Legal Advice Relative to
Compelling Company to Make
Much-Needed Change
in System .l.4.,.,,
WATER BOARD TAKES ACTION

What must eventually result in heavy
expenditure on the part of the Twin
City Rapid Transit company, took legal
form yesterday when Assistant Corpora
ton Attorney Stobbart sent to the board
of water commissioners a communication
bearing on the presence of electrolysis.
In part it reads:
I am requested by your communication
to advise as to the proper action to he
taken by your board in order that fur
Their damage to the water system may
be prevented.
The report embraces the results of an
electrical survey by vol meter measure
ment tests of the water mains and pioes-
along about forty-three miles of double
and fifteen miles of single track operat-
ed by the street railway company. and
also along a number of streets running
parallel and at right angles to the differ
ent street railway lines, and also upon
the actual physical condition of the Wa
ter pipes disclosed by excavations. and
of a chemical analysis of the pipe So
uncovered and of the earth surrounding
said pipes.
The report established beyond q doubt
that electrolysis or decay, of water pipes
from the effects Of stray electric street
railway currents exists in all parts OF
to the main and pipes located In streets
over which the lines of the railway COM
pany are operated; that at every point
where an excavation for inspection OF
electrolysis were shown to exist, and
while the mains do not show evidence
of serious injury, the various tests DEM
onstrated conclusively that accumulative
damage is caused to the system. and at
points 1t was very easy to actually shave
the pipe with an ordinary pocket knife.
Insulated Metallic Circuit.
Mr.. Claussen suggests that the only
remedy which can be adopted to over
come this serious menace to a full and
FOR POmnPl
Adoption by the street railway company
of complete metallic circuit, insulated
from the rails and ground, providing o
conductor for the return of the current
to the substation rotary transformer. as
perfect as the conductor that is provid-
ed to supply the energy along the erect
railway lines for driving the motors
and that this can be done by the adop-
ton of the so-called underground conduit
system or the double trolley system.
AS means of temporary relief ne suS-
gests that the railway company be re-
CURED to maintain it's tracks in first
class condition by putting in large rails
and welded joints, or by installing AMI
properly maintaining bonds of the Same
electrical carrying capacity as the rails.
The report, however, indicates that no
matter how well the rails were by thus
examination found to be bonded there
was q perceptible leakage resulting N
electrolytic action.
AS I stated to you in my communlca-
ton of Nov. 49,, 1900, full and adequate
supply OF WdleF Is VI STSdISL lIlpOl teillSO
to the Inhabitants of this city than a
street car service. and that If the present
system under which the street railway
is operated results in an injury to the
city's water system so as to impair its
efficiency, the railway company should
be called upon to so change said system
as to remove the cause of said injury
I would therefore respectfully suggest
that your board call upon the street rail-
way company to so change Its system as
to eliminate any possibility of further
injury to the city's water system, and
that in case the said railway company
fails, within a reasonable time, to so
change its system, proceedings will be
commenced against 1t to enforce the
The demand, which is peremtoiy
one, calls for measures that will at
once stop the leakage of current, and as
this can only be done by what is known
as the double trolley, the expense will
not be far from 100000. As it is impos-
sible to estimate the. damage already
done, no demand in this respect will be
made. ttsi r.# fH1R