The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-05-29
WILL CURB
The CURRENT
Passenger and Power Com
pany After EleCtrolysis.
EXPERT is MAKING TESTS
Mr.. f. M. Waterman Tells the Water
Committee What the Company Is
Doing to Get Rid of the
Trouble.
EXPERT is MAKING TESTS

Passenger and Power Company is making
most strenuous efforts to rid the city OF
the effect OF electrolyss by doing away
with that freak Of electricity itself.
At the meeting OF the Committee on
Water last night, the resolution that
came from Council requiring the com
pany to resort to the use of the double
trolley system was taken up for discus.
sion.
The matter was not disposed Of how
ever, but went over to a special meet
Ing to be called by the chairman within
the next thirty days.
This action was not taken before the
company's electrical expert, Mr. f. NJ.
Waterman, of New York, had outlined
system proposed by the company by
which the damage by electrolysis would
be entirely avoided
Mr.. Waterman exhibited maps OF the
districts that had been experimental on,
and showed that the most .rulnerablo
point was at Seventh and Overton Streets,
where the current passed to and from
the power house. The district tested en-
braced that from Thirty-fourth and
Broad to Seventh and Overton or Arch. s
At come points not trace OF eectroly.
els was observable. while at others,
through physical conditions. 1t was shown
that it could not exist
In MS remarks MI. w stiei iIihH ShiG .tsIasI
CAUSE OF ELECTROLYSIS.
.'Electrolysis can occur In a water pipe
only where current leaves the pipe. and
current will leave the pipe only when the
pipe is positive to some other eond ,.hep
the conductivity Of the soil Is high, that
Is when 1t contains large, amount OF
water contaminated with street drain
have shown that the water OF the James
River. muddy as 1t was, in April. was
practically a non-conductor Of electric
ity Our Investigations as to the electri..
cal conditions Of the water pipes are not
complete but 30 far as they. have gone
they show that a comparatively small
area only can be IN any danger 1rGm
gradient OF Main and Seventh streets
shows the most unfavorabe conditions
found in the city ,.a. -.
dicatng high degree Of insulation be;
tween the rails and the water pipe. and
high insulation Is to be expected be-
tween the rails and water pipes IN most
ton upon which the tracks are laid: Sub
stantially all Of the danger area lies be,
tween Seventh and Main and Seventh and
Overton. Here. too. substantially al OF
the fall OF pressure occurs. and If we
eliminate that area and then provide that
any small current that might at any time
them in way. which will prevent Its
leaking out and so causing corrosion,
the danger will be removed.
Current leaking into water pipe
never cnuses danger and cannot cause
danger. That which might damage is tho
current which leaks out OF the pipe. Il
all opportunity for the current. to leak
out OF the pipe is taken away all danger
of damage Is removed. and II we take
out this leakage at the right point we
will not cause any increase OF leakage
" METHODS OF CORRECTION
1.-The method, which we propose to use,
Is electrically equivalent to moving the
power house uptown. The potential grad
pipe near the corner of Seventh and Main.
This Is the point where the safe area
ends and the possible danger area begins,
and the point where II the rails and the
water pipes were connected together and
nothing else done. no current could flow
from pipe to earth or from earth to pipe
because they are on the same lead. This
Is the point, therefore. where, II possible,
we would like to intercept any current
the negative district. and there would
then be no danger district. because there
would be no current to leak out of the
pipes. We can effect this result provided
that we can put the power house busbar
Mt this point and thereby pump the cur
rent both out of the rail and out of the
pipe and this Is what we propose to do
by carrying an enormous copper conduc-
tor from busbar directly to this point,
and connecting 1t both to the rails and to
the water pipes"
LAS 1t had been indicated that tho
experiments and Investigations were not
fully completed. upon motion, the COM
mittee adjourned to meet within thirty
days to dispose of the matter.