Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-13
District Electric : Wires to Be
Placed Under Ground
BY ACT soF CONGRESS
MIR. MAcFAR1AND's VIEW OF THE
PROBABILITIES.
Authority to Be Secured for the Build
ing Of Conduits-Removal
of Poles.

A|AotAANt A'Ao(AUA
land today predicted that under re-
cent legislation, approved March 3,
1905, all the wires OF the local tee
graph, telephone and electric light
companies within the city limits will
be placed in conduits within the next
FIVE years. Congress will be asked
to authorize the opening Of the pub
lie streets for the purpose.
The last item of legislation necessary to
secure the placing underground of all
telegraph telephone, electric lighting and
other overhead wires in the District was
enacted by the last, Congress and signed
by the President March 3. This legisla-
ton is the act which provides that all
telegraph poles and wires attached there
to, now on the streets, avenues and al
1eys within the fire limits of the District.
shall, from time to time as prescribed by
the Commissioners be taken down and
removed
Commissioner Mcfarland, who has been
especially active in his efforts to secure
the removal of all poles and overhead
wires ever since he became Commits
sioner, stated today that he believes the
people of the District can reasonably ex-
pect that all overhead wires will be taken
down and placed underground within the
city limits within five years.
AT least Mr.. iMacfarland hopes that the
limit within which the existence or over
head wires will be no more Will not De
extended beyond FIVE years.
During the past few years the work OF
removing overhead wires to underground
cop6uitS has DrOPraSSed to some extent, but
the work has not been accomplished with
out considerable difficulty. The Commits
sioners within the. past four years nave
strongly urged the officials of the various
telegraph and telephone companies and
other companies maintaining overhead
wires to consent to place them under-
ground, and at various Intervals during
that period the consent of the several COM
panies has been given from time to time.
Congress Must Authorize.
In order to build conduits to contain the
wires it is necessary to secure authority
from Congress, and all the interests con-
cerned now have the requisite authority to
remove their overhead wires and place
them underground. The District has per-
mission to use the conduits of all of the
companies for the wires of its telephone
and police and fire alarm systems. The
Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Com
pany has permission to build condu1ts, and
the Potal Telegraph Company has permits
sion to use the fconduts of the telephone
company. as far as possible, for its under
ground wires pThe electric lighting COM
pany also has permission to build
Quits ri -.4t-.tI..I 1as..Ls
The Western Union company evidently
remembering its recent experience with the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company did not
desire to the property of any other COM
pany and it, therefore obtained the intro
duction of the bill giving the Commission
ers authority to have all overhead wires re-
rod y,1c r.
ern Union company will construct con-
duits of it's own. and it is believed that the
work toward removing all overhead wires
will be taken UP within very short time,
and executed with as great rapidity as the
circumstances will permit.
The act approved March 3 last giving
the Commissioners authority to require the
removal of all overhead telegraph wires.
provides that the work shall be done under
the direction of the Commissioners, and it
is made their duty to enforce compliance
with the provisions of the act expedi-
tiously as may be consistent with the public
interest.
The District authorities are also empow-
cred to authorize any company to construct
a system of underground conduits. ETC.. for
containing telegraph wires. all plans to be
approved by the Commissioners. The act
gives the Commissioners the right to au-
thorize the erection of temporary poles and
stringng of wires to be used while the re-
moval of the companys wires to conduits
is in progress.
Removal Of Poles Advocated
Several arguments have been advanced
by the District officials in favor of the re-
moval of all poles and overhead wires. In
addition to their unsightly appearance, it is
declared, the wires on occasions seriously
interfere with the work of the fire depart
ment and constitute a source of danger to
the firemen and to the public. Overhead
wires are considered as particularly menac-
ing in times of heavy storms and in the
winter time, when poles are blown to the
ground and the wires are borne to the
street by reason of being coated with ice.
Many serious accidents have occurred in
other cities in the winter time owing to the
falling to the street of live" electric wires,
by reason of pedestrians coming into con-
tact with the heavily charged wires.
1t is believed that all of the companies
now maintaining overhead wires will be
able to place them underground within
five years without interruptng their BUSH
ness, and it is probable that if for any
reason the wires are not removed by that
time, or at least If a great effort is n,t
made to remove them. Congress will be
urged to enact more urgent laws, and COM
pei prompt compliance with the Commits
sioners' purposes