Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-15
PROTECTION OF STREETS
ORDER RESTRICTING THE CUT
TING OF CoNDUITs.

AS a means of protecting the asphalt
street surfaces the District Commissioners
have issued an order which prohibits the
electric light, telephone and telegraph COM
panies from digging up the street more than
once in any block to make connections. The
street surfaces, according to the Commits
sioners have unnecessarily suffered at the
hands of the companies in the past. In
cases where their trunk conduits ran along
one side of street. and they desired to ex-
tend their service to houses on the other
side of the street, they would make cut
across the surface from the trunk conduit
to each house. and in some instances they
have been known to cut the street in seven
places in one block. Col Morrow, District
Engineer Commissioner, who has always OPP
posed this practice and who was responsible
for the order prohibiting it, contends that
II is only necessary to make one cut dcloss
the street to connect every mouse IN the
block: that is If a trunk conduit is laid on
each side of the street, and by tne terms
of this order it will be necessary LOT the
companies to lay conduits on both sides OF
the street and in that way every mousse can
be connected. and the surface of the street
will only have to undergo one cut
Commissioner Morrow said to Star re-
porter that this continual and inconsderate
cutting of streets has not only been detrl-
mental to the street surfaces throughout
the city, but has been a source OF muGn m
convenience and annoyance to the OFFICIALS
of the District highway bureau.
This department. Commissioner Morrow
said barely completes laying a hne 1resh
asphalt surface on street peIore one y.
these companies comes along and digs cut
two or three feet wide to connect, MAYBE
one house, with the main conduit. Inc eA-
cavation is filled and repaved and before
long the same company makes announcer cul
further up the block to connect another
house, and so on, until half dozen cuts
have been made in a costly asphalt surface
before 1t is three or four months Old
Object of the Order.
The object of the Commissioners in is
suing this order said Col. Morrow lis
TO reduce to a minimum the cutting of inn
proved roadways. 1t is absolutely unneces-
sary that a separate cut should be made
in the street for each premises to be served.
1t involves a consequent injury to the road
way pavement and is a public inconven-
ienCe."
The order reads: "In all cases where an
electric light, telephone or telegraph trunk
conduit or a gas main is laid on one side
of any street. avenue road in the Dis
trict of Columbia, and it is desired to FUR
nish connection for service on the opposite
side of such street, avenue or ROAD, con-
duit or main of sufficient capacity Tor the
needs of all premises on said opposite SIDE
of such street, avenue or road shall be con-
structed, and no more than one connection
between the. trunk cond, 1t or main and
such service conduit or service main Will
be allowed to cross street, avenue or road
in any one block; in such service conduit
no reservation of duct for the use OF the
District of Columbia or the United states
need be made
Copies of the order are to be furnished all
companies interested. and also to the su-
perintendent of sewers, the engineer OF
highways and the electrical engineer or the
District government.