Evening journal., 1908-02-28
WIRES UNDERGROUND TO
HELP CITY BEAUTIFUL
Telephone Companies in vii
minetOn Now Have the
Greater Portion Of Th,ir
Lines Stretched Through
COnduitS.


ton are putting their wires under ground
and thus are aiding the "cIty beautifui''
project. The wires of the wilmington
Light Power and Telephone Company
automatic service are carried in conduits
in the greater part Of the city and by July
next It is expected that So per cent of the
Delaware and Atlantic Company's wires
Will be Underground.
Automatic company's Work.
When the Delmarvia system was turned
over to the Automatic" service in 1904
underground condsits ran on Orange from
Tenth to Fourth street; on Eighth from
Orange and King street and on Fourth
from Orange to French.
Since that time the city from its cast
ern extremities to Broome street and the
section on the north side Of the Brandy
wine, comprising Market and Vandever
avenue to the companys power house
have been placed under ground. Those
sections lying beyond Broome street have
not been given the underground service
because the number of subscribers as yet
would not justify the undertaking In the
business part Of the city all the telephone
wires from the most important buildings
are strictly underground, while others are
placed underground from distributing
poles. Some poles to accommodate neces-
sary side lines still remain in the centre
part Of the city and others have been re-
tanned for police and fire department
wires.
The last underground work by the "Au-
tomato" was done last July when the sys-
TEN was installed in Market street north
of the Brandywine. Since then under
ground operations have ceased and Will
probably be resumed in about year and
half when the subscribers in those Sec
tions that have not been placed under
ground as yet will be less scattered. Two
thirds Of the Automatic" subscribers
have already been affected by the UNDER
ground system. superintendent f. g.
Hense undertook the task Of doing away
with the 'Automatic's" overhead system
and is quite satisfied that he has done as
much toward making Wilmington city
beautiful" as anyone else.
What the D. and A. is Doing.
Rv June or July of this year IS per
cent. of the telephone wires of the Della
ware and Atlantic Telephone Company IN
this city will have been placed under
ground by District Supervisor S. F. String
fellow. Telephone wires in the entire busi-
ness part of the city have been lowered
from the cumbrous and unsightly over
head system while, in all, two-thirds Of
the wires in Wilmington have been gath
d ,F frfh hnNNE
and run into conduits under the streets
The work has been carried on since 1904.
seventy-hve per cent. Of the company's
subscribers in this district have been af-
fected. Although the innovation has been
made at great expense, the checking OF
the loss incurred through the deficiencies
of the overhead system are expected to re-
suit in a material saving.
Within the last Is months between 200
and 800 Delaware and Atlantic poles have
been dismantled, while a large number
Of those now standing have been left Tor
police and fire department wires.
BY the end Of 1904 when the Delaware
and Atlantic Company first undertook the
task OF doing away with its overhead sys-
TEN. the company had a conduit running
on sixth street from Walnut to Franklin,
with laterals running to Shipley, Madison,
Adams. north Of Sixth; Van Buren, north
Of Sixth. and Franklin from sixth street
to Gilpin avenue and BroYn street. Since
that time conduits have been run on the
following streets: Sixth street from Wal
nut to Church, with laterals either way
on Spruce from Fourth to Tenth; Lom-
bard. from Front to Thirteenth. Market
from Front to Fifteenth; King, from the
Philadelphia and Reading railroad 20
Brandywine creek; Tatnall, from Front
to Fourteenth; Washington, from Third
to Fourteenth; Adams, from Sixth TO
Maryland avenue; from Adams to Stroud;
Van Buren, from Sycamore to Sixth;
Franklin, from Front to Fourth. Broome.
from Reed to Sixth Searles, from Front
to sixth: Clayton, from Sixth to Eighth.
sixth, from Franklin to Grant. This list
does not include the subsidiary runs. In
the newly built section on the other side
of the Brandywine the entire system has
been placed underground comprising the
whole elngth Of Vandever avenue Twen-
ty-second street east Of Market; Twenty
fourth east Of Market; Eighteen, from
Market to the Boulevard and Concord
avenue from Market street to Washington.
So far as the size Of the city will per-
nit, the Delaware and Atlantic Company
has practically completed the task be-
gun four years ago. Those parts OF the
city that have not been given the under
ground service are where the subscribers
are scattered and the outlying districts.
The work will accordingly be halted this
summer until building operations will JUS
tify it's resumption. The company is now
placing underground conduits on Van
Buren, street north Of Sixth and in the
new district around Thirteenth and Dela-
ware avenue and Rodney and Clayton
/ Streets By the end Of July at the most,
the company expects to have but about
! Is or 20 per cent. Of its system overhead.
I'VE expect to do away with most OF our
poles in the built up section by about
August" said Mr.. Stringfellow to-day
For instance, we have taken down al
our poles on Orange street from Tenth
to Fourteenth. while in other parts OF
the city the majority have been dis
mantled. Within the last 10 months We
have done away with from 200 to so