The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-07-20
THE OVERHEAD WIRE.


The nearly fatal accident at Buckroe Beach
resulting from a dangling electric light wire
calls attention to the growing city need of an uu
derground system OF all electric wires other than
those necessary for trolley purposes. 1t is the
underground system, in fact, which can alone
be depended upon for the future to provide eff
ticient and economical service and to prevent
rapidly increasing liability to accidents. AS the
telephone, telegraph, and electric lighting sys-
tens grow, the wire situation becomes more com
plex and professionally dangerous. The beauty
of the streets. which are disfgured by wires and
poles, is secondary consideration To the adj
vantages of good and safe service but it, too, is
d consideration that should work powerfully to-
ward the end at which the streets will be entirely
free of these disfguring and Anticipated IDIOTS
on the landscape.
We are aware that the investment III street
fixtures by the public service corporations is of
amunt so large as to render an ordinace requir-
ing the removal of all wires toogreat hardship
on the companies that have equipped their lines
in good faith and under the provisions of their
franchises At the same time it is entirely
within reason that the city should profit by eX-
perience and moi permit to be done in the future
what it was necessary to permit to be done III
the past. An ordinance requiring that all further
electrical equipment within the city limits shall
be underground would stop an abuse where II
now exists, without permitting It's extension. Ii
might also be reasonably required that any
necessary replacement of equipment should be
made in accordance with modern instead OF
obsolete practice. In this way there would be
placed at once a limit on overhead wiring and
4 system established whereby its adjustment
would be gradual but certain.
A start In this direction has been made IN the
plans looking to improved Broad Street, upon
which there will be no overhead wires. The pre-
cedent there established might easily be made IL
apply gradually to other streets. The city coulc
clean itself of wires, street by street, wthou
harship to any interest, and IN program OF
this character il should have the cooperation o.
the companies involved since 10 them the over
head system is necessarily constant source Of
expense and worry and bad service. Who ha'
ever seen city in the grip of great freeze, witt
dangerous wires falling in the midst OF crowdeC
streets, with car systems all but paraiyzed, witt
electric light, telephone and telegraph services
temporarily useless and with whole people .pu
In danger of their lives. who has not wondered
that these great corporations, whose economy Is
supposed Ito look after the pennies, permit them
selves to be in constant danger of monetary
damages running into the hundreds of thousands
of dollars,
The ultimate point of progress at which ar
overhead wire will be strange relic as an
oxcart on city street IS not far ahead. lht
trolley itself is doomed, as the cable was doomed
by it, by the storage battery These cars are now
in successful operation in many of the larger
cities Their inherent worth and economy will
before long force their general adoption for al
save the longest suburban routes. In the mean
& fine, while some wires must he endured every
city owes itself the duty of preventing their in
crease and of slowly eliminating the danger which
they inevitably hang above the heads of the
crowds upon its thoroughfares.