Evening star., 1917-05-25
RUNNING WIRE LINES
TO STRATEGIC POINTS
System Whereby the National Capi.
tai May Reach All the I'm
portant Centers.

In preparation for meeting the immeas-
urably increased use Of telephones, both
local and long distance lines, as well as
telegraph lines, comprehensive plans have
been made and partly carried out to con-
meet the government departments in the
National Capital with strategic points in
every part of the United States by means
Of a perfect network of wires and cables.
Washington, the heart of the nation,
is rapidly being made the center of a
system Of communication which few
years ago would have been considered
practically impossible to construct by rea-
son of its tremendous cost for material,
equipment and operation War condi-
tions, however, have changed that condt-
tion. and the greatest telephone and tele-
graph development ever experienced in
this country is now under way.
Special Lines Established.
In this city as well as in practically all
ether parts Of the country special and
private telephone and telegraph lines are
being constructed for the use of the gov
ernment, while companies operating
these lines are now giving government
business precedence over business Of all
other public, commercial and private in
terests.
Long-distance facilities in and out
of this city have been practically dou-
b1ed. an original system of 14S toll
wires having been increased to 294
lines, the purpose being to increase this
number as rapidly as possible to a total
of 500 long-distance lines from the
capital.
Plans are now under way to lay
new underground cable from Washing
ton to New York, containing over SO,-
900 miles of wire, providing at the
same time for service to important
cities on the way. In addition to this.
copper wire will be strung in many
other directions.
Over 10000 miles of special systems
have already been taken from CONNER
cial use and devoted exclusively to the
service of the government. The in
creased system makes it possible for the
administration to get in touch directly
and Immediately with naval stations.
army posts and important agricultural
centers.
For Mobilization Camps.
Telephone systems must be estab-
lished in the new mobilization camps
for the army of 100000 men which is
camps between 10000 and 10000 men
will be trained, and this means practi-
cally the establishing of telephone serv-
ice for new cities of 10000 inhabitants
each, not only for the military purposes
of the camps, but also for the personal
needs of the officers and men.
To provide this service, it will be nee
essary to build. maintain and operate
-
will call for hundreds of special switch-
boards and large amount of outside
plant and equipment for thousands of
stations. Beyond this, it will be neces-
sary to make considerable additions to
the local telephone plants>of the near
by cities and towns. as well as addi-
tions to the toll lines radiating from
those places. II
The coast guard service has proved
another difficult problem. The plans
which the engineers Of the Bell system
have worked out with the coast guard
officers call for providing telephone
connections at approximately 100 light
houses and 200 coast guard stations.
and involve laying about 800 miles of
submarine cable, stringing over $50
miles of pole line and more than 1000
miles Of wire. This work will cost at
least S1,000.000. Special facilities also
have been needed for. the National
Guard in its work in guarding bridges.
water supply systems and other vital
points. -,