Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-17
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

Fifty years ago The Star was begin
ming its crusade against overhead wires
in Washington, which
Overhead it maintained for many
Wire Evil. success Ssaps WIN In r ssen star
of August 9, 1880, is the following;
THE rapid extension of telegraph
facilities to meet the increasing de-
mands of business has enveloped all
our large cities in maze OF wires and
filled the streets with unsightly poles.
New york, Boston, Chicago and Gin
cinnati are protesting against the pres
ent system of erecting wires, and the
Western Union Co. is laying an expert
! mental wire underground in Jersey City,
with the purpose of devising plan for
running its various lines that will not
incommode and endanger the residents
of cities.
"The danger of the present system
of running wires was impressed upon
the people of Chicago lately. While
flames were issuing from the sixth story
of hotel the cry was raised that some
of the inmates were still In the upper
rooms of the burning building. The
firemen found 1t impossible to run up
ladders because of the telegraph wires
which surrounded the hotel on every
side.
Wires by the score extend over the
roofs of houses here in Washington as
we'll as other cities, and they not only,
often In cases of fire, interfere with the
work of the firemen but actually en-
danger their lives. 1t is time for
municipal authorities to take deter
mined stand against the present mode
of erecting wires.
ct is not necessary that the tele-
graph companies should await the re-
suit of experiments with underground
wires. 1t has been demonstrated long
ago that the underground system may
be made as efficient as the one now in
use. In London, for instance, the wires
are all encaSed in boxes that are sunk
along the curbing. This plan is more
expensive than the use of poles, because
the wires have to be coated with an
insulator: but 1t is time, in this coun-
try. to consult public convenience and
safety rather than the desires and
In washington the removal of the long
lines of poles on OUR thoroughfares
would rid us ~of a nuisance and add to
the general appearance of the city"
1T would suggest to the Belt Railroad
Co." writes O citizen whose letter Is
printed in The Star
Non'Stopping Of August IL. 1880,
Street Cars. that they Srs could prob Ss,r
receipts by requiring their drivers to
keep little brighter lookout for GUS
and consioerate to passengers. 1t is
not an easy matter to catch the eye or
the ear of many of the drivers on this
line, and when this Is effected the rule
among them seems to be to get into
the car as he best can while 1t Is in
motion. In reply to a question yester-
day a driver told me, with a good deal
of inSolence in word and manner, that
he acted under the instructions of the
officers of the company in not stopping
the car except in the case of a cripple
Now I am not exactly cripple, but at
the same time l am not robust enough
or young enough to make it safe Tor
me to practice the gymnastics necessary
to climb into street car when 1t is in
motion, more particularly the bob-tai.ed
cars of the Belt line. which, with their
trivial rails and steps, are dificult
enough to enter when the car is stand
ing still. As matter of law I suppose
that passenger can demand that the
car be brought to q full stop before
undertaking to enter it, but as no one
would care about going to law TO enforce
his rights in this respect. probably most
people aggrieved will prefer to walk or
TO patronize some other line. Railroad
companies are apt to complain that
juries give unduly heavy damages to
passengers injured in getting on or of
the cars while they are In motion, but
II this driver told the truth and rail-
road officials really give orders that the
car shall not be stopped for any paSsen-
gers except cripples. II Is not strange
that such verdicts are rendered