Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-14
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

The Stars protest against overhead
Telegraph Wires ago in that one
Laid in Sewers. COMBINES CO 5as ssie Sndsrn
took to bury its wires by utilizing
the sewers. as thus told in The Star Of
June Z, 1881:
The progress Of the Mutual Tele-
graph Co. in extending its wires through
the sewers Of the city is being watched
with unusual interest. The residents of
Washington are interested in the ex-
pertinent because 1t promises, II success
full, the adjustment Of the unsightly
pole nuisance, and the telegraph men
are interested because they realize that
communities will not tolerate the aerial
system OF running wires much longer.
The numerous wires which were in
tended to make all the connections in
side the city are twisted In cable form
and covered with q non-conductor and
waterproof coating. Outside the city
limits these wires will emerge from the
sewers and join those placed upon
poles. The cable made Of the twisted
wires is attached finally to the arched
roof or top Of the sewer and thus raised
above all interference from water ex-
cept in case of foods. The cables are
laid by men who are enveloped in rub
Der clothing and provided with safety
lanterns, which have narrow vent
communicating directly with the mouths
Of the laborers, artificial light and
strength being necessary in this work.
The wires are passed down through the
manholeS of the sewers. The managers
of the company who devised this plan
already claim that 1t Is a complete
success"
A favorite pastime Of the American
press SO years ago was the making
River Flats the the p'T csnitsl 'At be
Causes Of Illness. W TSmGJ9S o o m
account of the unwholesome influence
Of the Potomac fats, or that the ''un-
healthy White House be replaced" The
Star Of June 8, 1881, thus refers to one
Of these contributions:
1.-THE project to build a new residence
for the President finds warm advo-
cate in the New York Mail. That jour-
nal, however, falls into q common error
when 1t undertakes to enumerate the
reasons for the desired improvement.
1t charges Mrs. Garfleld's late illness in
part to defective drainage, or sewer gas,
with the poison of which 1t assumes
that the chambers Of the present man.
sion are infected. Whatever unhealth-
fulneSs may belong to the White House,
1t does not come from any defects in
its construction or from within. It is
all due to the narshy fats in the Po-
tomac River in the rear Of the building,
the poisonous miasma of which is
waited by the winds of Summer not
oil evAk<N - 10 s~aas.k -
residence but into those of all the
dwelling houses in that part of the city.
It IS at the river front that the remedy
Is to be applied, and since the malaria
breeding obstruction was largely caused
by the action or authority Of Congress,
it was not unreasonable to ask that
body to compel its removal. In this
necessary work we ask the cooperation
Of our contemporary and Of our con-
temporaries everywhere. A new White
House Is all well enough as q matter of
luxury, and as the country Is great and
prosperous no reasonable person will
probably object to It's construction at
the proper time. But what is q neces-
sity now Is the improvement of the
river. Health Is just as important and
desirable to those In minor positions
and In private life as TO those in high
.official stations, and the sanitary condi-
ton OF the city will not be improved by
the building Of new residence for the
President any more than the ostrich
can protect It's body from danger by
burying It's head In the sand"
4
Fifty years ago an advertisement was
ruin occasionally In The Star setting
Telephone 'Clubs" 1 vantsge se Of the the
to Be Organized. 1sI,h.o'as,,, a n n, 9
fering what Is now known as party
line" service. The parent company In
$1,000 .@--,,-oaA that IL NaeiroH tsaTaer-