. Electric railway gazette . carries with itthe ear-marks of fifty years ago, and Morsesfirst cable was a bunch of five wires, lead en-cased. Prof. Morses first cable was laid fromBaltimore to the Relay House, seven miles dis-tant, and the failure of this cable all but sealedthe fate of underground electrical work; andwhile referring to these earlier experiments, I• cannot refrain from a mention of the first at- *Paper read before the Chicago Electric Club, Nov, 3. tempts at overhead construction, simply that bycomparison, we may show that at the presentday, underground as well as overhead wor
. Electric railway gazette . carries with itthe ear-marks of fifty years ago, and Morsesfirst cable was a bunch of five wires, lead en-cased. Prof. Morses first cable was laid fromBaltimore to the Relay House, seven miles dis-tant, and the failure of this cable all but sealedthe fate of underground electrical work; andwhile referring to these earlier experiments, I• cannot refrain from a mention of the first at- *Paper read before the Chicago Electric Club, Nov, 3. tempts at overhead construction, simply that bycomparison, we may show that at the presentday, underground as well as overhead work hasbeen perfected only after much cost and first overhead insulation adopted on theline built by Prof. Morse, shows how rudimentalwere the conceptions of men at that period. Theinsulation consisted simply of two plates of glass,between which the wire, after wrapping wellwith cloth, saturated with gum shellac,was placed,and over which a wooden cover to protect fromrain and press the glass upon the wire, and keep. niet/fie/jtn, c»f. Fig. 3. it in place, was nailed. Fig. 3 will illustrate.(This was before the door-knob era.) It is not necessary to further cite the historyof experimental underground electrical conduc-tion or construction. Enough that the problemsinvolved came thick and fast, and the modernapplications of electricity seemed for a time tohave stamped the success of the undergroundbranch of the business as an impossibility, butas each day proved the utility of the new agent,the fact also became apparent that we wouldsoon be walled in by a network of wires, and atthis period popular clamor arose, and Necessityonce more became a fond mother, and her child,Invention, brought forth in turn a multitude ofoflspring. among which were some that had mer-it, and others which had none. It is safe to say that underground work slumebered for a period of twenty years from the dat-of Prof. Morses first experiments. When, in thecity 0^ Chicago, an objectionable pole li
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