UNDERGROUND ELECTRICAL WIRES. 657 



fifty wire telephone cable laid under the streets in Melbourne. 

 They are of two kinds ; one known as the Patterson cable, which 

 is formed of cotton covei'ed wires loosely twisted together and 

 pulled through lead pipe into which paraffin and carbonic acid gas 

 are forced under pressure. This is not very favourably spoken of 

 by the Post Office officers, as moisture has a tendency to get in at 

 the ends, and so reduce the insulation. The wires in the other 

 kind of cable are covered with gutta percha and then with lead, 

 which is tightly pressed on so as to exclude all moisture. 



Both kinds of cable have been laid for about four years and are 

 working fairly well. They are used only for one purpose, tele- 

 phone working, and are never tapped or interfered with in any way. 



At Sandhurst too, the Post Office has had about three miles of 

 telephone cable buried under the streets and working fairly well 

 for the last three years under conditions similar to those existing 

 in Melbourne. 



In 1886 the Government of Victoria appointed a Board to 

 enquire into and report upon the merits of any systems for placing 

 Avires underground which might be brought before it. Of the 

 systems mentioned to the Board two were reported on upon their 

 merits, the other systems submitted being very imperfectly 

 worked out. The two were : — 1st. that of Mr. T. R. James, 

 Manager of the Melbourne Telegraph Office ; and 2nd. that of 

 Mr. E. Seitz, a consulting engineer in private practice in Melbourne. 



Mr. James' system very much resembles several others which 

 were enquired into by the Committee of the Franklin Institute 

 in America in 1885 ; and unfortunately resembles those systems 

 in points which have been condemned. It is not surprising tliei'e- 

 fore, that the Board could not recommend the Government to try 

 Ml". James' plan in Melbourne. 



Mr. Seitz's system was one possessing many claims to attention. 

 He proposed to form under the flagging of the street footpaths 

 and next the curb-stones, a channel lined with cement asphalt or 

 other suitable material, and on properly made supports place well 

 insulated, lead covered cables. At each street corner Mr. Seitz 

 proposed to fix an iron mast, the base of which should be used as 

 a test box and a Post Office letter box. All cables were to be 

 brought into these test boxes and from the top of the poles service 

 wii'es of thin hard drawn copper w^ere to be carried wherever 

 required. Arrangements were also made for leading the servdce 

 wires into buildings direct wherever practicable. Across the 

 streets Mr. Seitz proposed to carry his cables underground pro- 

 tected by thick corrugated iron. Arrangements were made for 

 carrying off" any water which might find its way into the channels. 



The Board reported favourably of Mr. Seitz's plan which 

 appeared to possess many points of merit. 

 Ql 



