126' Telephone Systems of the Continent of Europe 



joint to be effective must be well made, but so must soldered 

 ones. There are no single standards in Copenhagen, all having 

 two or more uprights. They are built of channel and angle iron ; 

 are well stayed, and generally strong and well constructed. Fig. 35 

 shows a typical Danish standard with its details. All house- 

 top fixtures are protected from lightning by a conductor and 

 special earth-plate. The pole routes are substantially built, and 

 many of the ground poles erected within the city limits are of 

 highly ornamental design. In this respect it is strange how far 

 the Danes, in common with most continental peoples, are in 

 advance of us. In Great Britain the mere mention of a telegraph 

 pole conjures up visions of something offensive, both to the eye 

 and the nose ; in many cities on the Continent, on the contrary, 

 such a structure evokes no disagreeable feeling because, by 

 means of a graceful outline and regularly-renewed paint, it is 

 made to harmonise with its surroundings. It appears, when so 

 treated, to drop into its natural place, and nobody thinks of 

 objecting to it any more than to a lamp-post. To find anything 

 more obtrusively ugly than a British telegraph pole, it is necessary 

 to view a French railway telegraph or cross the Atlantic to the 

 dominions of Uncle Sam. The present central station fixture is 

 the original wooden one of American design. It will be replaced 

 on the new building by an iron tower with attachments for 4,000 

 wires. An important feature of the Copenhagen system is the 

 underground work. By virtue of its agreement with the muni- 

 cipality, for which it pays 388/. per annum, the company is 

 allowed, under supervision, to open the streets and put down 

 conduits and cables. The original conduits consist of cement 

 troughs of rectangular section, covered with an arched lid which 

 fits, and is cemented, into grooves formed along the tops of the 

 trough walls. The custom has been, when additions or repairs 

 are necessary, to open the ground, remove the lid section by 

 section, lay in the cable, replace the lid, and make good the 

 ground. This plan, although it permits of the cables being laid 

 neatly in the trough without friction or chafing, necessitates long 

 lengths of open trench and frequent disturbance of the streets. 

 On these grounds the municipal authorities have objected, and in 

 future the conduits will be permanently buried, and the cables 



