56 BERLIN : A STUDY OF 



in the morning at a hotel in the centre of the business sec- 

 tion, one perceives no rattling of wagons, only the clatter 

 of the horses' hoofs, so that it seems as if cavalry regiments 

 were continually passing. The smooth streets have also 

 made cycling very popular, and tricycles are extensively 

 used for business purposes. The broad sidewalks are laid 

 with flagging in the centre, and between that and the curb- 

 stone are paved with small, mosaic-like stones that form 

 a smooth surface, and are easily removed and replaced. 

 Beneath this space are laid the gas pipes, telegraph and 

 electric light wires, pneumatic tubes, etc., so that in lay- 

 ing or repairing these the street pavement is not disturbed. 

 The wires of the arc lights, as well as of the incandescent, 

 all are carried underground, and in Berlin there are not to 

 be seen the unsightly poles that so disfigure our streets in 

 American cities, where rival corporations are given un- 

 limited license to fight each other and prey upon the pub- 

 lic. Only the telephone wires are carried overhead, run- 

 ning over the roofs of the buildings, and these are now 

 being put underground in cables, as far as possible. In 

 consequence of the admirable method pursued there is no 

 interference of one electric system with another ; that foe 

 of the telephone service, induction from other wires, is 

 kept at bay, and the patrons of the telephone are not driven 

 frantic by the interference of the clicking of the telegraph 

 or the buzzing of the electric-light dynamos ; neither is 

 there the danger of an arc-light wire dropping down and 

 burning out the telephone with its current, setting fires and 

 perhaps killing whoever may be using the telephone at the 

 time ; a contingency, which, under our American happy- 

 go-lucky policy, is constantly threatening us. 



Our arc-light people have claimed that, owing to the 

 peculiarities of the current, it is impracticable to carry their 

 systems underground, and so they have been free to sus- 



