Railroad Telegraphy in Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Central uses Brooks Insulators

Railroad Telegraphy in Pennsylvania.

SOME of the most perfectly constructed telegraph lines in the United States, both in a mechanical and electrical point of view, are to be found on a few of the leading railroads in Pennsylvania-especially upon the Pennsylvania Central, Philadelphia and Reading, and Lehigh Valley roads. A telegraph line of 250 miles of No. 9 wire, through a mountainous country, which works for weeks at a time without the necessity of altering the adjustment of a single relay, even during a long and heavy rain, lasting three or four days, is a phenomenon not by any means as common as it ought to be. In fact, it is one which few operators would be disposed to believe in unless they actually saw it; yet I had the pleasure of witnessing the operation of such a line only a few days since.

The line in question belongs to the Lehigh Valley Railroad, and extends from Philadelphia via Bethlehem, Mauch Chunk and Wilkesbarre, Pa., to Waverley, N. Y. It has been in operation about a year, and thus far seems to be in quite as good condition as when first put up. Mr. Homer A. Clute, the superintendent of this company's telegraph lines, shows a most commendable disposition to adopt all the latest improvements in telegraphy, and the result is shown by the above statement. The line in question is on Brooks insulators, and is carefully trimmed out, so that it touches nothing but insulators from one end to the other. The relays have their resistances adjusted to suit that of the line, and the helices are wound with copper wire of ninety-eight per cent. conductivity. By the use, of the most improved form of Callaud battery, both for mains and locals, a perfectly even and steady current is maintained, and the line always works, rain or shine, as well as the most fastidious operator could possibly wish to have it. There are lines on the Reading road and on the Pennsylvania Central that are probably quite as good as this one-it is scarcely possible for them to be any better. When we compare these with the Western Union wires of about the same length, between New York and Washington, the inferiority of the latter is painfully apparent. Go into an office on the last mentioned, route on a rainy night, and you will find at least half the wires have been opened in order to work the other half. One or two wires may possibly be working through, by the aid of 150 or 200 cups of Grove battery. Half a dozen more are coupled up with repeaters at Philadelphia, and making fifteen or twenty words a minute, but it is what the operators call a "dead drag." It is usually found most convenient to work the remainder "short," which, being interpreted, signifies cut them in two, and rewrite at some intermediate point. Yet if the managers of the Western Union Company should chance to read what is here written, both in regard to their own lines and Mr. Clute's, they would probably assert, not exactly that the writer hereof lies, but that his statements are, to say the least, characterized by conspicuous inexactness. It is easier to do that than to investigate the facts and much safer, owing to the fact that the latter are sometimes apt to conflict seriously with preconceived theories and opinions.

I spent a day very pleasantly looking over Mr. Clute's arrangements, and then crossed over to Williamsport, on the Philadelphia and Erie. This company are just now engaged in overhauling and rebuilding their whole telegraph system, and when the work is done it will compare favorably with anything of the kind in Pennsylvania or elsewhere. On the eastern division, of which Mr. Frank Thompson is superintendent, and H. R. Rhoads division operator and telegraph manager, the work is particularly well done. A new line of thirty-five foot poles is nearly finished on the east side of the road between Sunbury and Williamsport, carrying six wires-four railroad and two Western Union. These are on glass and pin insulators. An additional line of twenty-five foot poles, carrying two wires on Brooks insulators, is being built between the same points on the west side of the road. One of these will be used as a "wet weather wire," to work trains on the division, and the other will probably be used by the Empire Transportation Company. This two wire line is also being extended over the western division from Kane to Erie this fall, and in the spring the middle division, between Kane and Renovo, and the eastern division, between Renovo and Williamsport, will be covered in the same way. When these improvements are completed the telegraphic facilities on this road will be first class.

The Catawissa Railroad, from Quakake Junction to Williamsport, has been leased by the Philadelphia and Reading Company, and the lines over that route will in a few days be opened for commercial business at Williamsport and intermediate stations. A fine office for the railroad, telegraph and express business, is being fitted up in the best business corner in the city, and a lively competition will be inaugurated. Heretofore there has been no other line than the Western Union at Williamsport, although it is one of the best paying points in Pennsylvania. The Reading Company's coin menial telegraph business has always been remarkably well handled, and their wires are always kept in first class order, under the excellent management of Mr. Sellers, and they will doubtless in a short time get hold of a good slice of the business at Williamsport. This line also has an office at Danville, another place having quite a good business. The Pennsylvania Central have just finished a new wire on Brooks insulators between Pittsburg and Altoona, which will shortly be extended through to Philadelphia. They already have one wire on Brooks from Pittsburg to Altoona, 117 miles, which has been working about a year, and like the Lehigh Valley line before referred to, works through, rain or shine, without change of adjustment, even when the weather is so bad that it is almost impossible to work lines on the common glass insulators at all. Both this road and the Philadelphia and Erie, after having, been persuaded to replace their old Brooks insulators with glass; have, after two years' trial of the glass, given it up as a bad job, and gone back to the "old paraffine," to the great satisfaction of their despatchers, operators and line men.

The Pennsylvania Company have quite au extensive manufactory of instruments and office fixtures at Altoona, under the supervision of Mr. Win. McCormick, where all the instruments used on their lines are manufactured. I have never seen more substantial or better working instruments than those 'turned out by this shop. I will endeavor, at some future time, to give a more particular account of this shop, as there are several points of interest that are worthy of note connected therewith.

F. L. P.