In 1884, people in New York City were somewhat annoyed by the enormous amount of power lines as well as phone lines along their streets. That year there was a particularly bad winter and as the wind shrieked through the wires the noise was ear splitting.

As the snow and ice built up on the wires the poles could not bear the strain and snapped in some cases crashing through private buildings.

The New York State legislature that same year passed a bill to have all cables placed underground but the order was ignored as the technology to insulate the cables did not yet exist. Mayor Hugh P Grant in response to the frustration of the citizens took matters into his own hands and led a team of axmen around the city cutting down the offending poles. In fact the Mayor is reported to have cut down the first pole himself.

It is also reported that, that year saw the first search for the "Perfect Insulator" and the newly formed "Board Of Commissioners of Electrical Subways" was flooded with some six hundred schemes and designs for executing the mammoth task of laying cables underground.

- From the archives of the New York City Council.