The daily gazette., 1879-12-29
FIFTH EDITION.
EdisOs's Electric Light Hs Cost
30 Cents per 1000 Feet.

Electric light, .ays the correspondent
OF the Ledger, who was present at the
exhibition at Minlo Park, Is cheaper
than gas.
The plant does not cost more than half
that OF gas works. The depreciation is
less than half that OF the plant Of gas
works. One pound Of coal produces one
standard gas JET, one hour, white Mr..
Edison claims that three pounds Of coal
will maintain eight electric lights one
hour, each light being equal TO a single
gas jet.
Another statement made BY one Of
Mr.. Edisou's assistants Is that the equiv
alent OF 1000 cubic feet Of gas can be
furnished "for less than fifty cents and
pay ten per cent. interest ON the plant"
Another statement is this 1T il
found economical to work generators re.
quiiing from five 10 seven horse-pow er
To drive them, and 10 take from about
eight lamps per horsepower. A calcu-
lation based on this statement (but not
by Mr.. EdisoD) would make the cost OF
po,cer alone equivalent to from IL TO l5
cents per 1000 cubic feet OF gas. The
cost OF horsepower seems, how ever, to
be an unknown quantity. Statistics as
TO this have been collected by MIR. Edi-
son, ard much stress is laid by his as
sisiants Oh return from large cotton
mill In Manchester, England, where the
cotton per horsepower per hour is said
TO be only half cent.
Estimates from largo manufactures in
this country have been made (some OF
them for the LEDaER), where TIE cos,
appears 10 be as high as "a cents pei
hour per horse power. On this dependi
much Of the cost Of the electric light,
but supposing the other statements ~ b,
true, and the power 10 cost the higher
sum ca cents), the power to produce
light equivalent to that furnished b,
lcOO cubic feet Of gas would cost thirty
cents.
As to these matters II should be re-
membered, however, that l have onl,
such Information as was given 10 me by
Mr.. Edison and his assistants. There 4
no difficulty in the way OF ascertaininl
the exact cost, and doubtless capitalists
before they organize electric light com
panies, will have records of the amour
coal consumed, cost of attendance, &c.
which alone can give reliable data.
The rough calculations here made ar
| obiy ihsthueu W sHoW, tuhl, u lnt stdlc
ment is trne, that eight lamps can b.
maintained for one horse power, tn
claim as TO the relative cheapness o
the electric light is rot reasonable.
One other thing must be remembers,
as helping to cheapen the cost. Interes
on plant goes on night and day, wheth
er the plant is earning money or not
but the general intro duction of the elec
trio motor, which Is expected to be &C
incident with that Of the electric light
sonld enable the plant to earn none
day and night.
THE Plant.
The epcine. generators and conductin n
wires " Ill represent the chief cost of tn
plant. The generators are to be mad
~ cheaply ~ possible, without extr
hnish and although necessarily costl,
will be sold TAT much less price iha
that now charged for dynamo eleciri
machines" An experiment, describe
above, shows that the conducting wir,
need not be very large.
These facts are the basis of the clsiI
that the plant will cost only half that
gas works. Asto the cost Of IN al ntepant
being less, that is probably based on II
fact that the most costly parts Of the ge
orators are not subject to much we;
and tear. The lamps can certainly
made for twenty II ye cents eac
although the platinum clips alone cost
cents