Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1880-04-09
an eLecrecAl mLvn,xAr,os.
The CITY 81 wahast, lAS., now Easircly
Lighted ~ Electric Light.

special Dispatch to the Chicago Trtbune.
Wabash, Ind March 3l-The lighting Of
40 entire citv by mesns IL electricity seems
To bc successfully accomplished. The com.
mon council If this place, y few weeks ago.
entered into negotiations with the Brusn
E'cc,ric Light company oil Cleveland, o.,
TOR Que Ot their dynsMO-electr,c generating
mschines Of u guaranteed capsc.,y Of tour
tights Of over 5000 candle power each
rnese -four lamps are suspended from the
eads vt two cross bars holted about half
way M an Iron fi,s ststf that rises from the
dam. OF the court house. The court hnu>e
tself stands 20 n rise nf ground that, with
the height of the d"me, gives the lisht an
elevation vt about two hundred feet above
the civ From these lamps, which ate Vt
an ornamental pattern. wlth large glass
globes, Iva ordinary telegraph sized pure
copper wires lead down over the root ~ tue
basement. where the generating machine IL
driven by an .igh, horse p"wer engine. TIL.
lamps and the wires We're all the ordinary
observer saw. The rest was hidden in thc
cellar. Tonight, as PER announcement, the
test WAS made IN the presence Ot the city
council aud invited gue.ts. THE cOn,rac
WAS thu, h. lights should illumfnste q CIR
Gle one mile 10 diameter as tight ut the
tatthest pn,ut as II would be with y gas
amp Of usu Il s'reet siz- every hundred feet
This requirement Was more than fulfilled.
az IT was light enough at much more than
III II distance to tell the time on y watch or
read coarse print. Over 10000 people
witnessed the test. THE mayors
and city councils Of nineteen towns
we're present, aud all express the mselves
pleased aud in favor Of the same system.
Over forty editors aud correspondents re.
ported al the Plaindealer Office. The night
was dark and rainy, and promptly At eight
O'Clock the electrician in charge gave the
word to turn or the steam. In an instant
the dense darkness was turned into light,
and a loud huzzar Of applause went up from
the waiting crowd. Your correspondent
went up into the dome, right under the
light, ~here he beheld a scene Of magnii-
cent splendor. For a mile around the
houses and yards were distinctly visible,
while the far-away river glowed like q band
Of molten silver. The crowd soon spread
all over the suburbs. making tests BY look.
ing at watches and reading papers. The
citizens of Wabash are delighted. and loudly
praise the enterprise Of the city council
Any one who saw Wabash tonight must
believe that the problem of lighting . city
entirely be electricity is at last solved
Every alley and backyard receives the light.
A careful computation shows that to light
the town equally as we'll by gas would re-
quire three lamps to every square. which
would take over FIVE hundred for the same
area. These electric lamps consist simply
Of two carbon pencils about half an inch in
diameter, arranged so that the current
passes through all four and then returns to
the machine. Each lamp has two sets OF
those cartoons, so arranged that il one set
gets out of order the other lights automatic
ally. The entire apparatus furnished By
the Brush Electric Light company-lampa,
wires, and generating mschines-cost 81, 800.
The cost of running the lamps when 10 &C.
tual operation is a cent and a half per hour,
making the entire cost of Illuminating the
city, exclusive of wages of engineer and
fuel, fifteen cents per night of ten hours.
The engineer and fuel and entire expense
of lighting the town is estimated at seven
hundred aud fifty dollars per year, while
-ixty-6ve gas lamps, which would only
make darkness visible 10 the same area,
would cost LOO per year. In short. tn
Brush system Of electric lighting for cities
is a success, and Wabash enjoys the distinc.
ton Of being the only city in the world
lighted by e'ectric'tv.