New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-12-21
THE EXPERIMENT IN BROADWAY.

! TWELVE BLOCKS LIGlITtD-GAS AND ELECTRICITY
IN CoMPETrrIoN-THELIGHI CLEAR AND STEADY,
BUT RATHER DIM.
Broadway was Illuminated from Fourteenth-st TO
Twer y-sixth-st. last night by the Brush electric
lights At exactly twenty-seven and a-haf minutes
past five the engineer started the COrliss engine at
No. 1873 West Twenty -ffth-st., the arma-
lures of one of the generating machines
began 10 revove, and almost insantaneously the
fifteen lamps in Broadway flashed out into light.
The street was crowded with people coming up
town. and the novel sight extracted much attent
Groups of men gathered about the posts staring
| with upturned faces at the lamps which proved
strong enough attraction to detsin them even from
their dinners. At quarter of the gas was turned
| of from the street lamps The electric lights
| We're then seen to much better advantage Under
each lamp a shadow comparatively dark, caused
by the rims of ground-glass on the globes. Across
| the street stretched long, narrow shadows Of the
bars of the framework nclosing the globes. The
gas in the shop-wndOws looked somewhat dim.
Near each lamp, seen against dark back ground
cloud of minute particles of dust in the air could
be distinctly seen, Fine rays of light seemed to
shoot out in every direction. The lights were
remarkable for their steadiness, but they seemed
too widely scattered and somewhat dim. Nonickor-
ing whatever perccptible. The hckering |
of the test Saturday night is said to have |
tilted on one side owing to some improper Just
meDt OF the apparatus. Bnt previous to the eyhibi-
iion last night r. J. Sheehy, general superintendent
of the company had carefully examined the details |
of the circuit and remeded all defects.
About O'Clock the street lamps were turned on
again and gas and electricity entered into competl-
ton. The electric lamps were 262 feet apart.
Half way between them it possible
to read newspaper. Passers-by cast black clearly
defined shadows. These perceptbe even |
when they passed directly underneath the lights |
The gas lampposts cast long shadows when con-
trasted with the electric lights Between Filthave
and Broadway, at Twenty-third. ST., Is a powerful
Sugg burner, with reflector. This consumes forty
feet of in an hour The sixteen gas-lights the
two posts before the Fifth Avenue Hotel
turned off and on each post was electric light.
The bTillancy of The one nearest Fitth-ave. and
Twentv-thrdst. great that the post bearing
the Gregg burner east clearly defined shadow.
Each OF the electric lights Is estimated at 1000
candle power, supposing the full force of the light
to be concentrated IN one point. Taxing any of
eight different directions IN which the light is
thrown IT would be estimated at from 1,20O to
1.5OO candle power
The Broadway circuit comprising sixteen lamps
fifteen in the street and one at the central station.
this circuit there were 10000 feet of wire. The
machine offered resistance of ten Ohns. and each
lamp resistance of about four and tve-eghths
ohms. The total resistance Oh the circuit, includ
ing ten 0hms for this wire, was about seventy-tive
Ohms. second machine at the central station
su pplied a second circuit of seventeen lamps thir
teen of these placed the floor of the station
giving out dazzling brlliancy that attracted
hosts of small boys TO the doors and windows. The
other four lit up the armory of the 5th Regiment in
Twenty y-thrd-st, in which fair going on. The
hall seemed brighter than it would be IN full
daylight. Between half-past and half-past t
s the faces of the throngs that filled Broad
way on their way to places of amusement
could be distinctly identified at consider.
able distances. he lamps were intended
to burn all night The cost of the carbons is a cent
an hour, but definite information is given as to
total expense of keeping the lights. This exhibit
tlon which is to continue for month, is intended
to determine the question of expense well rs to Fl
familiarzc the public with the light. The question
has been put to the company by the city the d
expense for lighting square mile from Fourteenth
st. to Ihrrty-fourth-st. and Thrd-ave.
10 EIghth-aye.. and the experiment will |
probably enable the managers to decide
The company intends lighting the Gilsey, Buns
wick and Sturtevant Hotels. Park Theatre stem
way Hail. Roster II Bials Garden and several other 81
public buildings. u
In the development Of the electric light, the b
-nted States Electric Lighting Company occupies 81
IN honorable place. Its lamps are OF two kinds IL
me made the incandescent principle and the
ther the principle of the voltalc arc, and it is
believed by many persons that they produce a |
leader light aud greater Illuminating power than
my Others hitherto constructed. What this COM
ANY has already accomplished may be seen at the IL
Equitable Building and other large buildings in this
D..