The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-03-22
THE ELECTRIC LIoH
Waiting for the Authorities-One company
Preparing TO Light Streets and Another to
Light Houses.
New York Herald. 2lst.l

Light Houses.
New York Herald. 2lstl
"WelI, sir, we don't pay for the gag, tnat :
allv was tbe reply IN The Office OF the Com.
missioner Of Public Works after . Herald
reporter had inquired whether any gas COM
pany Is deriving profit from the experiment
That an electric.lght company are maRingln
Broadway between Fourteenth and Thirty
fourth streets. "Permission having been
granted, the company put up nfteen lights
on the 10th Of December last, and elght
more on the Slh OF January last, and now
they display twenty-three lights between
Fourteenth and Thrty-fourtb street,, ma
king that mile OF Broadway as ligbtas noon
d,y every night. Since the electric light has
been turned on the Department o! Public
Works have cut off more than one hundred
gas Jets in the region now lighted by elec-
trictv. We have taken the burners of. The
city pays the gas companies Sl5 year for
every burner used in lighting the streets.
Here are one hundred burners taken on anu
not used, and consequently not pale Tor,
and little arithmetic will enable you TO see
the saving. The gas companies charge prl-
vae consumers g. % per thousand feet the
city gets its gas ut about Sl.25. No, can't
guess how long the Elecric-Light company
will continue to illuminate Broadway al tnelr
own expense; but after the next meeting OF
the Gas Commission, consisting OF the Mayor,
the Comptroller and the Commissioners OF
Public Works, / may be able 10 answer
that cOnundrum. They will meet on the
3Oth OF this month and probably pass upon
several applications for contracts 10 nght
the streets by electricity. IL Is reasonable
"a M N
Illuminating Broadway do not get con-
tract they will switch of the elecI RE spark
that is now making Broadway brilliant at
night"
HYPOTHESIS DEMOLISHED.
Mr.. 4. 4. Hayes, the secretary OF The
Elecric.Light Company that l. illuminating
Broadway, babe the reporter welcome
:. Pshaw. no, sir" he exclaimed, at ISN'T
because that part OF Broadway : the heart
OF the continent and likely 10 be the best
place in the Western Hemisphere for an adj
veriisemcnt that we light it gratis. We
don't need advertising, for our works are
far behind our orders. We can't supply
the demand. # was desired Of u That
we should demonstrate The power OF
our Illuminating agent, ana we dr'
sired 10 do it. We chose Broadway
because IL embraces two large squares, over
which we can throw the rays from our car
bon, rs they DO in the city OF Wabash, Ind.
which j, Illuminated by four electric llghIS
suepended from pole over the dome OF the
courthouse. The courthouse j. on bill,
and the light> are displayed about 200 feet
above tie city. In city full Of lofty edl-
fees, like those IN New York, our light
Il nt al up
public squares. But JUMP INTO my cab and
ride with me down to our wOlks. station
No. Is dazzler, sir; come along
DAZZLING SPECTACLE.
On the way across town to the company
station 30. |. which Is at No. 1873 west
Twenty. fifth street, Mr.. Hayc> Impaired
some intelligence aS to the possible future
lighting OF the streets, saying thai the com
panv are awaiting the decision oi the cor
poraliOn counsel A. TO the right 10 grant the
privilege OF laying wires under the streets.
II Is not known whether the power to grant
thi, franchise lies in the comptroller or IN
the aldermen, and the question has been
submitted to Mr.. Whitney. The reporter
entered the cOmpany's station 40. | at Il
few minutes before O'Clock. An enOr-
mOu, stelm.boiler was sizzling in the Plu-
tOnian region beneath the elcctric-hght
generating machinery, and the mlchInlS'S
were preparing to set the wheels in motion.
Six O'Clock, and whirr was followed by a
fash Of light; then another Hl-h and an
other, and within ten seconds the room was
ablaZe with the fires Of ten thousand cOnfll-
gratlon> intensified. Ten seconds more and
every carbon TO the rcmotest end OF the
company's wires, far down town and far up
tow n, were pouring a food OF light into the
street around il. "DOn't 20 near the mag
nets" the superintendent warned the re-
porter, sit will spoil your watch, sir. We
are sending light from this building
through the eight wires that YOU see
above the door, and are covering
eight circuits. We illuminated ten miles
on one wire on Sunday evening before last
with brilliant effect, feat never Eiyailed.
They lighted a circuit OF three mile, IN Paris
lately, and boosted OF that. II our wires
were up we could light the whole city in
simultaneously, and If necessary we could cut
off the light from every burner or from any
given number Of burners, or from any par
ticuIar burner right here from where |
stand. II we had the contract for lighting
all The streets we should require for rcpla-
cing the clrbons every day about double the
IamplighteT>. We are giving our attention
mainly to street-lighung; we haven't bad
time vet 10 furnish plans for machines TO
furnish light for domestic use"
AS to the cost, the officers Of the com.
pany advanced the testimony Of the agent
OF the Riverside WOrsled Mills, OF PrOvl-
dence. Il. |. These mill, are run night and
day. They were Imperfectly lighted by 5IS
gas-burpers at a cost of S20,SlS year.
Since they have been supplied with seventy
one electrIc-lights every part OF the ma
chinery has been perfectly illuminated at a
cost OF $4,000 year. After midnight the
heat from gas-ights became intolerablc, but
| this ANNOYANCE has been obviated by the
elec,ric-light, which cmits no appreclatlNe
| heat.
THE WIZARD or MEMO PARK.
Mr.. Thomas A. Edison sat at hi, desk in
the office OF the Ed isOn Electrc-Llght Com
pany. at No. 65 Fifth avenue. The wizard
said, strange as it may seem, that he will
not undcrbid the gas companies. Ii com
| petition noceSsitates reduction OF his
| prices, however, he will be able to rtduce.
| lie will simply offer consumers better
| light than they haye-safcr, more brilliant,
without pOXious gases TO make the house
abominablc, and in every way supe-
rior TO the Illuminating agents that
are in use. He does not plume him
self on the invention Of the electric light ;
he has done 30 more than utilize the dis
coyery that Faraday made IN 1882. NoI
does he expect electricity 10 supersede .a'
and oil, since these iIIuminaions must me-
cesslrly hold their own in the household
especially in small towns. Indeed, he de-
sires that in the first places he VIII light In
This city the consumers shall retain theiI
gas.lixIures aud Use some gas to make the
difference between gaslght and the electric