Morning journal and courier., 1881-04-19
Tuesday Morning, April 19, 1881.

THE kCLECTR1C LIGHT IN LONDON.
 The most important and decisive test of
 the electric light which has yet been made is
 now in progress in London. The three most
 important districts in the center of the city
 are allotted one to each of three leading elec-
 trlc light companies. The Lontin system
 has Southwark bridge, Queen Victoria street,
 Queen street south and Queen street place.
 New Bridge street, Ludgate Circus, Ludgate
 Hill, St. Paul's churchyard and Cheapside
 up to King street. The Siemens system has
 the remaining half of Cheapside, Guildhall
 yard, Poultry, King street, Mansion House.
 Royal Exchange, King William street and
 Adelaide place. The districts include the
 most crowded thorohghfares, the most ire
 quented open places, the finest edifces, the grandest stores, two great railroad stations
 two bridges and the approaches to third
 The time set for lighting up was the 31st of March. The Lontin company was not able to get its apparatus ready in time, but it will be in working order on the 1st of May The Brush and Siemens companies lighted up at the time appointed, and it is interest ing to compare the leading facts in regard to these two lights.
 The siemens lights supersede 40 gas lamps. They number 34, of which six give a light of 4,OOO candles each, and 2S are of 300 candle-pow each, the whole being of 32, 400 candle-power. The cost of plant is e1, 450, and of maintenance e2,27O, or e3,- 720 in all for twelve months trial The high power lights are inclosed in clear glass globes, raised eighty feet above the street the others are of alabaster, and are set on posts twenty feet high. The maximum dis tance of any lamp from the dynamo machine is three-fourths of mile. For motive pow CT there are two ten-horse power engines, with third in reserve. There is a separate dyn mo-machine for each of the large lamps, and there are two for the twenty eight small | CT ones, or eight in all. A separate wire is used for each of the large lights.
 The Brush lights replace 162 gas lamps, the district to be lighted being larger than either of the others. They number 8, of uniform power. Each lamp gives a light of Z, ,0eO candles, which is reduced one-half by the alabastrine globes, so that the actual il- lumination is about 32 ,O00 candles. The cost of plant was e75O, the company having util- ized the ordinary lamp-posts, instead of erecting new ones; and of maintenance for year e66O,-the same sum that is expended for lighting the same district by gas. The lights are placed on ordinary lamp posts, ex- tended about three feet. The length of the | circuit is 39 miles. One engine of twelve or | fourteen horsepower supplies the motive | power, and only one wire, or rather one wire l rope, one-eighth of an inch in diameter, is | used for the entire circuit. l
 It will be seen that the American light-the l Brush-makes decidedly the best showing. It is operated with less change from the sys- | tenn of gas lighting, at less expense, with | smaller expenditure of power, on longer cir l quits, and with better results in the produc- l sion of light, although an amount of light l slightly less is actually diffused in the streets Concerning it's quality the London Ilmes re- ] ports that "the Brush light seemed to burn | with the greater steadiness and, as it ap- peared, without even the very slight changes l of color observable occasionally in the Sic l mems lights.,,' The Neuos praises both lights, | but gives the preference to the Brush, noting | it's extraordinary intensity and steadiness, with hardly a symptom of flickering. This | triumph of the Brush system is, of course, very encouraging to it's organizers and pro- motors, and is also fattering to our national l pride. And, from all the evidence attainable, l it does not seem probable that the system | which is to go into operation on the 1st of | May will eclipse the Brush system.