New-York tribune., 1882-08-14
ELECTRIC LIGHT.


WHAT TIE VARIOUS COMPANIES ARE DOING
uIsroRY OF TIE PRINCIPAL ELECTRIC-IIGHT COM
PANlEs IN AMEMCA-ACCoUNT OF THEIR sYs
TrMs-EXIFNT OF THEIR PRESENT OPERATIONS
Since Guericko's original though imperfect dis
coyery of The illuminating property of electricity
more than two centuries ago much attention has
been paid TO the subject from time 10 tlme but
never so much as duling the past decade II Is III
fact only during the past few years that any con-
siderable public interest has been felt ID H. ana
that the electric light for practical use' has become
an established factor in domestic and connnercia,
economy To-day electric lights are used IN a'l
parts OF The land and thcre is every nClcauon 'i'
in The immediate future they will largely suIe'S
all other methods ot turning darkness hi'o ""S' INV
histories brief as they Of the various ''ec'i'
hight companies in this country, iulnlNn Io0on"
crcditablc in the highest degree allke 10 Sclen"no
skill and business enterprise, ana iorh unique
ano interesting chapter in the annals OF American
Ipdustry Accounts are herewith gwen OF the or
iein, achievements, present condi ion and future
prospects of tie most widely known electnc-Ilght
systems in the United States prepared from state
ments furnished at the offices of the varlous com
ranics. The TRIBUNE, having allowed each COM
pany to tell its story. is not responsible for the
accuracy OF any OF the representations MADE
THE AMERICAN ELECTRIC COMPANY.
This company has its manufactory and ONCE al
New-Britain. Conn. and makes dynamo maohlheS'
regulators and electric lamps for arc lght oh'y'
The generator psed by this company Is that patented
nv Ehbu Thompson, and the joint Improvement OF
Ehhu Thompson and Edwin j. Houston lhe sys-
fem appears TO have been received with iaNor;
sub-company in Kansas City, Mo, has over loo
lights in operation. The American Electric Coin-
many furnished the lighting Of the large central por-
L I,,,11 1iuc Of he
Manufacturers and Mechanics Institute at Boston,
in 1881. and has now eighty lamps in that building
Forty lights are in operation at Lynn, Mass, ana
contracts have been signed for sixty more. Ibis
company has also furnished machines and apparatus
for the permanent lighting of factories, mills ana
stores in New Britain Meriden. New-Haven Bridge
port Waterbury and other cities The Phlauelphla
egency appears also TO have been successful III pIac
ing the lights of this company In that city ana
IeighborhOOd.
The horse power consumed by this system of cleo
tric lighting averages two-thrds of one horse power
for lamps of 1000 candle power and
single generator will run thirty arc lights.
The lamp gives very brilliant and powerful
light known TO electricians the long-src or white
light. although il is easy TO wind the dynamo-ina-
rhine with wire adapted 10 generate current sulta-
pe for producing the short-arc or yellow hight. me
company claims that he long-arc Is proDapIy tne
long circuit as n much smaller conducting wire Is
needed The merits claimed for the lhompson-
Houston generator are chiefly oil techhicdl
nature. Ii Is extremely simple III ITS construction
and arrangement. and IL requires less attention
than many Others due TO the use o1 an au'oina1ic
regulator att ached which adapts its power 10 the
number of lights it is desired to maintain. IIere
is also no noise or hum produced during running
so often an Objectionable feature OF other genera
tors The action OF the automatic regulator Is SAID
70 be so complete that every lght III elrc9lt oi
twentv-tye or more lamps can be eXtinRushed and
alln IN a
same speed and take of ITSELF rms tca'ufe OF
autoe attic regulation, besides adding to the con
venienCc and economy OF the eleCtflc hghi c9H.Ilp
ntes in some respects TO its safe in buildings,
and even to the safety of the apparatus itself
THE BRUSH ELECTRIC LIGHT
All the Brush electric light apparatus is manu-
featured by the Brush Electric Company OF Cleve-
land. OHIO. This parent company operates under
contracts with the inventor. Charles F. Brush
Phi d.. of Cleveland. These contracts give this
eonpany the exclusive control of the manufacture
and sale of all apparatus covered by the present
patents of lr. Brush tabout fifty IN all as well as
of any future improvements or of any inventions ne
NAV make All companies using the Brush light
derive their rights from the parent company. Inc
capital Of this company l. $3,OOO,OOO' subsidiary
companies under license have been formed TO the
number of about one hundred in large number of
cities aud towns throughout the country, aud these
subsidiary companies have an aggregate capital
amounting 70 over S7.DO0O0O. The following
is partial list of such places New-York City Al
bany, ButIalo, Rochester Niagara Falls Bos-
ton. Philadelphia. WIllianspOrt, Penn, PIttsourg'
Cleveland Cincinnati, MIddetown, OaiO, Toielo,
Baltimore indianapolis Chicago. Aurora, H.,
Ottawa Ill., Detroit. Grant Rapids Apsna, New
Orleans. Denver. salt Lake City. Ogden. u. l.,
San Francisco, Galveston. Topeka, LorsViilo'
Butler Mo-. st. Jo-eph's, Fargo ID. r.. La Crosse
WIS., Nashville Chattanooga, Atlanta, Butte
Mont. Helena Mont, Savannah, Macon, Ga. Co
iumbus Ga. Memphis, Minneapolis. FergnN Mlnn.'
DAYTON Ohio, Evansville, Ind. Terra liaate Ind.
The New York City company is the Brush Electric
Illuminating Company, and has capital OF 81 ,OOO,-
600 IL operates a number of stations on West
TSenty-f fth-st Washngton-st Elizabathst. etc,
and furnishes hight from these stations. 10 stores
hotels restaurants theatres 3lsand business places
Yeneraly Ii also furnishes street-lights on Broad
WAY between Fourteenth AMI Thirty-tourth'Sts.,
ON Fifth-ave between the same streets, in hadlSon
and Union Squares, and several other streets.
The whole number of lights thas furnished Is about
1000 and the increas' Is steady and rapli. These
lights are all Of the type. andeach one dsDlaces
from ten to forty gas burners. Similar lighting
companies are operating III the places mentioned.
Tn Albany about 800 lignts similar to those on
Broadway are already reuted TO the city. In
Baltimore the city has contracted for lights for the
streets. and the same may be said for Boston,
Philadelphia, Buffalo. Cleveland, New-Orleans,
Denver salt Lake City and San Francisco. In ad-
dition to This work, the Brush Company has sold IA
large number OF plants factories mills, etc, and
Industrial companies Of ali kinds. where the pur-
chasers use their own power and the lights are
Al o,,l lbara arA