Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-04-23
THE ELECTRIC LIGHT.
irs MANY urr.ors rn nn CURED.


An Imptovsmro, in hGhta-Io ss all
Fastened on Bssck't what maun-
ger hicNeiway Nas 60 say.
Only two of tho electric lamps wcrc out
all last night--ouo at tho corner of Duko
aud James and ono at Prince and Andrew.
At Duke aud Vino the lamp WAS out
three hours and at tho Childrcn's Homo
two hours. The ono at Limo aud Locust
burned poorly from II O'Clock, makilx
! five bad aud ono hundred aud fifteen good
| lights. None OF the gasoline lamps were
reported ont.
No doubt all good citzous rejoice To
notice the improved condition Of tho
electric lamps For several nights pas
the number that have not burned ut all or
burned poorly has greatly decreased.
| This improved condition Ot the light, wo
| are informed, is due To tho correction of
| certain defects in tho lup rs originally
| constructed The worst vt these defects
was tho swinging Of tho lamps on cables
40 -oss the streets During high winds the
lamps swaycd to aud fro To such
a degree as to Interfere materially with
the delicate machinery which governs the
| fall Of the carbons number of tho
lamps have already been taken down from
the swinging cables aud placed pcrma
neutly on iron brackets fastened To the
poles. "A great Improvement is noticed In
the lamps thus hung Mr.. George |.
| Mckeway, of the Maxim COMPANY, informs
us that the hanging of the lamps on cables
was done ut the request of the lamp oom
mittco of councils and against the judg
ment of the Maxim company. WOrkmeu
are now engaged in taking down all the
swinging lamps and placing them on
| brackets.
| Imperfect Uonnociiuns.
Another defect discovered by the practi.
cal workmen who are now overhauling tho
entire line is, that many of tho conucc-
tions were impeTioOtly formed. The usual
and best connection Is known as tho "tol-
egraph splice" and consists of twisting
four times each around the other tho ends
OF the wires to be spliged. II has beou
found on inspection that at somo OF tho
spices thus made tho insulating cover Of
the wire had not been carefully removed,
and the connection was thus imperfect
IL was also found that some of the con.
nections were made by fastening the ends
af the wires together by clamps, made of
cheap brass or other metal infcTiDr to
copper rs conductor, A still worse
means of connecting the wires was
discovered in few places, they
being merely hooked together 10y loops
formed by bending the ends OF the wires
The electric current was broken OF
|
disturbed by tho wind or other cause All
these imperfect connections aro being cut
out and 1t is expected the liuo viii very
soon DO IN perfect order.
Tho Engiue Power.
To a suggestion made by tho reporter
that the two engines at tho station did not
furnish sufficient power for l20 lamps, Mr.
Mckelway replied that thoy were more
than sufficient. lu Philadelphia 100 lamps
are fully supplied by one such engine. Tho
boilers here were made by Best, and are
the best made ; the shaftinR by Sellers
than whom there is no better maker the
dynamos aud lamps are new and OF the
best kind, and as soon as some mistakes
made by unskillcd meu IN constructing
the line, are corrected, Mr.. McKGlway has
no doubt that Lancaster will be well
pleased with the Light furnished by the
Maxim company; company which ho
says has more lights in use than tho Full
, Ter, Arnaux, Btll, Schuyler and all others
combined except tho BRUSH. The Maxim
light has been adopted by the Uuited
States government in the public buildings
in Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, st.
Louis andlevcry other city whore electricity
is used, except in Boston.
, Precautions az .Inst Dsugsr.
To d suggestion made by the reporter
|
shown by late thunder storm, during
which the betting was thrown tom the
machinery at the station aud tho lights
extinguishCd and, later, during the great
snow storm, when 50 maUy telephone aud
, telegraph wires wero broken down, the
3 electric light machinery was not run FOR
fear Of doing damage. hT. Mckelway
replied that AS a preventive % damage to
tho machinery by lghtuinE, automatic
/ lightning arresters had been put in the
works, so that an aCoilent of the kind
could not again occur. AS t. the snow
storm, which Frustrated SO many telephone
| and telegraph wires, it had done no dam
age whatever TO Maxim wires, and the
works were stopped for one night, lest the
current passing over the Maxim wires
might be carried along some of the broken
telephone wires and do damage in that
way.
In conclusion tho reporter told Mr.. Nc %
Kelway his light hal been very imperfect
and unsatisfactory, and had failed to come
up to the standard guaranteed by the con.
! tract with the city. Mr.. McKelway said
he know it had, but he knew also that it
would not long continue 50, aud that
Lancaster would ere long be fully satisfied
! with the light 10 be furnished. The
0 reporter hoped Mr.. Mckelway was not