The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-03-19
The Electric Light.
PROPOSITION TO ESTABLISH PLANTS II
sTAUNTON.

| L S~Ao~~-'
PROPOSITION TO ESTABLISH PLANTS IN
sTAUNTON.
Mr.. VIM. w. Gibbs, local agent for the
Edison Electric Light Co. and the Edison
Company for Isolated Lighting, and agent
also for the Thompson Houston Electric
Light Co., has submitted to the Special
Committee OF the City Council bids for
| lighting the streets and city buildings, and
| private residences and stores.
! The Edison incandescent light is used
| for residences, the flame being steady,
| brilliant, and free from flicker. 1t is pro-
posed to make plant of this character,
capable of generating an electrical current
for 900 incandescent lamps, each lamp
being equal in brilliancy to a six foot gas
jet of the best qnality, for $l3, 65291 the
plant to be finished complete at curb ready
to attach to buildings.
The annual expense of running such
plant is estimated at @5,64S.24, and the IN
come, rating the cost to the consumer as
| equal to $l.2 for gas-just halt OF the
| present price-is put at s. $50. inns
leaves a balance Of 81 .64l.76. on the profit
side, and supplies the light to consumers
at just so per cent. of present rates. The
company states that it can produce testl-
monals that the light can be furnished
cheaper than this-the rate being even as
low as 60 cents per ,00) feet of gas.
| In connection with the above, the Thomp-
son-Houston Co. also submits a PROPOSE
ton for the lighting Of streets, stores and
large buildings by the Thompson Houston
| Arc System. 1t is proposed to establish
a plant capable of generating electrical
currents for % lamps of 1000 candle
power each, or a total of $4,000 candle
power, for s. CTS, with an annual running
! expense of 50 ,09475. Under this system
the city will own 25 lamps. Merchants
now pay for gas jets burning feet per
hour, "a cents per night. and get SO candle
power by use of the Arc light they
would save IA cents per night and have
1000 candle power. The income is esti-
mated as follows Fifteen lamps rental
at 40 cents per night, or Sl2 per month,
would yield an income of $2.160, per
annum. This would cover expenses. and
leave the city 10 lamps or 10000 candle
power free-a gain to the city Of the
amount now paid the Gas Co. and an in
crease of light from 944 candle power to
&C, 900 candle power.
Combining the two systems-the one
being intended to supplement the other
and the result, according to the estimates
would be
| Cost of plant. ................ $2l 1921 81
| Cost of running, interest, &C.. 7,742.99
lncOme...... ......,..... 9,450.O0
with the city furnished with twenty
times the light it now has free, and con-
sumers supplied at not more than half of
present rates, and probably much less.
These companies refer as to responsible
ity to the Commercial Agencies and Banks
| of New York ana Boston.
| The bids are before the committee for
action.
| Bids were also submitted by The Brush
| Electric Co., of Cleveland, Ohio and the
Vandepole Electric Light Co., of Chicago,
but we have only thought it necessary to
mention the above as it was the lowest.
THE SUNS ECLIPsE.-Smoked glass
was in requisition last Monday. Upon
almost every street corner could be seen
juvenile astronomers gazing slzyward. The
phenomenon was visible in this locality
but not very distinctly 50. The eclipse
was an annular or ring eclipse, and was
| the first of its kind witnessed in this coun-
| try for fifty years. Annular eclipses are
studied with less care by astronomers and
scientific men than total eclipses, but they
are curious and rare phenomena.
The full eclipse Monday was visible over
a comparatively narrow strip. That strip
| included a path thirty miles wide, begin
| ming in the Pacific Ocean, entering the
United States 300 miles north of San Fran
cisco, sweeping across Idaho, Montana
and the centre of Hudson s Bay and Green
land and terminating north of Iceland, in
the Arctic Ocean. Outside this path the
the observation was partial over the en-
| tire continent of North America, varying
| in degree according so the distance from
| the annuiar line.
| The conditions under which an annular
elipse occurs are not so we'll understood as
| those of total eclipse. In both cases a
line drawn through the centre of the moon
must pass through the centre of the sun.
But at certain seasons of the year the sun
| is nearer the earth and his disc appears
larger, and the moon is further off and her
disc appears smaller. when under these
conditions, the moon passes directly acroes
the surface of the sun an annular or ring
eclipse occurs. But as the surface of the
moon is too small to cover entirely the
surface of the sun, when the centre of the
moon is Immediately over the centre of
the sun. ring Of the SUMS surface is
visible all around the outer edge of the
moon. From this fact the phenomenon
takes its name.
In total eclipse that part of the earth
where a total phase is visible enters the
shadow cast by the moon. But in an an
nular eclipse this shadow does. not touch
the earth and sweeps far above it. Our
planet, In fact. stands outside of the scene
and watches from distance the effect of
one heavenly body passing directly across
the surface of another. Observers in this
locality were placed outside the limits
within which the annular phase is visible,
and, therefore, saw only a partial eclipse.
Another such phenomenon will not be Wis
IDLE on this continent until October 20,
1892.
MARCH COUNTY COURT-The following
named persons have been summoned as
veniremen to answer at the next term of
the County Court from whom jury is to
be selected for the trial of Cynthia Robin
son and Annie Frankling, indicted for
felony, to wit: John w. Todd, John A.
Wright, James Kerr, Randolph F. Nc
Glamery, Benz. f. Smith, George A. Gull
ley. Samuel Fl. Bell, Christian B. Shuey,
Crawford M. Trimble, Sam'l f. Pilson. J.
A1py Rup,Uardnnp T = CARRIER Geo A