Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-11-03
CITY AND DISTRICT.
MAKING ELECTRICITY.

MAKING ELECTRICITY.
"nere the Electricity for the Lights
ABOUT IOwn is Ground Out-The New
Quarters of the United States Com.
Pany-lmprOved Machinery and I'm
dergrOund Wires.
Near the corner of I'd and B streets north
west is long brick building which seems to
have started up like some monster from the
ground and to be hesitating which way to
turn IL stands some distance back from the
street. ana runs at an eccentric angle from the
street line, utterly regardless of all subdivisions
WHICH one might reasonably suppose would be
MADE OF the ground. Then it has, too, slight
curve, as though it were a segment of q huge
circle Many years ago this building was on
OF tie depots OF the Baltimore and Ohio rail.
end into which cars were run. In those DAYS
steam locomotives and railroad cars were
q great wonder. This was one OF the
country, and it was built SO substantially
that time has had little effect upon the walls
Within Its walls was nursed an infant which
nas crown 10 De giant OF vast proportions
aWling over the whole continent. Now
another infant has been taken into the arms of
I inns .no.heriy old building, an infant whose
strong, and is bound to be a giant some day. At
dark anyone passing this square will see long
DAZZLING WHITE LIGHT
streaming out from the windows OF the build
ing and from the hugh doorways will issue a
flood OF light that make the moon and stars
look duIi ana the surrounding night black and
deep Figures OF men moving inside the build
We1rdly across the broad tracks of light that
lead from every doorway and window man
with the minimum amount OF Imagination
might easily be led into fancying that this was
some Internal workshop where COLLINS were at
work manufacturing Bullwer-Lytton's Vrl
The truth Is that the men at work are engaged
in manufacturing force which in many re-
spects Is as much OF mystery vril. This is
an electricity factory. The United States Flee
in the fire at the Post building, started afresh
in this building, and has greatly increased
its facilities. Still the demand for electric
lighting is increasing SO fast, an officer of the
company said to a STAR reporter, that the
present building or station will not be large
enough next year. Contracts have been made
Tor furnishing this winter three hundred lights,
nearly double the number furnished last win
ter. Improvements in apparatus and methods
have SO improved the quality of the light that
merchants whe have hitherto maintained a
light outside their stores are now ordering lights
to be placed inside. Next winter, sanguine
members of the company expect that the infant
will double its size again.
While the fire entailed serious loss upon the
company, In one aspect 1t proved beneficial for
1t-ln place OF the Old machinery the company,
after a careful investigation, secured what to
them seemed the very best equipment for an
electric lighting establishment. Even within
the short space of time that the electric light
has been used for Illuminating purposes, i'm
provements have followed each other SO rapidly
that machines made three or four years ago are
conside
QUITE OLD FASHIONED.
The company purchased the dynamos and
engine OF the Brush company, which was al
ready located in the building, and used that
apparatus to supply their customers with cleo
trlcity while they were getting in a new equip
ment The building will soon be filled to its
utmost capacity with engines and dynamoS
In the northern end are three immense steel
boilers, each provided with what Is known as
the Jarvis setting. Two 1de engines made at
Harrisburg, each of 80 horse power, and a 100
horse power engine built in New York, are now
In operation. AT the other end of the building,
two new Ide engines, OF 100 horse power each,
will soon be in motion. Each engine runs two
dynamos. It is calculated that each electric
light represents one horse power. A 60 horse
power engine will make electricity for 60 lights
To furnish lights as cheaply as possible, the
economy N fuel and steam power. The boilers
are SO constructed with the Jarvis setting, that,
it is claimed the maximum amount of heat is
obtained from the fuel. The popularity of the
of currents of air with the gases from the fur
mace SO that the gases are consumed.
IMPROVED STEAM ENGINES
The requirements of electric light companies
has stimulated the higher development of the
steam engine. To make a steady light required
q STEADY, UNIFORM mOtlOQ never varying IN q
revolution, though the fiywheel was spinning
at the rate OF 26O revolutions q minute. To
meet such requirements the closest attention
machines wonderful in their perfection have
been evOlved-an engine that automatically &C.
commodities itself to the task set for it, SO that
ceptibly affect its motion. Automatic and sen.
sitive governors within the fiy-wheel and auto
matte "cut-offs," which admit to the cylinders
just as much steam as the engine needs for its
work, and no more help to bring about this
state of perfection. They also cheaper the cost
of producing electricity by getting the maxi
steam. Enough steam, for instance, is admit
ted to fill One-Quarter of the cylinder, and the
steam is then cut off: The remainder of the
stroke of the piston Is made by the expansion
OF the steam in the cylinder. The engines have
to run at a rapid rate, as the armatures in the
dynamos must rev9lve at rate of 100 revo-
lutiOns minute. Belts from the fly-wheels of
the engine run directly to the dynamos, SO
there is no intermediate shafting.
NEW DYNAMOs AND UNDERGROUND WIRES.
The new dynamos put in by the company are
of the Thomson-Houston pattern, for which
many advantages are claimed. One of the in
teresting points about it in the eye of stock
holder is an automatic regulator which en-
ables the dynamo to take care of itself in the
machines the electricity would be turned back
into the machine and burn out the armature,
involving an expense of $500 or $500 every
time such accidents occurred, and they Oc-
Cured with frequency enough to have
quite q bearish effect on electric light
stock. If an attendant was promptly on
hand ready to turn off the current serious re-
suits might be prevented, but then the attend
ant could not always be just in the right place.
The current when turned off from the wires
would be turned into a box of german silver,
which 1t was calculated offered an amount of
just equal to that of the circuits of
wire outside. Another advantage claimed for
the new dynamOs Is that they will supply
on the same circuit for
both arc lights and incandescent lights
at the same time and over the same wires.
The company has been pushing operations out
side as well as inside its station. An under
ground conduit with several cables has just
been laid on Pennsylvania avenue, between It'll
street and the Capitol This is an experimental
line, but the company Is already SO well salts
fled with the system adopted that the cable ON
street will be taken up and relaid like the
vision has been made at proper intervals for
lamp posts. In case the Underground wires
work satisfactorily, all Of the company's wires
will probably soon be placed underground.
"All electric light, telegraph or telephone COM
pantes would prefer underground wires, said
an officer OF the company, 'ff q really practic-
able system were devised. The first cost, of
than balanced by the loss constantly occurring
where aerial lines are used, on account of the
breaking OF wires whenever heavy storms
occur"
The Church Choral Union.
AN EFFORT TO IMPROVE CONGREGATIONAL
sINGING-THE PLANS FOR THE SEASON.
The Church Choral Union met at the Young
Mems Christian association parlors last eve
ming, and inaugurated their musical season,
Rev. Mr.. WynkOOp, presiding, first over the