Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1886-09-10
A step FORWARD.
STANTON TO BE LIGHTED By
ELECTRICITY WITHIN
SIXTY DAYS.

| STA UNION 10 BE LIHHIED d
ELECTRICITY WITHIN
SIXTY DAYS.
CONTRACT MADE WITH THE THOMPSON
| HOUSTON COMPANY-COL. JAMES r.
| SKINNER ADDRESSES THE MEETING IN
| OPPOSITION TO THE UNDERTAKING AT
! THIS TIME-A UNANIMOUS VOTE CAST
| FOR THE ELECTRIC LIGHTING.
J &C., &C., sc.
| Unless some accident or delay occurs to
| prevent the execution of the contract
Staunton will be blazing with electric
lights during the November nights. The
| city council, at its session Tuesday even.
| ing, ratified the contract made by its spe-
| cial joint committee, with the Thompson
Houston company, to furnish the
machinery, wires, and 80 forth, for that
purpose.
THE CONTRACT.
Mr.. Tams read the contract which they
Electric Light Co. to furnish all the ma
terial for setting up and operating thirty
eight electric street lights, the outfit to in
clude SO HIP. engine, 5 miles of copper
| wire, and in short everything required.
The plant to be tested by trial of sixty
days. operated by the company 3 own men.
J and if the test is not satisfactory in all re-
spects the plant not to be accepted. The
cost to the city is to be 81, 264, the pay
ments to be made as follows-at the end
of the go days if the test is satisfactory
$2.764; at the end of six months 81 .000,
and at the end Of twelve months the re-
naming $1,000. The company guarantees
all the outfit to work in good order for
| fifteen months, and to have the lights in
operation in sixty days after the contract
| is signed.
HOW IT WORKS ELSEWHERE.
Mr.. Tams who was Chairman Of the spe-
cial committee sent by the council to exa-
| mine thu working of the Thompson
Houston system in other cities, said that
at Danville, Va, they found that town
though it owned it's gas-works. had also
bought an electric plant. There, they
found the latter the cheaper light. They
were charging their gas-works to accom-.
modate private consumers of gas. In Will
mingJon, N. G., private company operated
the system, having commenced in a small
| way, and are now furnishing 25 CONNER
clal lights and so street lights. In Wash
ington city the committee was Informed, by
those who used it, that the light was the
best to be found anywhere. In all these
| cities, they were told that the character Of
! the light was satisfactory.
THE COST OF OPERATING IT IN
sTAUNToN.
The committee, Mr.. Tams said, had as
certained the following to be the cost, pei
year, of operating the light here after it Is
set up: Engineer, 5000; carbons, 1925
oil and waste, $50; incidental, $50. and
coal, $300-total,.. 81 1926. The city now
pays 81. 200 per annum for street lights
The city, Mr.. Tams thought. probably
| could sell seven commercial lights at $12(
each year, which, in this case. would re
duce the costsof the electric light to $485
as against 81 200 paid now.
WHERE THE MONEY is TO COME FROM.
| There had been, he said. some discussion
about where the money was to come fron
whether bonds of the city would hav
to be issued. He would say that the none,
was already here, and from fund not at
fected by appropriations made to thu
| cfo 4 i,,o h,,f n -,
from debts regarded as lost. The report o
| City Treasurer Hoge showed that Their
was 81 ,494 cash in his hands realized from
the tickets left by John M. Carroll; 81 ,60(
to be realized from sale of property from
delinquent taxes; 5000 more in Elder
\ Nelson's hands from the Carroll indebted
ness showing that the city could easily I'm
der take the electric light without emba1
RAISING other works.
In the United States. 220 towns ant
cities are using the Thompson-H Houston
system; Of these ,95 per cent. have increase,
their plants and not one of the cities hai
abandoned the use of the electric light.
Mr.. McQuaide, after Mr.. Tams had con
cluded, moved that the contract reported
by the Committee be ratified.
REMARKS OF COL. J. H. SKINNER.
Here, permission was given to Col. Jas
H. Skinner, Treasurer Of the Stauntor
Gas Company, to address the Council
He said he respectfully asked the priv1leg
on account of three interests-as stock
holder in the Staunton Gas Company, a
city tax payer and as property holder
he thought thai, considering all things
there were other improvements more
pressing than the Immediate lighting
of the streets, and if $500 coul(
be spent by the city it coult
better be devoted to those improvements
He was at the White Sulphur Spring
when he saw the INDICATOR contain
ing the report of the committee which
had visited the cities named. He ther'
met an intelligent citizen of Danville. whit
in conversation told him that the reason
Danville adopted the electric light, wa
because it was an alternative between
doing that, and charging their gas works
at cost of $4,000. This gentleman sale
that Danville ran 80 lights by horse power
at cost of So, 800 per annum. He did MOI
know whether that sum included the IN
terest on the plant, which cost $8,400
The gentleman said that Danville hoped
to reduce the expense to So, 500. Now
said Col. S., if it costs Danville. say So 500
d year to run go lights, it would cost
Staunton to run 81 lights $780, to which
must be added, say $3.50 interest on hel
plant-making an annual cost to Staunton
of So, $50, as against 81 200 now paid by
the city. He would, in passing, explain