Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-03-11
BUSY, BOUNDING BURTON.
WHAT 1t HAS. WHAT IT IS, AND
WHAT MADE Ii.
MaryelOus Achievements in Elec-
trical SciepSe-- Late Discover
les OF Interest and Value.

one WITH our nelgnDOflnp Jlttle CITY
Burton. Having gotten into successful
operation new system of electric light
ing for the city, the enterprisinS citizens
felt that it was an event worth celebrat-
ing, and united with their accustomed
oneness to make the occasion a credit to
their famed city Invitations were sent
to representative citizens of every city
and town within radius of fifty miles
and goodly number responded and
made themselves guests of the city.
As before stated the features of the
occasion We're a full and complete exhi-
bition aud exposition of the electrical
machinery and apparatus by which the
streets, business houses and residences of
the place are lighted. and a banquet at
the Radix House, the leading hostelry.
The last was planned and cleverly exc
cuted by Mr.. Radix, the popular proprie-
tor of that house. The spread was all
that the most painstaking caterer could
provide, while the hall was appro-
priately decorated with the national
emblems, evergreens and potted flowers.
After-supper speeches constituted most
enjoyable feature of the evening. all
tending to throw Eight upon Burton,
its history, present status and future
| prospects. 1t was not until near the
midnight hour that this very entertain
ing and really instructive passtime was
brought to close and the party dis
| perSed.
Among the guests at the banquet were
Mayor and Mrs E. Johns, NJ. Jacoby and
wife, II. Emerson and wife. L. Ii. Spen-
Ger and wife, w. II. Wilson and wife,
Col. l.. Cone and wife, NJ. L. Sherry and
wife, P. w. Easling and wife, Miss Nina
| Easling, DR.. F. Hamilton, Prof. Baseiie,
j. S. Elder, Geo. Slough, c.. R. Wise, H.
L. jackson, Mr.. Hops, w. L. Daley,
W. 0. Van Arnarsdale, Geo. A. Tamplin,
W. T. Stocker, Howard Frame, r. S.
Thompson. j. T. Lemere. S. j. Eales, A.
| D. Spencer, D. C. Collier, Prof. T. j.
! Norton. H. l.. Gillian, II. E. Swan and
a number of others whose names could
not be obtained
AS TO THE LIGHT.
tants to aspire to such city features
as electric lighting for public
and private use. as in the case of Burr
ton, is an evidence of enterprise without a
! parallel so far as the writer knows. But
the leading spirits of the town felt that
it was an adjunct that they needed, and
learning through correspondence with
| the Interstate Electric Co., of Kansas
City, that in point of expense the accu-
mulatOr or storage system was within
their reach and would afford the city
and private consumers all they wanted
in the matter OF lighting, determined to
introduce and test it and if satisfactory
to adopt it. These points are all now de-
finitely settled: the company named
above is supplying Burton with electric
lights that are all they desire and more
than they expected. From Mr.. w. F.
Stocker, the local electrician and man
ager of the plant, we learned the follow
ing points:
The system is known as the accumula-
tor or storage system, the current or
force being generated from dynamo
that may be run by steam. water or
wind power-nO chemicals are used. The
Burton plant consists of one
15-horse power engine, one small
dynamo and two series of cells
(sixty-six cells all together) the cells be-
ing used for the storage of electric force.
And herein lies the secret of economy
possessed by this system. The company
is supplying one hundred and fourteen
lights and only run the engine exclu-
sively for storing from three to five
hours in the twentyfour, this being
sufficient in addition to the force stored
during the day (the engine being en-
ployed in running the machinery of
grain elevator during the day. To
supply the volume of lighting now
furnished would require a fifty-hOrse
power eugine, run at its full capacity
during the time the lights are kept up. if
the current were applied direct, without
the aid of the reserve force. As ar
ranged in the Burton system the direct
and accumulated force both is used I'M
til say 5 o'clock, when the engine is
stopped and the reserve, supplied from
ing for the next twenty-four hours if
necessary, the street lights are shut off
at II o'clock
As to the expense, the city
pays 800 year for the
twenty-four street lights. Private
lights are furnished for 81 month for a
single lamp, or about 80 cents each if as
many half dozen are used. The COM
pany Use the SawyerMann lamp with /
Edison fixtures.
BY the use of very ingenius device, /
originated and patened by Mr. Stocker, /
the local manager. connected with an
ordinary small marine clock, the entire .
circuit of street lights is controlled and .
extinguished or lighted at a given hour, !
thus doing automatically in an instant .
what would require an hours time to do .
by hand.
Many other points in detail OF the con-
struction of battery cells, etc. might be
given, but the foregoing viii suffice to
show the advantages possessed by this
system of lighting, particularly its
simplicity and economy, to give readers
q sufficient understanding OF 1t 10 decide
it viii meet their requirements
for corporate or private Use, such as
large hotels, business blocks. large Office
building, etc. where motive power
Is already in Use or is in contemplation
Burton Is fast gaining notoriety as an
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