The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-08-02
THE COMMITTEE ON LIGHTS
And the Chs Trustees Fail to secare
nunru1n

quorum
A joint meeting Of the Board OF Gas
Trustees and the Council Committee on
Lights was called for last eycningfor the
purpose of further agitating the ques-
ton of the city providing herself with
an electric light plant for the purpose OF
lighting the streets and, possibly, fur
nishing the light to few private con-
sumers at the start, ultimately to all
who desired to use it in place OF gas. No
meeting was held, however, us a quorum
OF the committee failed to appear. One
member was all that was lacking. Those
present were Messrs. Seamon and Lewis,
Of the Board, with Mr.. A. j. SeamoD,
their Secretary, and Nlessrs. Delbrugge,
Terrell and Prayer, OF the committee.
They sat around till $3.50 o'clock and
then went home after resolving to make
another effort to meet tomorrow
evening.
1t is not known that anything definite
can be done even when meeting is
held. It is understood that there are
legal complications in the way that will
prevent the city by its Gas Trustees or
in any other manner, from establishing
an electric light plant, even for the sole
purpose OF lighting the streets. These
legal points, it is further understood,
can only be removed by acts OF the Leg
islature.
That they should be removed, and
that US speedily us possible, every dis:
interested citizen will agree who will
stop and carefully consider the matter II
momert. a gentleman well expressed
the situation last night in the following
few words. He said:
"The electriclight is rs surely the light
OF the near future as the earth revolves.
New improvements are being made al
most daily and the electric lights are
rapidly nearing perfection, and l pre-
dict that in five years from now it will
have superseded gas everywhere for
street Lighting and business purposes.
The electric light company We have
here now has already cut mon the reve-
nues OF the gas works somewhat with its
incandescent light. Let it get hold of a
good arc light and the gas works are
liable to be seriously embarrassed. The
gas now consumed by the street lights
and in public buildings and charitable
institutions and Tor which not u cent is
received costs annually $4,000 to pro.
duce il; were it sold for the same pur-
pose to which it is now put it would in
all probability cost more. In addition to
furnishing this gas and keeping up the
service the gas works pays thousands Of
dollars annually on city bonds. 1t does
all this and furnishes gas 10 private con-
sumers at seventy-tiye Cents-the cheap
est gas in the country.
"0nce private corporation supplies
patrons with light more to their liking
the gas works are bound to be embar.
raised. A plant that would supply one
hundred and fifty 1000 candle power
arc lights would start the city well
enough. One hundred would light the
streets better than they are now lit by
gas, according to men in the business
who have looked the field oyer, and the
remaining fifty could be furnished indi
viduals ut prices that would pay Tor the
running OF the plant. In two years
time, the $4,000 saved annually by dis
continuing the use OF gas would pay fol
the plant"