The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-01-27

about them 30 hot and damp that sub
way system IN IL cannot be successfully
operated. Ii will not be at oil surprising
Il they eventually claim Ike disastrous
influences from the coniiguiiy OF Cal
vinisis and Baplists living near their
lines. Surely they viii IS by 50 DOING
they can work delay in the burying OF
their wires.
Revcrting TO this matter recalls some
interesting facts that have been lost
sight If for quarter Of century, nut
that are worthy of resurrection and re-
tention in remembrance. Now York was
the first city in the world that il was pro-
posed should be lighted by electricity,
and the proposition was made by three
brainy bows. then students In tire New
York college. neither Of them 10 years
old no the time One OF those boys. the
leading spirit in the scheme, was I'd
ward lIolimeycr Boyer, now principal
of Grammar School 30. 8. another holds
"a prominent editorial position ca the
most widely circulated newspaper an
New N0rl. and the third Is, as he has
ncen for years, IN Official in tho weigh
crs' dcuarlmcnt az the New York Gus
tom house. The three lads were cnihu-
s;astic students of electricity and
conducted most OF their experiments
together One day Boyer suggested TO
III fellows the magnificent idea Of de
vi.iug practicable plan fOrccOn0mically
Lighting New York log electricity. The
incandcsccnt light was not yet dreamed
of. hut they knew ihlt the decomposition
OF carbon bv tho electric current would
produce an intense light-such rs every
BODY knows nOw as the "aic light. %
Thcy rccoguized before them the prob
lens how 10 provide the current eco
n0micailv and how 70 distribute the
LIGHT effectively. and oB those they
worked with plrposcful patience for a
couple of yeors. At length their scheme
was perfected The power they pro-
posed 90 employ was the slow but certain
and tremendous one Of Che rising and
falling a. the tide. They planned o.
have four enormous floats gcarcd for the
generating o. that power. one stationed
on the "POcr House Flats, NJ the head
# Avenue j., second 40 CorIears
Hook; "a third 40 the loot a. Canal street
ia thc North river; and the fourth az tlc
foot of West Tweuty-third street ~
ingenious appliances they arranged ilr
the conservation Of energy during tic
periods of slack tides ami for regulating
ihe operations of tAc machinery to uHi-
formv 40 an duo3. 1hcn FIR tlC
Utilization of the light. they proposed io
erect fOm towers, each 30 or arO flc'
hieh. constructed Cf skeleton iron UorE
Ike the tower now standing at Haiatts
Point. ono was 90 DE placed in iCmp-
kins square, second, IN or near Mad
ison square: third. I'D St. Johns park.
and tlc fourth somewhere near tHc city
hall. The angles of radiation Of each
lieht were carefully calculated, and thc
heights of the several towers regulated
accordingly. so as TO give tho widest pos
siblc diffusion to the ligi;s, the practical
effectiveness of which was 10 be s,ill
further enhanced by system OF super
imposed rchcctors.
This plan was q bold one, and the boys
had worked it out, in all its details, with
the thoughtfW care Of able engineers,
and SO good was il that its principal fca-
lures are now practically employed ID
The lighting Of an English city. ine in-
auurafi0n cf the plant would have been
expensive. each tower. DC was computed,
costing about $50. 900, but the projectors
demonstrated that the subsequent cost O.
operation would not exceed $4,000 per
annum for the entire service.
The proposition, accompanied 10y an
admirable set If Illustrative drawings,
ample explanatory matter and closely
detailed calculation of cost. was pre-
sentcd 60 the board of aldermen IN 1859.
The livery stable keepers, gin sellers and
ward heclcrs i'm that august body Ic-
ceived ihe communication with shouts
of nughter Tho idea of lighting city
hv electricity seemed intensely funny To-
them. "Fwats electricity onyhow!
asked one. "Daml.no,' replied another.
They bavcd at science, and laid the
communication on he cable. D0unties
there were flaws in the plan, 10 would be
strange If there were not, coming 80 %
did from three boys; but those h9yl
were far ahead I'm scientific movie
Of the fellows vhO sat down upon them.
and even had they offered nothing more
than the germ of such o splendid idea,
that germ was worthy of much more re-
specaul consideration than il received.
The fact deserves 20 go into history that
municipal lighting was first proposed sog
the city of New YORK., and with it the
other fact that il was proposed by repre-
sentative American boys, whose beng
ahead az their fellow citizcns was not $50
very strange cfler al, since they were
ahead Of an ths rest OF the world.
JANIS II. CONNrLLY.