Telegram-herald., 1890-11-16
'CITY ELECTRICIAN
FRED FAIRFIELD on ELHcTRluIn
a Crane hslsias nsx. Wlo BesaA "a tEs
nosten. ksaAo 80 ths klsotraoal
i-aadef sisiss nis tsla nanas &nd
a. cfestea ~ AAas Frionas.

AaslRi i.it iean-s s Ia town. Pred s an
old Grand Rapids hoy. 1nd has f,osn.
snoe Friday morning, shak ma hands
wlih lnuumesable old friends vho ale
glad "a welcome him for few days
sis-s 10 the Nslley CITY. Fred hesan
his career as an electrician in TIE eln-
ploy Of the Grand RAPIDS Electfio
Light and Power Company, taking his
place "a the very hotiom round Il the
ladder lie was from the nrst q close
student % ihe theory oi eloctfsciy ~
well a. a faithful servant 81 h,s em.
ployels, and. although hs adsAnee-
nleui ln position was noi rapld befe ai
home, hls acquisition ~ CIecifcai
knowledge Was rapad and inhsauiai.
AZ tae time Ui thf advent ol ile Edl-
son Company De- took service With That
COMPANY bpt was sAltea 0ut ~ place
AZ he 'ime of tee radical ChanQe Is the
alulllsilat Ql ~ shat company. HIS
drove tae young mal fwM i0nit 10
srek Ms io1Nnt and hs .sfouaa ocoauF-
A.e one oi ihe nosl honnIatlo And
respous ole Positions as cliy elcoiFlo,an
oi a iargt cff
The laEaHaH-lfHAin thinking
that lhc Way taey rianae. eieefra ~
matters in q city fhai usts mere fltc-
iDciy taan any oilti c.it 81 ls sac IL
tAc country. Wua.a Ittusi ihs rauf
Rapids pablc, soiia aht an Intcnier ia
MT. Fairfield.
"Mhat are Toe functions az eoor
oihct asked tac nierf ever. ..lon
do not mean that iAe city supplies ia
own flecir.CltFf
"No, not iaat Private compas;es
supply light and power atd other
electrical service, Iust a. iHcY Go iere.
but everything electrical aleeiue tne
streets, tue selling ~ plles tae run.
ming of wlres, cfC., IS Under flo direct
supervision and control 81 iht Board of
Public Works. ou aie a. understand
that NafhN ile consumes ulorf eiec-
tuCty % TIE s4eale uel than anf
other city ln the cuuuiry. When these
industries were forming tie companics
had Their own way - such an txiellf
taat they seemed 10 have POSSESSION
of the city. TIE thinc goi io be
- serious that fhe Common Council.
last February. created tle oflcs ~ r.tg
electrician and put the Whole business
into The handf ~ ihc Board 81 publ,c
Works. The board have iormuiated
svstem of rules and regulations to be
observed hv al companies dong busi-
ness ln The streets. al1 my duties are
90 see that everything Is done oecentiy
and iu order.
You say 3 good deal of electricity is
used there. What uses IS i put to-
WAY, everything We have the
largest telephone service 10 the world
1900 instruments Tor 5000 population.
Ne have 500 street lghts and 200 store
arc lights. There are 900 incanoescent
lamps Of the Ibomp mps0n-Houslon and
OF The Westinghouse alternating sys-
TENS. Also there is q power clrcnlt,
carrying q current equal 90 eighty Eve
hOrsc-power. There are 600 electrical
clocks ln the city getting Their time
( from common electrical center. We
( have seventy miles ~ electro FAliway.
and two other roads under constitute
ton. The Western Iuion and the
Postal Ieirgrsph Companies "a.
Ter the city. and the Nesiffn
Union has 81 system cf CAL boxes Tor
Their private messenger service. There
are tn enfy-scyeu mles oi rlrc iu tle
IRE alarm servIce. Besides a. OF vhich
there arC sixteen private isolated oioc-
tlcai plau.s owned bY parties Nno
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