Arizona republican., 1890-05-21
LET THERE BE LIGHT. A Visit to the Phoenix
 Electric Works. An Expert Explains the
 Various Machines.
Force of the Current-How it is Gen. erated, Regulated and Con-
 troled-COst of the Plant.

The electric light company Is doing a good work for the city of Phoenix.
 A reporter for TIE REPUBLICAN visited the works on Cortez street yesterday, and was courteously shown over the premises by Manager Onyx and Elec- trician w. B. Parmalee, the latter gentle man being an expert in his business and making clear to the scribe's mind the uses of all the odd-looking machines grouped about the floor of the main building.
 Everybody knows, of course, that electricity is generated by steam, and for this purpose the company has a sixty-horse power, high pressure Buck eye engine.
 From an immense drive wheel belt is run to low set machine called an excitor, where number of brushes whirling rapidly on prepared plates generate the current that subsequently, passes through double set of horse shoe magnets, between which revolves a bobbin called an alternator that is charged alternately with engative or positive electricity, as the negative CT positive poles are brought in conjunc- ton with their respective magnets, the current passing with slight jump from the magnets into the alternator.
 By this method is created what is called the brush alternating current, which is regulated and transformed int o continuous l,- 4 an attachment communicating with the alternatOr called the commutator. 1t, so to speak, commutes the alternating to continuous current.
 From the eXciteF, where it is virtually generated, the current passes into a meter for measurement, and thence into a collector, where it's strength is con- served, going afterwards, without the intervention of storage battery. an ex- pensiye piece of machinery that it would not pay to erect in Phoenix at the present time, directly to the wires car ryfng the lamps. Thus, when the ma chinery at the works is stopped every light upon the circuit is at once extin- guished.
 The electrician does not, however, thus lose all control of the force at his NOiihLiAi'i' lOl bN ultdHS Ol a itgllutDT, through which the current passes, he is able, by turning a crank, to make all the lights stronger or dinner at once, or to turn them all out at his will, while the machinery is still in operation. This Is used lh cases Of emergency or accident.
 There is also a ground indicator, with two batteries, showing lights, connected V1s1th h hA n.Nl t,N l.. grounding of either wire, the lights shown, which are normally very dim, will flare up brightly, and at the same time bell attached to the indicator will ring violently, to warn the man in charge that something is wrong, in case he should not have observed the bright ening of the lights. These, oi course, are necessary precautionary measures.
 The potential force of the charge sent over the wires is 2000 volts and the cur rent raises from zero to eighteen am pheres, the highest point, giving ca pacity for running 500 inCandescent lights. By means of an apparatus called a converter" however, the potential force can be reduced from 2OOO to 100 volts, according to the number of lamps burning, the number of ampheres be- ing increased at the same time in like proportion,
 The electric light plant, as it stands, represents an outlay of about S25, ,0OU, and betweea 25O and 260 incandescent lights have alrt ady been put up or con traced for in this city.
 The incandescent light, by the way, is curiosity in itself, the light being caused by the intense agitation in a vacuum as it is possible to produce-oi a current passing over very thin car bon wire. The vibration oi the parti- cles composing this wire cannot be per ceived by the naked eye, but it is so great that the wire is constantly disin- tegratlng, minute particles being thrown off and lodging upon the inside of the giasa bell covering the horseshoe give that smoky appearance seen invariably in lamps that have been in use for some time. This dI,inIegraCion, however, is accomplished very slowly, the wires be- ing renewed only at long intervals.
 Included in the plant IS the old ma chinery belonging to the Electric Light company formerly existing here but now deiun, [, and this apparatus is to be used in generating a current for the arc lignts. d .eS O. Nh.cl nave already been contracuud ior tO but up Tn public places,
 The first of these will be those at the park, which is IS hopsd to have in place Tn time for the bail there next Thurs day evening