The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1890-07-26
The I.Irht Question.


The FREE TRADER has not been an
advocate Of any particular system OF
electric lighting for the city OF Otta-
wa: but as the contest for lighting
this city seems to have narrowed IT.
self down TO an issue between the
Westinghouse and the Thoms0n-H0us'
ton companies, the FREE TRADER
must confess to a leaning to the lat
ter.
The issue Is about this: The West
inghouse cannot point to "A single city
where that system has been in success
full operation for six months: the
ThOmson-Houston has been in success
full operation in scores Of places for
several years-notably in ourOwn city.
The bids of the two companies on a
20 mile circuit basis (which is the an
ticipated length of the circuit that
will be constructed) are not $50 apart:
on $l5-mile basis, not over 800 apart.
AS the Th.-H. Co. stands ready to
make written guarantees that the cost
of operation, of carbons and trim
mings shall be as low as any company
bidding, the only question involved,
therefore, is that of the comparative
merits of the two systems.
The Th.-H. light has been seen in
Ottawa every night for several years
Its quality, reliability in all weather,
in calm and storm, is known by the
aldermen and citizens. No one can
offer a valid objection to the light:
and the ma chinery here making the
light Is not now and at no time has
been run by experts.
On the other hand: The few alder
men who have seen the Westinghouse
light at all have in no instance seen
the light when not running under the
direction of factory expert. They
cannot point to single city where the
light has been in satisfactory operation
six months with or without factory
expert in charge of the station. The
Westinghouse Eight" admit that
Westinghouse plants have been taken
out at Nashville, Tenn, and at Bos-
ton, but they insist that it is only be-
cause OF the disagreeable humming
noise made by the Westinghouse light,
rendering it unsatisfactory for COM
mercial lighting. The other objections
(l) that having fiat carbon the lights
necessarily cast an alternating shadow
as the carbon passes across the arc:
and (2) that the lights are easily blown
out in a storm, to Obviate which OBJ
lection a very large globe must be
used,-the Westinghouse Eight do not
meet at all, or, at best, says, I'VE have
seed no such shadow" &c. They fall
back, however, on the written guar
anty of the Westinghouse company
that the light shall be satisfactory in
all respects or the city may order the
plant removed, which the WeSting-
house company shall do. the city, in
that event, to be at no expense either
for construction or operation here or
for it's removal.
Now, of course, every one admits
the financial ability of the Westing-
house company to comply with such a
guaranty, capitalized as the company
now is at $10,000,0 600, whose check is as
bankable as greenbackS. But Ottawa
is not supposed to be buying plant
that it is expected will be taken out.
The putting in of a plant takes from
60 to 30 days time. Taking out and
rebuilding takes as much more time.
When Ottawa puts in plant 1t is
with the expectation that 1t will stay
until finally destroyed by use. Fur
thermOre, who is to be the final Judge
whether the plant is or is not salts
factory? Is it to be the eight who
vote to buy the plant or the six who
vote against buying it? The chances
of getting such public plant removed
without a law suit are very slender, no
matter how unsatisfactory to the pub
lie in general who have no authority
in the matter at all. The buying is
easy enough, but the rejection is much
more difficult, from the fact that the
power to reject is too indefinite to be
brought into action. City councils
are content with the "Good-enOugh"
when they could have better or the
best for the same money.