St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-08-14
GRAY ON LIGHTS.
Some Figures Secured by the
Thirteenth Ward Alderman.

Aid. j. S. Gray, who was one OF the
council junket committee which went
East couple of weeks ago and who was
the city yesterday and fastened to have
his say on the street light question since
lie had not an opportunity to make his
little talk in the council. The Thir-
teenth ward alderman wants it dis
tinctly understood that he is in favor of
the city doing its own lighting. He
collected all by himself on the question.
81 see," said he yesterday, "that the
probability of the city dong its own
street lighting seems to have stirred up
quite ripple amongst the gentlemen
who are, and have been for some time,
enjoying the proceeds of fat contracts
for city lights. And no wonder These
gentlemen see the handwriting On the
wall. The committee that went East
expected to hear lots of talk and
newspaper communications from
parties interested in light COM
panies when we returned home
and reported. have not yet
read the report of the committee, hav-
ing stayed East week longer than the
other members, during which time |
pursued plan somewhat different to
what large committee could do, and it
may be that the facts gathered have en-
abled me to form somewhat different
conclusions from my colleagues. My
observations have led me to the conclu-
sion that the incandeScent system is not
what is wanted for streets. And
| am strengthened in that opinion
by the advice of every electrician
and city official whom | have met dur
ing the entire trip. The best light for
city streets is the arc hung at street in
tersectiOnS, twenty-five feet from the
ground. The manager of the Westing-
house company says the cost of plant
would be about 500 per lamp, power
not included; the estimate given me by
the Philadelphia Electric Bureau for a
1,00O-light plant, including a $4,000
building, was S167,624; either of
which is considerably lower than our
city engineers estimate. "Now look
at this. We are paying the Brush
company $3.50 per lamp per annum
for. as the contract reads, the SO-called
1900 candle power lamp. There is no
lamp giving an actual 1900 candle pow
er, and | doubt very much if there is an
arc lamp in this city giving out 1000
candle power, and the same is true all
over the country. An actual electric
arc lamp of 1000 candle power requires
1-l5 horse power. The report of the
Philadelphia electric bureau for 1889
shows the mean candle pow
er of the Brush lamp to
be 715.S, the Thompson HOus-
ton 1866, and the Weston 479, and the
horse power required for each lamp to
be 1884 for the Brush; for the Thomson
Houston, .643, and for the Weston, .7SS.
l believe from these figures that the
beSt-known electric light plant would
consist of the Brush dynamo and the
Thomson Houston lamp, for you must
bear in mind that the above results were
obtained from the same wire with the
different lamps.
LAS for the other lighting companies,
we are paying altogether too high a
price for lights, and they know it. Said
gentleman to me while East: L will
light your city on contract for ten
years with 1000 arc lights or more for
$50 a lamp per year, Furthermore, the
electrical bureau, of Philadelphia, re-
port for 1889, page 40, says the annual
cost to the city of each electric lamp is
S4S5O.'
Aid. Gray has no fear that the city
will buy out the Brush plant or use the
Dorsett conduit He also thinks that
the electric lighting companies should
be made to pay for the privilege of
using the streets for the laying of UNI
dergrOund cOnduitS.