The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-30
INSPECTING THE WIRES.
AN INVESTIGATION OF THE CITY's
ELECTRIC SYSTEM.

COmp2nyS Plant ana the Isolated
Plants" IN SsvanuGh-Sonoe of the
Detects Pointed Out-The Object of
the Inspection.
J. s. Alfred, electrician for the South
eastern Tariff Association for the states OF
Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and the two
Caroliaas. IS at the Pulaski house. He
has finished bis inspection of the
electric light plants and wires in SavGn-
nah except the plant OF the Gorrie Ice Man
ufacturing Company, which he Will inspect
tomorrow Tuesday lie viii leave for
Charleston.
Ar. Alfred was esled how be found the
plants here. He replied that the street
service is very good There Is an absence
of guard wires, however, to support the
wooden pins on the cross arms of poles
and OF guard wires to prevent
OVERLAP ging telephone or telegraph wires
from coming IN contact with the electric
wires IN street lighting. OF the defects in
the commercial system. Mr.. Alfred says the
defects ere not peculiar 20 the Brush Elec-
trlc Light COMPANY plant IN this city, but
all the plants in his territory, to a greater
or less extent, have the same defects. lie
says the fault is not with the local compa-
MES, but OF the manufacturers OF the plants,
who nave not generally fully equipped the
plants, but have sent them III al incomplete
shape. and he says thas this is true Of the
cent al stations, which are sometimes much
wolse than isolate plants.
DEFECTS POINTED OUT.
Mr.. Alfred says that his province is not
20 be fault finder. he acts more in an ad-
visory capacity, and he mas found that the
electric hgbt companies have shown will
ingness to remedy the defects when brought
to their atten ioIs This he says is true Of
the Brush Electric Light Company of this
city, whose officials aided him in every
way to make his inspection thorough, and
they assured him that the defects will be
remedied promptly. Mr.. Alfred says that
as result of the inspection the expense of
remedying the defects viii be more than
compensated by tue &c Jnomy OF operating
the plant, and this win apply also to the
isolated plants.
Mr.. Alfred found defects of twenty-eight
different kinds in the street and commercial
system Of electric lighting in Savannah,
which are classified as follows:
DEFECTS IN SAVANNAH WIRES.
Wires passing through holes not addi-
tionally insulated
Wires noC Tapped to tubing outside of
holes.
Wires not arranged to prevent the intro
duction Of moisture
Wires not separated the required distance
Wires in contact with or too close to for
eign Metallic bodies.
Wires attached by clsatS or staples, which
applies TO arc lights.
Wires attached BY staples, which applies
TO incandescan5 wires only.
Wires not rightly separated.
Wires with max d spices, connections or
insulation abraded.
More than one wire through the same
hole.
Wires concealed so as to prevent inspec-
ton. Mr.. Alfred says in these cases the
wires were correctly pat in, as far as could
be seen.
Wires to be rearranged.
Wires dead or s1perhIous. MIR. Alfred
says that very little dead or superfuous
wire belongs TO the Brush company here,
which is in its favor.
Wires to be removed
Porcelain insulltors for outside work.
These are prohibited. This applies to arc
lights, and some OF the porcelain iusulators
| have been used here.
insulators not properly arranged.
Lamps not entirely exposed. There are,
he says, one or TWO arc lights in buildings
| with this defect.
Lamps not sealed on the bottom. This
defect is dangerous one in stores. as the
or by the heat expansion of the metal
holder may let the heated carbon fail. Tee
| lamps On the Ocean steamship waryes are
properly sealed, but these are the only ones
| which are.
Lamps not provided with spark arresters.
| This applies to arc lights.
Tubing rotten, split, defective or not of
| approved material.
| Transformers located inside of the build
| ing. This defect was found in only two or
| three cases.
J Trausf rmers not properly insulated
| Several of these defects exist
| No single light fu es. This defect was
| quite frequently met with
| No branch fuses. This defect was met
with in some cases, but Is not general.
| No cIt-Ou5 switch. This is for arc lights
| only, and twelve cases Of the kind were
| found. This defect is serious one, as the
! cut-0ut switch is demanded so that in cases
| of accident such as q fire, there should be a
cut-out switch easily accessible from the
outside by policemen and firemen to isolate
the building by turning off the electric full.
Cut out switch not properly located so
that they may be accessible from the out
side.
No Insulating joints in gas fixtures. This
| defect is very general, and occurs where
electric wires would follow the gas fixtures
for a double system OF lighting.
| Loose foSettes, clest5, lnsulatorS or other
fixtures. Mr. Alfred says thera are fewer
Of this last class of defects in Savannah
than ia any other city whose electric plants
he has inspected.
| THE CONDITION OF PRIVATE PLANTS.
Referring to private plants, or what is
| known in electrical parlancs as Isolated
| plants" MIR. Alfred says that repor5 on
one will come very near covering all, as the
same defects usually exist in all.
OF tle private plant Of the MORNING
News building, Mr.. Alfred says that the
| work of putting in the plant was carefully
done, aud the insulation is now in good CON
dition.
The De Soto plant Mr.. Alfred saws,
was carefully d0neA but some few defects
were found, which are now being remedied.
The dynamo of the Savannah brewery
plant was found in damp pncs, and an
absence was noted OF single light fuses, and
the wires are not specially iasula ed as re-
CURED for damp places.
DEFECTS GENERALLY FOUND.
The plants Of the Georgia fertilizer
works and toe Southern Cotton Oil Com
pany, Mr.. Alfred says have the same de-
fects as are usually found-an absence OF
necessary Instruments for economic opera
ton and absence of single light fuses
Mr. Alfred, VINO has been ali his life col
nected with eiectri al appliances, began his
work of lusDectinp the plants in his tarri-