Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-03
THE COST REDUCED
On Arc Lamps for Street Lighting-The
Allegheny County Light Company Bids

On Arc Lamps for Street Lighting-The
Allegheny County Light Company Bids
Lowest and Secures the Four-Year Con-
tract-Gasoline Takes Rise.
The contract for lighting the streets of
the city was awarded yesterday to the Allie
gheny County Light Company at S96 per
1000 candle-power arc lamp. The East
End Light Company, which has the present
contract, bid S9S These were the only bid
ders for electric lighting. The Globe and
Sun Vapor Street Light Company and the
Pennsylvania Globe Gas Company we're
bidders for gasoline lights, but the East End
Electric Company underbid them and got
the contract at S17 95 per lamp for gas or
gasoline. The contracts are for four years,
beginning January /, 1892.
The Thomson Houston Electric Com
pany did not inject the spirit into the bid
ding that was expected. Its agent In tins
city has been visiting City Hall daily for
over week, and it was generally under
stood that he would make an offer so low
as to insure the contract to that
company. The gentleman was on
hand yesterday just before the bidding
closed and, it was reported, had bid IN
his pocket, but failed to offer it. The atti-
tude of the Thomson-H Houston people is be-
lieved to have had the effect of forcing
down the figures of the other bidders, and
Superintendent Bowers, of the Bureau of
Lighting, was overheard to remark that eff
it hadn't been for the outside companies the
local fellows would have put in higher
bid than the old contract" He explained
that by the outside fellows he meant the In
dianapolis Jenny Company and the Thom-
SON. Houston.
- Chief Bigelow believes, however, that
electric lighting is bound to get cheaper
each year, and he remarked yesterday that
the contract would not have been awarded
If the bids had been as high as the old con-
tract.
For the past three years the East End
Company has had the contract at S12O each
per year for the first 100 lamps, and 500
for all over that AT the time the last con-
tract was made it was not thought advisa-
BILE to use so many lights, as the venture
was somewhat experimental But 1T was
soon found that one arc lamp would dis
place from four to six gas or gasoline lamps,
and giving a much superior light, was much
cheaper in the end The number was then
increased until at present there are ,25o
arc lights in the city streets. There are
also 9, 44S gasoline lamps, costing under the
old contract S12 each per year, but this year
they will cost S17 50 each, the contractors
claiming they actually lost S. year on
each lamp at the old figures. Chief Bige-
low has investigated this subject and con-
firms the statement of the company. The
cost of incandescent lamps under the new
contract will be the same as the old, S1S
each. There are 232 of these in use, but
Controller Morrow declares they are a
failure for street lighting, and he will op-
pose their use hereafter.
The total cost of lighting the city for a
wear under the old contract, exclusive of
salaries to city employees, was S160, $50, of
which S115.S00 was for ,15S arc lights at
500 each, So, 600 for 100 arc lights at S120
each, SOS, $40 for ., ,44S gasoline lamps at S12
each, and So, 176 for 232 incandescent lamps
at SIS each. Under the new contract 81
each will be saved on ], 1853 arc lamps and
S24 each ON 100, making the total for arc
lamps S120, ,76S But this saving of S7,032
on arc lamps will be counterbalanced by the
cost of gasoline lamps, which will
cost S43, ,941 60, or SIS, 565 60 more than the
old contract, and the total cost of lighting
will be S167 1856 CO. This is 81, ,535 60 of an
increase caused by the increased cost of
gasoline. Chief Bigelow declares he will
reduce this by cutting down the number of
gasoline lamps as rapidly as possible, using |
one arc light where six gasoline or six in
candescent lamps are now used. He ex. |
poets thereby to reduce the total cost by |
J, 200 to $4,000.