Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-11-05
LAUREL,
Contract to BE Made to Light the Town
With Electricity.
Co rdoxo 40


With Electricity.
Correspondence of The Evening Star
LAUREL, Nd. November 4, 1892.
The city council met in the city hall last
night for the transaction OF regular business
and for the reception Of bids for lighting the
town. the matter having been postponed to
that time at the request Of some Of the lea1ing
citizens, stated in The STAR.
There full attendance Of tho members
of the council, and Mayor Charles H. Stanley
was also present Representatives Of electric
light and gas companies were present to pre-
sent the advantages Of their respective lights
and to submit bids.
The gas people submitted q bid Of $40 per
light for gas lamps of twenty-four candle
power, and an opinion that 100 lights would be
sufficient. The gas bidders did not receive
much encouragement from the council COM
mittee on lights and soon retired.
The council had virtually agreed that thev
were committed by the vote of the people to
the procurement Of electric lights or none and
were soon satisfied that arc lights were too ex-
pensive, and we're, therefore. compelled to agree
upon incandescant electric lights as the only
acceptable ones prOcurable.
After considering the several bids submitted
then and before this meeting the committee,
which was composed Of Mayor Stanley and
Councilman c. W. Bond. Joseph A. Miles and
Edward Phelps, agreed to report for accept
ance the bid Of T. W. Kloman as the cheap
est and best offered. and the report of the COM
mittee was adopted and the bid of Mr.. Kioman
unanimously accepted by the council.
Mr.. Kloman's proposition is to erect and
maintain for five years 100 incandescent cleo
tric lights of thirty-two candle power each for
sl2 per lamp per year. the lamps to burn till
o'clock am. and if they burn all night then
the town is to pay him sl5 per light per year.
and all additional lights ordered by the town
are to be furnished at the same price. The
work is to be completed within sixty days from
the signing Of the contract and the contract is
to be signed not later than the 18th instant
The bid Of Mr.. Kloman recites that he has
made a careful survey Of the town and an ex-
animation Of the town map. and he is satisfied
the 100 lights will light the whole town. A re-
quest for a further postponcment of the matter
was presented to a member Of the committee
but 80 much delay had been endured by the
council and people that it was thought best to
conclude the matter Mt once.
The law forbids the making Of any contract
that does not require the whole town to be
lighted; and while the bid accepted does not
specify this in explicit terms the contract vet
to be drawn will provide for it in terms that
cannot be misunderstood, and the mayor will
see that the contract is fully carried out in this
respect before the tax is levied to pay the ex-
pense.
Your correspondent learned from the gentle
man who asked for the postponement last night
that the bid he proposed to submit was to fur
nish $50 incandescent lights of the same candle
power for 81 200 per year. This is one-half
more light than is agreed to be furnished in the
bid accepted. The gentleman also SAYS he is
satisfied that 100 lights will not give sufficient
light to comply with the law
The people are much rejoiced that the streets
are to be lighted, and feel satisfied that if the
contract is not signed for the complete lighting
of the town the gentlemen who now propose TO
furnish $50 lights for the same money will be
given chance to make the contract.
NOTES.
Mrs. Thomas N. Young slipped and fell yes
terday morning as she was going ont of the
house and suffered severe injury. 1t was at
first thought she had broken an arm. but Drs
Snowden and Cronmiller, who attended her,
pronounce it only sprained.
Mr.. 8. P. Keller is quite i'll at his home on
Washington avenue.
nouncing that his mother. who is quite an
elderly lady, was critically ill at her residence
In Howard county, and Immediately started to
see her.
gentleman is in town now who says he con-
siders Laurel one Of the best places in the state
for real estate investment and he says he will
soon commence the erection of thirty or forty
small cottages which he will rent or cell to
working people on weekly or monthly pay
ments.
The city council at its session last night
passed an ordinance for the laying of plank
sidewalk on Talbot avenue from Washington
avenue to LIST street at the joint expense Of the
town and the owners Of the abutting property.
E, p Il.