The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-04-14
COST OF CITY LIGHTING.
i. G. Kilbourne Criticizes Some Loose
Statements Made.

SEATTLE, April Is, 1893
To THE EDITOR: There has been 90 much
guessing in regard to the cost OF arc lights, in
relation to the city putting in its own lighting
plant, that think . few facts may not b out Of
place.
ing Its own light plant was being egitated. an
electrical expert from Chicago made the state
ment before the city council that the city OF
Seattle ought to be able to furnish arc lights of
1000 candle power, burning all night and every
night during the year, at q cost, including ex-
pense OF every kind, interest, insurance and de-
probation, OF $50 per annum for each. At that
time gave detailed list of the expense OF
running arc lights for a 3O0-light plant Beside
this electrician from Chicago there were pres.
emit the city electrician, Mr.. Pinckney, and the
well known electrician. Prof. Leo Daft. These
three gentlemen, in the presence OF the city
council. took my figures item by item and cut
them down. in many instances lower than Mr..
Pinckney. who has had experience in Seattle in
electric lighting, would admit could be done in
actual practice in this CITY, Nevertheless. with
all their pruning. they were unable to make the
cost less than $109 per light per year, and all Of
these electricians admitted that some OF the
items making up this cost were much lower
than they should be- The result of the matter
was that the council entered into . contract for
another year for lighting the streets.
There 10 not a power plant In the city OF Seat
tie that 10 delivering elsctric power to it's lamps
or motors at q cost as low as $50 per horse power
per annum, Tor 365 days in the year and eleven
hours day. Now each 1000 candle power arc
lamp, such a. is used in lighting the streets Of
the city OF Seattle, consumes one horse power of
energy; and the lamps are run on average of
eleven hours per day. and therefore the power
alone for an arc lamp cannot be produced in
the most economical plant In Seattle today for
$50 per Aunum. Added to this Is the cost of car.
bons and trimming lamps. which IL $50 per
lamp per anDum, the maintenance of lines,
poles, repairs, interest and depreciation on the
same The city OF Seattle with plant of 800 arc
lights would not be able to run them at a cost Of
less than they are now paying, and doubt very
much IL they would be run for less than $40 per
lamp per annum.
The Chamber Of Commerce committee In their
report make use OF an article In the February
number of the RevieO Of Revie,ss. Now this srti-
Gle is very misleading.
1t quotes the cost of producing arc lights In q
number Of cities operating their own plants and
in a number OF other cities buying their light
from plants run by private corporations. They
do not compare the hours burned with the cost
Many of these cities running their own plants
run on moonlight schedules, and some of them
until IL or o'clock. while most Of tho cities
supplied by private corporations run their lights
ali night and every night Then, too. the serv-
ice given by cities running their own plants is
not as good as that supplied by private corpora
tons. lived in the city Of Aurora, ILL.,. and
know that they have habit Of shutting down
the entire plant when q severe thunder storm
comes up for fear that they might burn out
their dynamos; also when they have trouble
with electrical apparatus have known circuits.
and sometimes every circuit. to be out for a
week or ten days at . time Not being under
contract to furnish the light they have no
scrupes In shutting down q whole circuit, or
even their whole plant, when they want 10
make any repairs.
Further. the figures given by some OF the
cities to the cost Of operating their plant are
obviously incorrect a. the city OF Titusvile,
Pa, which gives the cost OF operating their
plant AT $40 per lamp per annum, and the cost OF
their plant at $50 per lamp. Both figures are
ridiculously out of tho way. ~ the town OF
Chamoersburg, Pa, gives the cost of their
plant at $3.50 per lamp and the cost OF operating
at $i5. aud they only burn. their lamps on an
average OF six hours per night, while In Titus
vile they burn them ten hours.
Al analysis of the figures in the article quoted
shows that the average cost per hour for light in
those cities opeI ating their own plants ID 8 g
cents, and in those cities buying their light of
private corporations 1t is a93 cents. while Seat
tie pays at the rate Of 8 80 cents per hour.
We don't have to 60 very far TO get the expef.
fence of a city operating its own electric light
plant East Portland has recently sold its plant
10 a private corporation, finding that their
lights were costing them between $la and sl5
per month. They have W made q contract
with the Portland General Electric Company.
who use water power. for ter m OF years at the
rate OF So 50 per light per month.
The city of Ellensburg has been paying de-
dcit monthly as a result Of operating iis own
plant, and is now negoting with private cor.
porstion for sale OF the plant and making a
long time contract at a price less than IL was
previously costing the city. The city of Ala
media, Cat, producing its own lights, pays over
SIS per light per month. The city OF Greenvilie,
south Carolina, has sold It's plant and entered
into a contract for fifteen years The city OF
Lewiston, Me, who rms its lights by water
mower aud on moonlight schedule (oeing
sversge of six hours per nighD IS quoted in the
Rsrierc of Rsrie,rs a operating the same ct .
COST Of S54 70 ,cr anuum. But gentleman who
took the trouble to investigate learned from the
MAYOR of the city that they did not count inter-
e., on the money inves tel, taxes. depreciation,
and numerous other costs which should be
charged up. This article in the Reris,s Of Re-
riess does not report such cities AZ Chicago,
wn.cn operates its own plant, and where the
cost has been found TO Dc $50 per annum-
In figuring the cost o. producing electric
Ugats IN seattle you cannot gO by figures o.
tanned in Eastern cities. for there, even with
coal at the same price. labor Is much higher and
the cost of the plant is very much more Freight
aids IS per cent to the cost OF boilers and en-
cines, 10 per cent to dvnamos, lamps. wire and
supplies. and with caroons, the cost in the East
fox frst-class half-iuch coppered csfbons Is $40
per thousand; the freight at car load rates 10