The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-11-02
nsn1 ElNot ofle Ia.egGensn

sIR.-Tbs Register deyoteS thfee COL
nmns in this mornings issue in reply
Ing 10 our card Of Wednesday. giving
many mistatsments, bat no facts. unless
itIsln taking back its statement that
the revenues Of tho gas works had re-
NAMED stationary for years on account
Of tho ineaude.csnt light
They don't explain how the wages Of
tho gas works came to DO slo,15l "a
more in 1893 than they were in 1892.
nor why tho coal bills paid in 1888
were ssl, csc "a more than they we're in
1892; nor why the salaries were s.
SOL 20 more Ia 1903 than they were in
1892. Tho claim Is made that only
$40 600 has been expended for operat.
Ing the electric plant In ten nonths Of
1894. but they don't tell how much of
the above i.eTns are charged 70 the gas
works shat belong 70 tho electric
pIanl, They gay that the lamps only
cost about SG4 per lamp per year, and
we saw that il they would charge little
more TO the gas works that belonged 10
the electric plant they could get their
figures down TO their first claim before
lie plant was contracted for) that the
lIphts could be operated for Ebout 80
per lamp per year. an
this wear will not exceed S27, 0O0 Where
do they get 423 lamps? When the
plant was first put in operation lew
less than 400 lamps were placed IN the
streets aud alleys, but after running
short time It was found that the ma
chimes bought to furnish 400 lights
would not run them, and they were
compelled to take down several lamps
Its we'll known fact that the ma
chimes bought for eighty.light machines
proved after about one year. use to
only DO good for seventy lights, and
that they were compelled TO buy an ad-
ditional machine in order TO keep all
the lamps burning. Some OF the lamps:
taken down have not been replaced"
and besides they are figuring on the
lamps burning inside the station as well
as the ones furnished the bridge COM
many. for which they receive but little.
Tell the public where these additional
lamps have been placed. The Register
Claims that an incandescent plant eau
be installed by tho city for about
$4,000, but they don't say how much oil
the city they could cover with TINS
plant. The street lighting plant with
four hundred horse power capacity
cost at least $4,000. OF course this
includes some spare apparatus which
is necessary, and would also be neces-
sary with an incandescent plant
Now an equipment for IN incandes-
cent plaut Of four hundred horse power
capacity would operate four thousand
sixteen.canlle power lamps, and we
would like to know how much Of the
city this would cover. Will the Regis
ter tell tho people that an incandescent
plant would cost less than an arc plant
OF same horse power capacity The
dynamos, engines, boilers, etc, would
cost about the same in either case. The
conyerters and meters would cost more
than tho arc lamps, and there is no
comparison as to the cost Of the wires,
the incandescent light requiring much
heavier anu more wires:
The Register claims they have spare
boiler capacity. They have Ave boilers
OF 100 or less horse power capacity each.
Thew have two engines, one working at
a time to it's rated capacity. What
would they do when 1t was found nee
e,ssry to repair the eugines or boiler :?
Even with the spare apparatus they
have the lights are out occasionally?
What would DO the result II they tried
to use this spare apparatus for incan.
descent light, remembering that the
incandcscent apparatus muet be in mo-
ton at all times day and night? Their
claim on this point Is nonsense and Is
we'll known to a large majority OF the
public, to be such.
The Register may say that they will
use direct current instead OF alternating
and do away with the conyerters, but
that cannot be done unless they want
to put tho product OF copper mine In
wires.
The Registers estimate, OF an incan-
descent plant reminds us OF the es.
innate they published on Wednesday,
December II, 1890. Tho estimate reads
as follows:
..The Fort Wayne Electric Company 1.-The com.
pany with whom the city contracted Tor the
plautl submitted IN estimate footing up SSt,sU9
OF 80 horse power. 81, 0OO; htty miles OF wire at
500 per mile. $1,000; dynaInos aud 100 lights
lamps. SS2.OOO; iVO mast arms 81 feet long for
swinging the lights out to the middle o. the S
streets $1,000; shatsing. ETC. 81 go, aud 5000
for building. This CStlmute could be reduced
$1,000 BY emitting the mast nrms."
Now nearly all OF the mast arms wero
omitted, but where is the $4,000? This
should have made the cost about S74,-
600, and where did about S40,0 900 more
that was squandered on tho plant 60?
We ask the Register to explain how
it is that the revenues from the gas
works during 1890 were only Stops 43
more than they wcre in 1850, while the
revenues in 1898 were S9,S06 20 more
than they were in 1882. will they say
that business was good in 1893, causing
tho building OF many new houses, and
many old ones repaired, where new gas
consumers were obtained, and that bus.
mess was practically at stand still in
1890, causing few people to apply for
gas?
In 1889, with revenue from the gas
works amounting to S90,536 5S they
show n clear gain after lighting tho
streets OF S27,476 IS; and in 1893 with q
revenue from tho gas works amounting
to Sll7,9l5 80, they only show $24 $40 81
of gain, after they have boon relieved OF
lighting the streets with gus, which they
claimed cost them about $4,000. Thus
as tho revenues grew they cannot show
an increased gain as they should, but
on tho other hand, are several thou.
sand dollars behind.
We will now consider how much
truth there is in the Registers state.
mont that we knew that tho city would
ut some time want to compete with us.
A abort timn nrnviona 10 tho orRanlZn.