Evening star., 1895-06-03
LIGHTING STREETS
A Complication Which Threatens to
Become Serious.
BOHH GAS COMPANIES OBJECT
Say the New District Specifications
are Unreasonable.
THE PRESIDENTS LETTERS

The Commissioners today were confronted
with a serious condition of affairs, affect
ing the lighting of the city streets, ave-
nues and alleys
Today was set aside by advertisement for
the opening of bids to light the city streets
with gas, naphtha and incandescent lights.
New specifications were drawn for this
work and advertisements placed in the
newspapers inviting proposals from con-
tractors. After the bids were opened it
was seen that the appropriation granted by
Congress for this work would be INSULT
cient if the lowest bids were accepted to
maintain the present service and the re-
suit will be that number of street lamps
will have to be abandoned. Just at this
time, when the cry for more light is heard
on all sides, and every mail of the Com
mssiorers contains requests for addi-
tional street lamps it is particularly unfor-
tunate that the service will have to be cur
tailed. 1t was confidently hoped by the
Commissioners that the bids would be so
low to admit of scme further extensions
OF the service.
The last appropriation bill contains an
item of S142 100 for gas or Oil lighting, and
specifically provides that no more than
S20.50 per annum for each street lamp
shall be paid.
The first bids opened under this head
were for naphtha, and were quite discour-
aging. The specifications for this service
have been modified owing to the in
creased price of oil AS to cut off anout one
ninth of the number of hours in which
they were to be kept burning. Yet not
withstanding this. the bids are one-siXth
higher thin they were last year and the
lowest bids for lighting the streets with
oil Is $2O50 per lamp per annurh, an in
crease of $3.2J per lamp per year over
last years contract price.
The ether bidders for gasoline were
nd hn la rfl
Oil Company. s2125. Then the bids for
gas lighting were opened. Maj. Powell
read letters from theWashington Gas Light
Company and the Georgetown Gas Light
Company, but in neither case were bids
submitted on the specifications. Generally
speaking both companies protested against
the specifications, which they criticised as
unjust. They were willing, however, to
light the lamps under the old specifications
at the old contract price of 5000 per lamp
per annum.
Georgetown Gas Company.
President Henry C.Winship of the George
town Gas Light Company submitted the
following letters:
I'VE have carefully gone over the spec!-
fications of the proposed contract for street
lighting during the fiscal year ending June
80. 1896, and we find the changes are so
radical and onerous that it is impossible
for this company to comply with the same
at the limit which the Congress of the
United States has placed upon the District
of Columbia to be paid Fer gas lamp for
street lighting. as the said Specifica tionS
would increase the cost of furnishing gas
and maintenance of lamps almost so per
lamp Still, in order that public comfort may
not suffer. we most respectfully submit a
proposal to continue the street lighting
upon the same specifications that the
streets have been lighted for the past four
years and at the price placed upon the
said service by Congress-
The other letter of President Winship
contains the proposition to light the streets
through which it has gas mains at the rate
Of S20.5O per lamp per annun, the .speci-
fications of the contract to be the same as
last year.
Mr.. McLean's Letter.
President John R. Mclean of the Wash
ington Gas Light Company has this to say
| in connection with the proposition to light
the city streets:
"After careful consideration of the speci-
| fications, with the. many changes from the
CORNER contract which have governed this
service for many years, and the T1any cost
ly additions thereto, which additions if car
ried out as set forth in said specitcatio
We will say, in our Judgment, would in
crease the cost of the service required to
such an extent as TO preclude the Wash
ington Gas Light Company from making a
proposal to perform this service.
"1naSmuch as the act of Congress max
ing appropriations fer the District of Co.
lumbia for the year ending June 3O 1896
| limits the amount to be paid for street
lamps to 5000 per lamp per annum, it
would be impossible to perform the service
required under the specifications as fur
nished by you, without very serious loss to
this company. We do not want to believe
that the honorable Commissioners would
wish this company to perform this impor-
tant service without a just and honest COM
pensation therefor
"As set forth in your own statement of
the location of the lamps now in present
service it will readily be seen that owing
to the rapid growth of this city, with Its
suburbs extending for miles around, and
the demand for gas lamps ever so large
a portion of the District, the cost of street
lighting is now and must be of necessity
more costly than ever before. Under the
Specifications, as referred to above, the
cost of street lighting would. if carried
out, be far in excess of the limit, as per
act Of Congress. and for the following
| among the reasons: Under the recent con-
tract 1890 lamps was the minimum, and
it is proposed to reduce this to 1000 or
fraction thereof. Under the present ar
rangement one hour is allowed for the
company to light and extinguish the lamps.
This, as we understand 1t, you propose
to reduce to one-half hour each night of
the lighting. which change, II, agreed to,
would force the company to increase the
number of lamp lighters at an expense of
not less than one-third greater cost than
now paid for this service.
Under the head or repairs 1t Is made
obligatory to clean lamps daily. This would
also require an extra force for day labor,
thus increasing the cost, failure to do
which, with the other requirements, would
subject the company to heavy loss at the
discretion of the Commissioners. 1t is re-
qured that the company shall clean all
lamp posts and lanterns at least once every
year. with the best quality Of zinc paint.
"Under the head of Plant section Z, the
District proposes to furnish at it's property
yard, or erect on the street, If already
there, one lamp post and lantern and
designations; the remainder of the plant to
be furnished by the company. This includes
lamp cock and burner, for which alone the
District pays the gas company one dollar
and thirty-tUo cents; also delivers post
wherever to be erected Again, under our
present arrangement, when new lamps are
erected, the District makes all repairs of
asphalt, Belgian blocks or other pavement
Under the present specifications, all of this
excessive cost Is placed upon the company.
These changes, with others not noticed
here are additional and not required under
contracts, and would now be required of
rhe company under your specifications,
without the slightest compensation there
for. If we have rightly stated some of the
new requirements under your specifications,
we are sure that you will on further inves-
tfgation agree to modify, and grant us the
contract, as follows, the terms of which
are i'll accordance with the last one made
for the three years ending June 3, 1894:
sfVVa will street 1amDs S1npIy il1,,r,