The University daily. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 18??-????, 1895-06-11
AN INTERESTING ARTICLE.
Electric Light and Power Plant 81
the University.
By PRIOR. ALDRICH

Ourlng TIE past year tue eiectEiC
lighting facilities Of the Mechanical.
Hall have been greatly increased.
The equipment has been placed IN
the basement Of the new addition at
the north end Of the building Ker-.
osene lamps and pickering gas gets
Of days not long since gone BY are
replaced BY the present arc light for
the campus and incandeseent lights
for all Of the buildings The change
was salutary, one and marks new.
era in the Unigersity'ss life and pos
abilities.
The West Virginia University can
now claim to be as favorably situat.
ed as ALMOST all Of the other State
Universities and Colleges, Ia this
particular respect at least, in that it
has its own electric light and power
plant. This is in pursuance of q
movement along lines of engineering
education which has been taking
firm hold in the past few years. Here
as elsewhere, there is, and will con.
tinue to be, gathered about this cleo
trical equipment q development Of
educational work. The whole equip
.ment represents just SO many addi-
tional facilities for instruction in
electric light and power work. There
are always at hand opportunities for
engaging in practical electrical work
in the University's plant ID the Me
chanical Hall.
It ia about the central station for
the generation of electric light and
power, that q large amount Of cleo
trical engineering gathers its
strength. II is in this direction one
OF the most progressive branches Of
applied science. The apparatus and
machinery required to be installed
for this service are Of far more prac-
tical and commercial value to the in
stitution and it's body of engineering
students than if simple experimental
appliances were thus placed, to be
used only for illustrating and demon
strating the first principles Of cleo
tricity.
The material equipment consists
Of Buckeye engine combination, ca
pable of being worked as a pair oil
engines or as triple expansion en-.
CINE. supplied with steam at $50 lbs.
pressure from q Wharton Harrison
Safety Boiler. The small horizon
tai engine will develop %. horse pow
Ier and the largest vertical eross-com-
pound, 100 horse power The three
dynamos driven from the engine
shaft have an aggregate capacity Of
], 200 incandescent lights. For orii-
nary occasions the small engine driv-
ing the 200-light dynamo is suffici-
ent. When several of the buildings
and campus are to be lighted, the
large vertical engine driving the TOO
light dynamo provides ample power.
The whole is under complete control
of the switchboard in the Mechani-
cal Hall. i.5.
In addition to the above, machine
" has been installed for working the
engines. singly OF in combination, as
condensing engines, by using Barr
surface condenser, or a Worthineton
Jet condenser ora Schultz exhaust.
steam condenser. The high pressure
boiler is supplied with feed water BY
d Blake tandem compound pump.
The 10000 gallon tank under the
floor of the new addition provides the
much-needed storage capacity Of wa.
ter. The boiler is fred with natural
gas by the most modern and improy.
ed method. All Of the steam, GAS
and water piping, which is quite ex.
tensiye in itself, is specially arrang-
ed for making engineering tests and
for the work Of the students in this
line. The engines may be operated
in many different ways, at different
presures and speeds, at various con
trolling loads, and driving the dyna-
mos or having the power ali absorbed
by the Alden perfected and onto.
matte thermometers. Deane DUPLEX
tandem compound steam pump. 81
capacity Of $4,000 gallons. II 81
hours, has been installed for experi
mental work in hydraulics Of enpi.
neering and for duty testing. IL vel
40 to supply the University with
water when the same shall be author
lied and provided for by appropria-
ton. NJ ~
The modern University reauires
light, heat and power. It's lah1rata
ries and shops. its recitation rooms
and lecture halls are peryade bV
mechanical appliances for this m.
pose. The effort in this direction i
TO make the whole question one II
business expediency and manage.
ment. Only by concentration If all
Ct the machinery and power applian.
ces IN one building can the little
economies Of power generation ana
ditrlbution be made to tell "A aterial-
y IN reducing the annual. expenses
q the University in this direction
Inc modern university bears is the
OLD institution about the same rela.
ZION that the naval cruiser bears Il
the old time man .of.War.
The West Virginia University bas
now its electric lighting ana power
plant on 9 thoroqghly substantial
and economic basis. IT has haar
proposed to supply the University
Wlsn water through the machinery