The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-04-10

''shall the contract be sustained.
notwithstanding the objections of the
mayor therefor"
This was the question which precip-
itated a lengthy debate at the city
council last evening. Even Mr.. McCor-
rick spoke. his first appearance on
the floor this year.
Mayor Baskin's veto Of the light con-
tract precipitated it. The message fol-
lows:
To the President and City Council, Salt
Lake City. Utah
Gentlemen herewith return disap-
proved the contract between Salt Lake
City and the Salt Lake and Ogden Gas
Nd Electric Light company, approved by
b council April ?, for the following
Mt is stipulated that each of the 300 arc
nights contracted for shall ''At all times
De OF 100 candle-power as defined by the
World S Columbian Exposition Electrical
congress. which means an arc produced
by len ampereS and forty-fiVe volts 20
tential difference between the carbons, or
q 49O watt arc, and TO be provided with
good carhons which will convert the en-
ergy into light with reasonable high eff
cheney. The candle power produced by
currents of less ampereS or less volts TO
be rated proportionately.''
This clause is so obscure and contradic-
!
place any construction upon it at all
The first portion of the clause conveys
the idea that ( was the intention to pro-
vide lamps Of capacity as near to 900
eandle-poWer as ten amperes and forty
i've volts, or 450 Watts would practically
produce; but this idea is contradicted by
Inc provision that the candle power pro-
duced by currents of less amperes or less
volts 10 be rated proportionately."
The effect of this, plainly leaves the
candle-power which shall be furnished by
IF
II Electric Light company, and mas
much as the city in another part of the
contract binGS itself without Limitation TO
pay for each of the lights 10 be furnished
and operated by the company, the sum
OF SS5C per month, all that portion of the
clause 1rst quoted preceding that pertain
ing TO less amperes or volts, could be
struck out without in the least changing
the effect of the contract.
In fact, if the whole clause were strick-
en- out, tle effect would not be changed,
because then, as now, however much the
candle-power of each lamp might fall be-
1oW ZOtO candle-power, by the use of less
amperes or less volts, the price to be paid
Would be The same and without limita-
The provision for rating the CANDLE
power of the lamps when less amperes
akAyoltS are used, proportionately TO the
pg~Sr when the greater number of am
peres and volts are used, only increases
the obscUrity.
FlaSrant Ambiguity.
am unable to conjecture what was
Intended by such a provision Such fla
grant ambiguity and contradiction as this |
clause exhibits, in a contract of such i'm
portance as the one under considera ton, |
IS anomalous.
1t is not certain that ten amperes and |
forty-f1ve volts or $50 watts will practic- |
ally produce a 2,0J0 candle-poWer
In the Electrical Engineer of April a |
fable is published showing the number of |
watts consumed by lamps of various sys- |
$50 TO 800
March, A. J. GREELEY, supervisor of city
lighting in St. Louis, states that $40 am
pores furnished at a pressure of fifty
rs, equals 4l5 watts and that a 1000
n 1le-power lamp is calculated to con-
sumo 475 watts.
In letter received from Omaha by the
city recorder, the question: What is the
Candle-power of lamps?" is answered
1000; nominal lamps are rated as to wat
tage (4Se) fifty volts, ell amperes cur
The contract calls for ten amperes and
torty-five volts, or $50 watts.
I is my opinion that the Electric Light
company plant with the expenditure of
this quantity of energy cannot produce
practically 1900 candle-power.
Moonlight Schedule.
Another clause provides that the COM
pany shall keep all OF said lamps 5000,
constantly burning during the hours an
,nually printed il the Philadelphia Moon
Aght Schedule, for lighting streets, so far
Is practicable in this locality
ii IS perfectly practicable D keep burn
ing in this locality the lamps every mo-
ment of the time during the hours men
AsPned in said schedule and yet to do so
sSpuld not, owing to the difference in time
6etween this cit and PHILADELPHIA al
ways give US light at the time it is
needed.
Again this schedule for 1895, hitch I
have before me, contains only the hours
from April l, 1885, to December 81, 1895,
and the contract runs from April Is, 1895,
If this schedule has been annually
printed for several years past, as seems
20 be the case, and has differed in differ
ent years. which years schedule governs
II is impossible from the language of the |
contract TO determine. If the one in 1895
time which the contract runs and no one
can tell but that this schedule for 1895
may be the last that will ever be pub
lished, and as 1t fails to cover the whole {
time of the contract by over three
months, and the company only being
bound to keep the lamps burning during
the hours mentioned in said schedule. the ,
company viii nave done all the contract !
requires of 1t, when the lamps shall have
been kept constantly burning, during the
hours mentioned in said schedule between
the LIST OF April and the S1st of Decent
Fer 1893, except that on dark
ard cloudy nights when there '
10 be kept lighted during the whole time
of the contract and when the company .
has thus performed the contract ac- |
,ordlng TO its provisions ii would receive
500 per lamp per month from April 18th ]
S95, - April 18th, 1896 6
The provision that on dark and cloudy
ligh1s the lamps shall be lighted at the 9
usual hour Tor lighting in the dark of 4
he moon should be changed so as TO re-
Iuire the con any TO keep the lights
burning during such times as the moon G
shall be so obscured by clouds as to c
'arken the nights As the provision now I
stands the company is only required to
ight the lamps at the usual hour for ;,
lighting IL the dark of the moon, but as :
t. VIII frequently occur that at that V
lour the moon will be giving full light o
ind at subsequent hours become dark
med, in such event the company would
lot be obliged TO light the lamps when
he moon became so obscured, because G
C
7