Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1896-03-02

and the lightning finds a path from the
sharp points to the barbed wire itself;
thence down the nearest earth connection
and into the earth. AS a further protec-
ton and guard against any damage at
the station or sub-station providing the
barbed wire does not dissipate the charge,
so called lightning arresters" are install
ed at each end of the lighting line and
these are so arranged that while they al
low the passage of the ordinary lightning
current of electricity into or out of the
line, they will not allow electricity of the
peculiar character of that which consti-
tutes lightning to pass by, but promptly
divert it to the earth.
To light the streets of the town two
methods may be employed; both will be
tried experimentaIly. One consists in us
ing a number of large incandescent lamps
thickly interspersed over the various
streets; and the other contemplates the
use of smaller number of arc lamps plac-
ed in the squares and at intervals of from
300 to 500 feet in the streets. This latter
system gives the greatest light for the en-
ergy expended, but unless the arc lamps
are located very closely, the general il
Elimination is not as good as with larger
number of high candle power incandescent
lamps. In the case of the arc lamps there
will be brilliantly lighted zone immedia-
tely under the lamp, but between each two
lamps there will be a belt of darkness
which is greatly intensified by comparison
with the sharp light Immediately under
the arc lamps. With the high candle
power incandescent lamps, on the contra
ry, the illumination is quite even through
out all the space covered. There is another
advantage in the case of small towns in US
ing incandescent street system lamps;
they do not require attention and they do
not consume carbons. To operate arc
lamps requires the services of trimmer,
who shall put in new carbons in the arc
lamps every day. They must further be
cleaned and the globes busted frequently.
The expense of trimmer, the carbons,
the repairs, broken globes, etc, is quite an
item in the course of year. A few lights
might be very advantageously used at the
depot and in the square but it is the opin-
ion of some of those competent to judge
that the best results over period of years
for US will be the use of high candle power
incandescent street lamps principally. We
are now in position to supply not only in
ca ndescent lights at very low rates to all
our townspeople, but also motive power
as well. The motors used with this sys-
tenn are extremely simple, inexpensive,
very reliable in operation and do not east
ly get out of order. Our plant embodies
the results of the best engineering of the
present day. This is we believe the first
example of as long distance transmission
of electrical power that has been put up N
New England. There is plant at Hart
ford, Conn, transmitting rather more
power than our own, but the distance is
not as great, and furthermore the princi-
pal part of all the current there transform
ed is used for driving very large motors. In
the West many monocyclic plants of this
character have been erected, and at NiagR-
ra Falls preparations are being made and
have been nearly completed for supplying
any quantity of power desired within a
radius of % miles with the ultimate pros
pect of increasing this radius to 80 miles.