St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-01-26

city. They call for $40 arc lights.
| They reserve the right to test the cur
rents at any and al times and provide
that all arc lights shall be lit not later
than sunset during the months of No
vember, December, January and Feb
ruary.
The probable bidders for the electric
lighting contract will be the Bohn Man
ufacturing company, whose plant is To-
Gated In District No. l, Smith & Taylor
in District No 2, st. Paul Gas company
in District No. and the Edison Elec-
trlc Light company and e. B. Smith in
District No. 4, which includes the Sew
enth ward The st. Paul Gas Light
company is expected to bid on the en-
tire four districts, and the Bohn Manu-
featuring company on the l, and 8
districts. The company bidding for all
tour districts must furnish a bond for
100000
In the matter Of the city owning it's
own electric plant, it is the opinion of
the board and city engineer that it
would not be prudent for the city to in
stall an electric lighting plant at the
present time, but in the event of such
necessity, estimates of the cost are
submitted, ranging from $4,000 20 $137,-
000
In the parliamentary tangle that en-
sued after the reading of the report. a
special joint committee named in the
resolution. The object seemed to be to
TO prevent the reference of the report
to the joint committee on gas. But
after no end of confusion and talk on
motion of Assemblyman johnson. the
report was referred. as above stated,
to the board of aldermen, which will
meet Tuesday, Feb. 4.
REPORT IN DETAIL.
To the Honorable Common Council of Tho
city OF st. Paul: In compliance with tbe
JOINT resolution of your honorable bodz an
proved Dec. Z, 1885, providing for a committee
consisting of the board Of public works and
the city engineer to investigate and renort to
you plans and cost Of lighting the streets and
pupnc places of the city with gas or cleo
tricity, or by these combined or With aitba
or poth OF these together with gasoline, either
ny contract or by municipal electric plant
70 ne Installed, your committee beg leave to
respectfully report as follows:
After careful and protracted study of no
ports OF committees appointed for similar pur-
poses by various other cities and of the
ohclal reports of those having in charge the
nights Of other Cities and after numerous in
terviews with electrical experts practical
electricians. and those having electric plants
IN st. Paul. and with the officers OF the ST
Pa9i Gas company; and after corresponding
with the proper officials of many cities as to
their systems of lighting and the cost of
same, we have reached the following conclu
Sions:
First-As to Gasoiine-With the execution
OF the burners, the city owns the plant. rem
resentlng an investment of about So 900 and
IL is thought by your committee that no other
system of lighting can be proftabIy substi
tuted in its stead at present
The gasoline lamps are either SO remote
from the gas or electric light stations. or
are SO irregularly and sparsely distributed
over the outlying districts that the cost of
laying gas mains or stringing electric light
wires would be such greatly to increase
the cost of lighting rather than to diminish
it, In this opinion all we have consulted
agree-eXperts, gas company and electric light
companies.
The gasoline contract recently awarded by
the conzelon council is favorable one to the
city, quite as much as that of any city within
our knowledge.
second-As to Gas-That by comparison
with other cities st. Paul should obtain her
OF not less than eighteen candle power. burn
ing all night and every night in the year.
Your committee recommends that if a new
contract be made for lighting with gas no
agreement be made for the city to pay for
half the cost Of lighting the lamps as now
but that the bids per lamp shall cover the
comparison with bids for electric lighting
We submit herewith specifications for light
ing with gas.
Tnird-As to Electric I.ghts-so commit,
Gated are the conditions under which different
cities light with electricity such as wbefher
steam or water power is used. if steam then
Inc cost OF coal, WHetner the lighting Dlant
is combined with other plants; whether the
private plants or public plants do only pub
lie or street lighting, or also do commercial
lighting and lease power: whether the dis
tricts to be lighted by the city and for com
mercial purposes be compactIy built up. or
the given business is diffused over greater
area, that 1t is difficult to reach satisfactory
conclusion as to cost per arc at which light
could be produced in our city.
All these and many other considerations
complicate the question.
II makes much differences in installing q
public plant, or in the cost at which a private
company can furnish light whether costly
central grounds be bought and splendid and
costly edifce be erected. Or whether a loca-
ton as fit for this purpose but not adapted
to other business DE bought at low price and
a plain. strong. durable structure of slight
cost be erected, with reference only to it,
special purpose ard having no special regard
to appearance.
Bearing all these considerations constantly
in mind. and examining the reports of cities
large and small. in all parts of the country
your committee have reached the feliowiii.
conclusions as to electric light:
A. The average cost per year for an arr