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


ondary winding delivers the electrical
energy to the line at a pressure of 5000
volts and, in quantity about 10 amperes.
Inc total energy, however, In ootn COILS Is
practically the same and the only differ
ence Is that on one side there is large
quantity and comparatively low pressure,
and The other, small quantity and nigh pres
sure, the size wire necessary to transmit
the small quantity of electricity at high
pressure being such as to make 1t COM
merclally practica BILE to run the long
length of line necessary in this case. AS
matter of fact, number three wires are used,
one known as the"outgoing" and the other
as the ''incoming' wire. The terms out
going and incoming are somewhat am
blguous; we may explain that 1t is not
known just how electricity travels over
the wire but it is probable, as a matter of
fact, that it circulates in either direction
equally in both wires.
We have thus seen how a low pressure
current generated at the power plant in
Charleston is there transformed to high
pressure electricity which is sent over the
line to Barton. It would be dangerous
and inconvenient to operate the lights in
Barton at this high pressure. Conse
quently, in the sub-station above the rail-
way track in this village other transform
ers are located which recOnvert the current
and bring it down to 1000 volts again.
From the sub-station are conductors run
ming to another set of transformers locat
ed throughout the village, where the cur
rent is again converted" so that it's final
| iC a II
correspondingly increased. The trans
formers at Charleston are called .'step up''
transformers; the transformers in the sub
| station at Barton are called ''step down.
transformers; and the transformers Iocat-
ed on the poles in Barton are called ''dis
tributing transformers. These distributing
! transformers supply the net work of wires
which extend over the town and this net
work again is connected by SO called
''service' wires to the various buildings.
| The net work of wires strung in the town,
| taken as a whole, are called ''distributing
| mains" and the wires which run from the
! substation to the transformers supplying
| these distributing mains, are called feed
| ers.' No lights are tapped directly off the
| feeders, these feeders simply serving to
| bring electricity from the sub-statiOn to
| the large transformers at the so-called
'1centers of distribution" The distribute
ing mains, on the contrary, are intended
exclusively for supplying electricity at 113
volts pressure to the customers and may
be tapped by service wires anywhere, just
as the water pipes in the streets may be
tapped for house connections. 1t is al
ways necessary to have connection with
both the out going and the in coming
wire to secure a circulation of electricity
in any house to supply the lights The
distributing mains in Barton are put up
on the Edison Three Wire system. This
is SIMPLY a device in wiring to save cop
per. It is not necessary to go into de-
tailed explanation here, but suffice 1t to
say that the third wire is carried over all
the ground covered by the two main
wires, which third wire is also connected,
usually with houses and stores. It is
always connected, in fact, unless there be
but very few lights in the place. To re-
view briefly, the water wheels at Charles
ton drive the dynamos; the dynamOs
transform the energy of the water into
electrical energy of comparatively low
pressure and large quantity. This cleo
formers which convert it into electricity
having very considerable pressure and
small quantity. This is sent over the line
to Barton and there stepped down to 1909
volts for feeding the transformers at the
centers of distribution; the transformers
at the centers of distribution changing the
character Of the current once more, to one
of still larger volume and a pressure of
about 113 or 115 volts, which is perfectly
safe under all conditions, and this electri-
city is supplied to the customers through
meters which accurately register the
amount of current consumed. The Monocyc
lies sytem was adopted at Barton, not only
on account of the readiness with which it
lent itself to the problem of transmitting
the current over very long distance, but !
also because of this particular form of
alternating current apparatus, it is posi-
BILE to drive motors from the same dynamo |
that supplies the current for lights 1t |
will be observed that third line wire has
been brought along the poles from
Charleston to Barton. This is technically |
called the ''power wire" and serves to pro-
duce the necessary electrical conditions to
enable the motors to start up of them
selves. After they have been started
and are at full speed, however, this wire
becomes of little no value until it is
necessary to start them again. Hence IL Is .
considerably smaller than the two main
wires. The main wires are Of copper about /
as large as a good sized slate pencil.
They are heavily insulated with hard,
twisted, cotton braid which is saturated .
with tough and durable, weather-proof
compound To avoid, far as possible,
the leakage to earth OF the current which
takes place on high voltage