The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-03-01
ELEVATOR CONTROVERSY.
Mr.. Mckay Replies to the State
ments of the Electrical Engi-
neer.
SALT LAKE CITY, Feb

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. %.
To the Editor of The Herald:
A certain individual in this city, who
for reasons .,ast known to himself
prefers to hide his identity behind the
attractive appellation of Electrical Ee-
sineer." and hoping thereby to veil his
personal interest in the joint city and
county building elevator contracts, has
recently published communications in
the columns of the Salt Lake Herald
which 1 desire to review as briefly as
space and the subject will permit.
l am averse to noticing anonymous
statements under any circumstances,
but inasmuch as one of the communi-
cations referred to contained direct
accusation that the statements made
regarding Sprague electric elevators,
in the Salt Lake Tribune, were sole
ly inspired by the agent of the compa-
ny. who happened to be myself; insin-
nations that financial consideration
was received therefor by the Tribune;
and furthermore in view of the fact
that the said article was filled from
beginning to end with absurd and false
statements whose entire purport was
to kill the chances of the Sprague COM
pany as regards the pending contract,
/ propose to nail that accusation and
those statements. and if possible to
smoke out the responsible person from
the hole into which he has crawled.
AS to the insinuation that the Tri-
bune received any consideration what
soever for endorsing tho Sprague ele-
vator, and the statement that any
agent of the Sprague company, or any
person in any way interested therein,
or personally interested in the pending
contract, was responsible for said en-
dorsement I desire to brand both of
those allegations as deliberate and ma
licious untruths, and I defy the 'Elec-
trical Engineer" or any one else to ad-
vance any excuse whatsoever as a ba-
sis for uttering such falshoods.
The Electrical Engineer" after as
surfing the public of his vast experience
and presumably omniseience with re-
gard to electric and hydraulic machin-
cry. has no hesitancy in stating first.
THAT nothing can be more perfect In
the way of mechaniciSm than q well
installed and we'll built hydraulic ele-
vator."
l will undertake to furnish the "Elec-
trical Engineer" with any necessary
number of test records upon hydraulic
elevators Of all prominent makes.
showing that the average hydraulic
elevator does not return in useful work
50 per cent of the energy supplied to
it, and I challenge him to produce the
substantiated record of a single hy-
draulic elevator in this country whose
net efficiency of As per cent. fl
Second-AS to the coal bills for the
hydraulic machines, / will undertake
to demonstrate that not one elevator
in this city, whose daily service is 125
I'D trims IN 81
building. is operated under normal
duty with a monthly coal bill of $40
or less.
Third-The electrical Engineer,
wants to know what evidence there is |
that the Sprague or any other electric
elevator will cost less than 81 per day
for fuel. In view of the fact that |
neither the Sprague or any other cleo
trio elevator is a consumer of fuel the |
query of the Electrical Engineer is |
somewhat ambiguous; but passing that |
slip of the pen I beg to remark that |
there are now on file with the county
court records of the actual cost of /
electrical current supplied to various |
Sprague elevators. working on heavier |
duty than any elevators in this city |
ever handled. which records show that |
the daily cost for current supplied to !
any one of said Sprague elevators is |
less tndn one oolldT ana ten cents per /
day, and that amount not only includes |
the cost Of fuel. but all the other costs |
of attendance, boiler water, interest I
and depreciation charges on complete I
generating plant. and an indefinite |
margin of profit for the company sell /
ing the current.
Since it is well known fact that /
the cost of fuel in electric generating I
stations averages not more than one /
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