Evening star., 1896-09-28
Proposed Expenditure by the United
States Lighting Company.
VAST SCHEME OF IMPROVEMENTS
Changes in the Machinery and Ex-
tension Of the Lines.
A TALK WITH MIR. THOMAS

The United States Electric Lighting Com
pany has decided to expend in the neigh
borhood of q million dollars in the improve
ment of it's plant in the District of Column
bia. The actual work has been commenced.
and win be steadily prosecuted as rapidly
as it's importance and delicacy will permit.
1t will take several years to finally COM
plete the enterprise but at the end of that
time it Is confidently believed that the IA
cilities at the command of the company
will be second to none in existence in point
Of completeness for the work of furnishing
electricity for the purpose of Illumination
and for the supply Of power to be used in
running machinery. In conversation with
a Star reporter this morning Capt. A. A.
Thomas. the president of the company. out
lred what 1t was proposed to do.
For some time past" said Capt. Thomas.
1.-The most competent electrical engineer in
this country has been carefully examining
the plant of the United States Lighting
Company. with view to improving it in
every direction. First and foremost. all the
machinery in our main plant will be
changed. and where there are several
capacity they will be replaced by single
machines of greater power. All the betting
machinery will be done away with. 1t is
the intention. for Instance. to make three
pounds of coal do what it now needs seven
pounds to accomplish, and to give to the
consumers who are patrons of our company
the benefit of the saving that will be thus
effected. 1t will be, perhaps, not immodest
in me to state that our company has been
supplying electricity to consumers at a
lower rate than that of any company in a
city of similar size. and that the future
plan is to reduce the cost to the consumers
coincidently with the reduction OF the cost
of producing the power. When the change
OF machinery is effected there will be no
dynamo of less capacity than 1908 lights,
and the larger ones will be able to supply
1900 lights.
All Wires to Go Underground,
''The company also proposes to place the
wires and feeders that now run overhead In
underground coLduits," continued CAPTAIN
Thomas. Under the system of overhead
and underground running ofwires and mains
such as we now have, we are confronted
with complexity Of evils To use a SIM
PIE comparison, the underground system Is
susceptible to diseases that are entirely diff
ferent from those which the overhead sys-
tenn is liable to be attacked by So a di-
VcrSlty OF treatment is necessary, and we
desire to have the entire system of one
Sort so that one doctor, to carry out the
comparison, can attend to it's ailments. The
conduit system will be subs stantially extend
ed" continued Captain Thomas, land
much larger area Of service will be the re-
suit"
rover 10 hun machinery.
us it the intention Of the company to
furnish electrical power for the propulsion
Of machinery" asked the reporter.
Most assuredly." replied Capt Thomas
Under the new order Of things the produc-
ton of electricity for use in propelling ma
chinery where steam power is now used
will be great factor in the work of the
| company. 1t is our intention to establish
throughout the District substations whence
electricity for lighting and power purposes
Will be distributed to consumers. One of
ments N electrical invention is what is
known as the rotary converter. In simple
language the rotary converter Is an iron
dynamo which Is capable of receiving elec-
tricai currents of very high potential energy
end distributing them in less intense cur
| rents. The system is used at Niagara Falls,
where electricity of a high potential is sent
TO Lockport or Buffalo, and there received
by the rotary converters and distributed at
the usual strength of 10 volts.
Two Branch Plants Decided On.
by use of these machines, one of which
will be put on Capitol Hill, and the other
in the residential portion. these two hav-
ing been already determined upon, the
great dynamos at the main plant may send
their full currents to the substations, and
| there it may be divided up among con-
sumers, without danger to the consumers
| themselves. Only small apartments will be
| necessary for the accommodation Of these
converters and these rooms will be sup
| piled with switchboards very much like
| telephone switchboards. by which the
| direction and control of the various cur
| rents will be managed. There will be a
complete arrangement for the furnishing
of electricity for purposes of propulsion
| and l am inclined to think, from careful
| computations that have been made, that the
| cost of both electrical lighting and elec-
! trical power furnished by our company
| will be very materially reduced when the
improvements are completed. The Edison
! system, which regard as the finest in the
| world, and which is now in use by our
| company, will be, of course, continued in
| the improvements contemplated and al
| ready under way