Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-10
Furnishing the Steam.


The steam for the operation of the plant
! will be furnished by boilers now in the
building, though a 1O-inch high-pressure
steam main and the piping will be arrang-
cd with individual stop valves, so that each
engine and generator can be worked indie
pendently, or they can together discharge
their output to the buS-barS of the switch
Doard provided to receive and distribute
the current throughout the building. This
switchboard, however is not board, but
Is to be of marble. When electricity began
to be applied to industrial purposes switch
boards were made of hard or fancy woods,
and the term is still retained though in
the light of present practice said to be a
miSnomer.
The mains from the dynamos to the
switchboard are lead-covered cables. The
heaVy copper wires are surrounded or in
suiated with paper saturated with an in
sulating and moisture-proof compound
over which is a sheathing of lead tubing,
the whole having been passed through a
Ole, which congresses both the paper and
tuping sol1dly upon the internal core of
orators in iron conduits placed in the floor
OF the engine room, and terminating in
suitable connections at the bus-bars
On the marble switchboard are arranged
all the necessary devices for the regulation
and distribution of the current, including
automatic double-pole magnetic cut-offs
Tor the dynamos, an Illuminated dial Wes-
; ION voit meter ranging 225 volts, and four
Illuminated dial Weston ammeters of 1 600
amperes each. There is also provided a
ground detector, with Illuminated dial
win the necessary connections for each
circuit from the board including the dvna
mo mains. There are also to be mounted on
This switchboard four meters, incIosed in
poIlshed brass frames with glass panels.
LOT the purpose of registering the amount
OF current delivered by each generator
Rneostats Of ample capacity for the ac
copied generators are also to he nJaced
thereon. together with the necessary num-
Der OF feeder and distribution switches
switchboard characterization.
Inc switchboard is to be set upon solid
iron columns inclosed with hollow cast
iron ornamental pedestals, and is 10 he
capped with artistically grilled scroll work
IN the center of which is to be set an eight
cay circular-frame brass-bodied clock of
fine movement.
From the switchboard the feeder wires
ascend TO the distribution tablets located
on the various floors. There are TO he four
OF these tablets on each floor of highly
ponshed pink or Tennessee marble having
on their face pair Of polished copper bus
pars. and copper double-pole highly POLISH
eo lever jaw switches for each tap or
Dranch wire taken from the tablet These
tablets are really points Of subdistribution.
each being fed from the switchboard in the
engine room by its individual system of
feeding. From these different tablets are
distributed the wiring to the combination
the building Is to be subsequently provided
The tablets are to be set In the walls at the
various places to be selected, and be pro-
vided with a glass cover and hinged frame.
run In what IL known as iron-armorei
CONDUIT or iron pipe. having an interior non
corrosive and waterproof lining,
1Aese conQufts are to be laid on the vari-