The times., 1897-12-26
A MODERN ELECTRIC PLANT
Complete Transformation Of the
U. s. Companys Light Station.
The latest and Probably the Most
Efficient and Economical In
sto llation in the Country.

Lighting Company voted TO erect an en-
tirely new and thoroughly modern light
ing stat ion to supersede the one at present
in use, which has grown from small he
ginning 10y frequent additions as incrsas-
ing business demanded To its present
large proportions.
The location at Fourteenth and b streets
northwest having proved in all respn Us
most convenient ana desirable, 1T was also
resolved TO retain the present site, and
the necessary appropriate ions having icen
made. the board of directors secured the
services OF the eminent firm OF Sargent
& Lundy. of Chicago, as electrical ard
mechanical engineers, who immedia ely
proceeded to make the plans and draw 'p
the numerous contracts. In the cdi'F
part OF this year bids were opened hd
contracts awarded for engines, hy IA
mos, Switch-luards and other electr cal
and mechanical apparatus, togethe, With
contracts for a substantial foundation
and superstr ucture.
We quote from the New York Electrical
Review of j ecemher 22 the following
description of the enterprise:
1.-The fist work begun was the laTinS
of a soliG cement foundation, which was
made necessary owing to the very swanpy
condition of the ground in that portion III
the city Y leIe the plant is located To
1 this end and at ahexpenditure Of S21, 500,
a pile and Portland cement foundation VAS
laid. At a distance of about ten feet beiD"
the street surface, there were driven into
the ground, at depths ranging from tw en.y
to thirty feet, 1000 spruce piles, each
twelve inches ic dia meter, covering an area
of $4,000 square feet, over which was
placed, three and one half feet deco,
PortIard cement concrete making sup
port for the entire superstructure, as well
as a solid foundation for the engines and
dynamos.
THE contract for the uperStructure was
awarded tc Nh. Frank \. Carver, a local
builder. whose bid amounted TO about Sao-
600. The building, as designed by the
architect, Mr.. Erskine NJ. Sunderland, or
Washington, ID. c., calls for handsome
structure extending the Whole length or
the block Ola r street, between Thirteen
and-a-half and Fourteenth streets, a dis
tance of about two hundred and fifty feet
with Il depth OF one hundred and thirty
feet. Two paviliOns, twenty-eight feet
square and sixty-four feet high, occupy
the corners, and c meeting them is the
front OF tie building, pierced by thirteen
windows, nine and a hall feet wide Ly
twenty five feet high. affording ample
light and maIing bright and cheerful the
large engine rooui. seveuty-three feet wide
and extending along the entire b street
front.
''It has been the aim to have the building
as firatnoof as possible. The floors OF tue
new structure will therefore all be of iron
beams, arched with brick, and cor2red
with a cernent and stone floor OF orna-
mental design. The roof viii consist of
iron ra fters with Cemented terra Gotta
book tiles, covered with either a gravel
or Stag eating. The only woodwork a bout
the building will be the window saShes
and outside doors.
only little over one-hat OF the con
templated building VIII be erected az ,lfe
present time, as the remainder of the site
is now occupied by the station or the COM
pany. Upon completion OF the new plant
early in the coming year the entire service
will be transferred to il, as the portion
10 be built will have a capacity 90 per cent
greater than the old station. With the
transfer the cid station viii be gradually
disnlantIcd and the new one extended so
as 10 include the present site. The com
pany. however owns all the surrounding
property, and can quadruple, when neces-
sary, the present new plant, affording IN
output of 100000 16-Candle- power inc3n-
descent lamps, or its equivalent in other
forms OF electrical application.
The boiler-rooni, which is located just
"a of NM inf ar rbss
entire length OF the building, isforty-siX feet
wide, and is at present equipped with three
bate ries (of two each, OF 500 hors,-powe
Babcock X Wilcox wateT-tube steel-f-ont
boilers, of Tie latest design, DELI rrg
steam at a pressure of $50 pounds, and
fitted with the Babcock & Wilcox iuto.
matte chain CRATES. Natural draft is Ised,
and before tile waste gases of combustion
are allowed to escape up the large steel
smokestacE they are obliged to traverse
fuel eccnomizer CONTAINING the feed later
and afrording upward of 10000 So aare
feet of heating surface, thus heating The
feed water from its ordinary temp nr lrure
to the highest degree possible, This fuel
eccnomizer will be the first to be operated
in this section, and is furnished by the Fuel
Economizer Company, of Matteawan, New
York.
AT the right OF the boiler-room and
resting on an extra solid foundation IL
cement and iron beams is the large brick
and steel stack, 200 feet high, with
12-foot base diameter, and of suffic ;ent
capacity for additional boilers, for which
foundations are already erected. The steel
portion OF the stack is furnished by the
Variety Iron Works, of Cleveland, Ohio.
r.~a-- -,
system OF mains, with suitable arra lge-
ment of valves, giving almost abs;p, lie
safety gainst shut-iowns, due to leaks or
accidents.
Soft bituminous coal is used, delivered
by carts into a crusher, and thence con
veyed to overhead bins, ia wing capacity
of over 1000 tons. by coal-handling ma
chinery OF very late and improved de-
sign. furnished by the John A Mead M
pany, OF New York. The coal is ccd aid
weighed automatically upon the revolving
Chain gra ties; the ashes below are conveyed
by the coal-h2 ndling ma achinery TO the ash
bins. from which they drop by gravity
into carts FOR hauling away, the coal lot
being touched by hand from the :ime CT
its arrival To the departure OF its ashes.
Separated from the builer- r-room 10y a
24inch brick wall, pierced on% 10y the
steam pipes and tightly-closing fire. proof
doors, is the basement OF the engine-roon.
In the basement are all the steam and
other piping connections, pumps, ETC., as
well as line OF jack shafting running
almost the entire length OF the station,
on which are belted the Brush arc ma
chimes, mention of which will be made
later on.
.The engine-room equipment consists
of four horizontal tandem compound con