The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-28
FAvoRs A LIGHTING PLANT.
COUNCIL COMMITTEES INVESTIGA-
TIONS BEGUN.

Alderman O'DOnneII Made Chairman
of the Committee-The General
Electric to Furnish Estimates-An
Electricians Views as to Ho" the
City should BE Lighted Under the
New system.
The Committee appointed at the special
meeting of council Monday afternoon con
sisting of Aldermen Davis, Smith ana
O'Donnell. 70 take the matter of munich
nal lighting plant in hand, met last night
at the city exchange and organized by
electing Alderman O'Donnen chairman.
Mr.. A. L. Giles. manager Of the Atlanta
branch of the General Electric Company
of Schenectady, n. Y, met the committee,
having arrived yesterday. Mr.. Giles in
formed the committee that it would be i'm
possible to make an estimate on-hand OF
the cost of an electric light plant, the OBJ
ject of his visit being to ascertain what
is wanted by the city. The matter was
discussed at some length with Mr.. Giles,
and the details of the situation were pretty
fully gone into. He was informed that
the plan in view is to install the plant in
the water works building and to make
use of the boiler power afforded there,
which is believed to be ample. BY so do
ing the city expects to save largely both
in first cost and operating expenses, as
the operating force at the water works
will, with slight additions, it is believed,
be able to operate the lighting plant as
well. Mr.. Giles was requested to furnish
- sfr,,a f9ola
and operation of a plant with a capacity
of 600 arc lights. He stated that he would
submit the matter to his company at
once, and furnish the estimates as early
as possible.
The members of the special committee
are enthusiastic in their belief that an
electric lighting plant is one of the things
most needed by the municipal household.
With the continued growth of the city and
the constant demand for more lights for
the new sections and better lighting for
the old, the cost of lighting has become a
growing burden. The city is now using
about 800 arc lights with demands for a
number more. Alderman Davis said last
night that he had ninety urgent requests
for lights, and besides knew of fully 100
places additional where lights are needed.
of furnishing not less than 600 arc lights
is desired, although the city al present is
using only 800
1.-THE committee has no intention of deal
ing unfairly with home capital said AL
derman Davis TO a Morning News repor-
ter. 1.-The Brush company will be given
an opportunity to bid for the city's light
ing and if it can give sufficient induce
ment l have no doubt that its bid would
be favorably considered by council, We
are looking out solely for the city's inter-
est in this matter, however. If an cleo
trio light plant can be put in and operated
for anything like the figures at which 1t
is reported it can be done. the city can
not afford to do anything else than estab-
lsh the plant. The city is poorly lighted
now ara there is a constant demand for
more lights. The question is how can we
furnish them most economically and that
is what we are endeavoring to find out
Bids will be secured from other compa-
MES as well as the General Electric"
well-known expert electrician, In dis
cussing this subject with a Morning News
reporter last night, said some things of
interest in connection with ii. 1T is very
plain that the city is not well lighted"
said he, land if the city intends to in
crease its lighting it will undoubtedly be
to its advantage to own its own plant, pro-
Vided a frst-class plant is established. In
the first place. the arc lights should be of
1000 candle power, that is 1000 standard
This is the standard an use in all of the
principal cities now. and in some of them
lights of 1900 candle power are being used.
The arc lights now furnished are only 600
standard, or 1900 candle power. This is
not sufficient power, and the consequence
is that in spite of the large number of
lamps used the city appears to be dimly
lighted. very great improvement could
be made in the appearance Of the city at
Oh ~ oh al
squares, which are now, for the most part,
in. semi-darkness. My plan would be to
place four lights in each square, not at
the corners of the square, but on the sides
abutting each street opening into the
square. Iron poles with bracket arms
should be used for the squares and the I'M
slightly wooden poles done away with
This would only require about 100 lights
and as in properly lighting the squares a
good part of the city would also be well
lighted, there would be no waste Of light
in doing this.
In equpping the plant allowance
should be made for about 1000 incandes-
cent lamps for lighting the lanes. The
cost would not be great and the advan-
tages resulting would greatly outweigh
the cost. AT present the lanes are all
dark, and all sorts of deviltry goes on in
them. With a light at each end of the
block in the lanes, policeman would have
no difficulty in chasing a thief down a
lane. Better still, the thieves and disor-
derby characters generally would have
little show for their work in lighted lanes
The lanes could be more easily kept
clean if they were lighted, as trash and
filth are thrown there now at night which
the parties would not dare to do if they
knew that they We're likely to be observ-
ed. The cost for this lighting would be
small and 1t would prove one of the big
gest Improvements, in a small way, that
the city has ever made"
As there are a number of other cities
which own their own plants it ought not
to be difficult for the committee to get
all the information it wants on the sub
ject. .