El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-12-31

here, but will soon be reduced, now
that the Ell Paso Northeastern rail-
road has been completed from this city
to the tim Der district hundred miles
northeast Of Ell Paso. The new saw
| mill plant at AlamOgOrdO, sc miles
northeast of Ell Paso, is turning out
100, 900 feet of timber per day.
Moreover, when once constructed,
street car line can be maintained here
at a comparatively trifing expense.
The climate is so dry that timber de-
Gays very slowly if at all. There are
no storms in winter to block the road;
and indeed there is practically no diff
ference in the cost of maintenance in
winter and summer. Common labor
| (Mexican) Is cheaper here than any
where else in the United States, and
| skilled labor but trife higher than in
the north and east
Fuel is as yet expensive. The re-
tail price for bituminous coal is 81 w
per ton. The price per ton mentioned
in the present contract between the
city and existing electric light com
pany is s. so per ton. The completion
of the Ell Psso & Northeastern railroad
| to the SaladO coal fields, one hundre
and sixty U6O) miles northeast of Ell
Paso, is expected to give US coal AT
lower price.
The Question of Lighting.
Turning to the question of lighting.
we have to say that at present the
streets Of the city are lighted under
q three (3) year contract which expires
December 81, 1898. Under this con-
tract the city now has 50 are lights of
nominally 1900 candle power each, for
which it pays $1,000 per light per
month. Payment is made in city war
rants which bear interest at 10 per
cent per annum until paid. Light are
run on moon schedule. We under
stand that the present Electric Light
company is Offering to take the con-
tract for another three (3) years at
S11.50 per light per month for the first
year, $11 .25 for the second year, and
s11 90 for third year.
| Incaudescent lights of Is candle
power now cost us S1.35 per month If
If burned until II o'clock. The service
ends at II o'clock. The city would, we
believe, easily support 5000 lights of
16 candle power if furnished at reas-
enable price, say thirty-fve (35) to IF
| ty (5O) cents per month for each light
for all night. We believe that at least
one-half or two-thirds of our residents
would use electric lights if they could
be had at this price. For gas we now
pay 81. so per 1. 900 cubic feet for light
ing.
An important point in this connec-
| tiOn is that our present electric light
plant is running at it's full capacity.
| Our service cannot be extended or i'm
proved without putting in a large ad-
ditiOnal plant.
For lighting as we'll as street car
service the two cities. FL Paso and
Juarez, may be considered as one.
The same plant will serve for both, as
| the present plant is doing. This light
| ing of our streets, business houses, and
residences, is quite as promising an
opening for investment as is
line.
Demand For Electric Power.
Besides the demand for electricity
for rapid transit, lighting and heating,
| there is also a profitable opening for
supplying electric power for large
numbe and variety Of establishments
which now use other sources of power.
Among such blishments are the Ell
Paso Foundry & Machine works, en-
plOying about so men, with buildings
in course of erection upon completion
OF which the company will double it's
present capacity, The president and
manager of the company states that
he would be glad to contract for 100
incaudescent lights, as well as for
electric power, If Obtainable at rea-
| sonable price.
There are five printing establish
| ments in the city using power supplied
! by Steam or gasoline engines. There
are two ice factories; three cigar fac
tories, employing in the aggregate
| about $50 persons; eight or ten small
machine and repair shops; two assay
| offices; numerous passenger and
! freight elevators; two planning mills;
| also several brick yards near the city.
During the warm months every hotel
and restaurant uses power fans. In
and about the city are many pump
ing plants supplying water for house
, hold use or irrigation, and operat-
ed by WINDMILL or gasoline en-
CINE.
| For all these and many other pur-
! poses, electric power at reasonable
price would soon supplant the steam
| engines, gasoline engines, windmills
/ water motors and hand power now in
use, and would also without doubt,
| bring about great increase in
the number of plants requiring such
| power.
Opening For New Factories.
Besides the manufacturing establish
ments already in operation here, 9TH
ers are so clear demanded by the
| local conditions that they are prac-
tically certainly to come as soon as
motive power can be had at fair
price. Among these factories yet to
come are plants for the manufacture
of boots and shoes, of blankets, of
beet sugar, of furniture, and of various
iron and steel products.
! The International Dam.
| President Mckinley, in his annual
message presented to congress Dec. 5,
1898, devoted an entire paragraph to
the Mexican water boundary commits
sion. The president says that "the
| Marian water boundary cOm m ssiOp