New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-12-24
ELECTRIC LIGHT AND POWER.
MILLIONS OF INVESTED CAPITAL IN An
INDUSTRY WHICH HAS BAD a hh-
MARKARLE DEVELOPMENT

Electric light and power companies are o's
tined in the future to play most lnnuen''"'
mart IL the cities OF the whole world. In New
York City there is company AT the present
time with capital Of SS.OO0.OO and BOND issues
of 81; 800 600 making an investment OF Sif'J""'-
600 This concern has witnessed great pros
noritv and in some Of the late years has earned
- per cent over the q per cent on the investment
Edsons great discovery was not only boon
TO the human race. but it opened up an Industry
which has developed into one Of the most tar-
reaching and important in the United states.
There is hardly a city or town of any size in the
Union but that has an electric lighting plant.
The first Edison "Jumbos" will not soon De 10Y
gotten. and the Pearl-st station. when was
opened in September. iSs2. was the beginning
of n new epoch in the history OF modern eiec-
trlclty This station began with six steam dy-
namos. each OF 10 horse power. In the HIST
month eighty five houses were liiuniha'eu' ia
ing been furnished with wires for more imam
three thousand lamps: Dr. Norvn o,vv' conn,
me first president of the first iliumlhatnh 'oia'
nanv and il was said of the old Peari-sl. STA
lion that II was Z university from Wh'Cn w.
forth into all lands the graduated disclpi,s VI
,ha NOW. scicnce The first system employed was
thc .'two-,vire." and 1t covered lOur H r,
of feeders and nine miles OF mans nv
territory which IL served extended from
Mall To Spruce and Ferry sts ana from rom
Nassaii-st. 10 the East River. II TOOK a peiipu
of alou, five years to demonstrate ma nv
plant was commercially success, ana theh ..
perno,,t Morgan became Interested in the
co,npanv The plants at Twenty sixth ana Ihlr-
tv-ninth SIS were built, ana an uhnerRiouh"
system was undertaken. Six stations now sup
rlv the current, tho main station pelhs n
Duane-st The company has record OF NOT
having the current turned of since u was Hrst
turned on with the exception of three hours
during the disastrous fire at the Pearl-st. sta-
ttnn which made necessary the reconstruction
Of the building. Currents are FED ny me coln-
pany into more than two hundred miles OF sun
way tubing. requiring in the operation ABOUT
six hundred and nifty miles Of conductors Tor
feeders and mains The Edison Company ab-
sorbcd three other companies. which had ai'o-
grther - 500 incandescent lights ana 2oo'~ arc
lights These bring the grand total FAR above an
equivalent II .IJuUD 16-candlc power lamps,
ana their earnings bring the aggregate income
to approxinafely X2.WtbuOO gross.
1t has taken seventeen years to develop the
system for lighting New-York by electricity
from the Battery far above OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
twenty -fifth-st.
While originally the service aimed only at fur
nishing incandcscent lighting. motor supply was
begun in lNSi and are lighting in 1889. The
great central station from which New-fork re-
ceVes its electric illumination has total en-
CINE capacity of 2G.SpD horsepower. Newly ork
was Inc pioneer in the Introduction Of vertical
engines of the marine type for driving electric
generators and the first engine of this kind or
the present sizes ever built in the United states
was constructed here The central station is
supplied with large multpOlar generators d.
rectly coupled to the vertical compound engines:
New York City Was the first city I'm the United
States to adopt this type OF machine.
The underground system in use IN New YORK
for the accommodation OF electric conductors
was well devised. Mains were laid in front OF
thn houses each block. Joined at the street
corners into a crib or network, while the cur
rent was supplied by feeders running from the