The Forrest City times., 1899-04-07
The New Piant.

Tie unNSl rlcCtiiS HShe tt"ie' AZ 80
South. considering the size Of the town
It ia owned and operated by the s..
Francis Electric Light Company.
corraratinn organized Under the laws
If Arkars,s. and is under the local
management Of Mr.. Will Shepard. an
expert machinist, and an electrician
of considerable practical experience.
The company has been for year or
more using an inadequate plant pur-
Chased from former organization. but
their experience long since taught them
that :. The public is hard master,
and that TO give satisfaction larger
and bettr equipped plant would be
necessary. To see was to act with them
and they Immediately set to work to
buy location, build new power
house. and equip it with up to-date
appliances.
This rev plant was completed, the
machinery put in motion and the town
lighted for the first time from the new
plant last Monday night.
Mr. II. NJ. Houston, of the Houston,
'fanvood & Gamble Co.. of Cincinnati.
Ohio, thorough engineer. was here for
several weeks 20 superintend putting
up the engine.
The work was carefully and well
lone, and upon the opening night
everything Worked satisfactorily.
The lighting ofthe city by electricity
is not matter W child's play. The
wonderful eccentricities and power of
electricity are Jet in their infancy, and
ge may not expect even the new plant
to run without an accident, and there
.nay be times even now, when fuse
will burn ont or some prank will cause
darkness fer short while, But per-
sonal inspection Of the plant, and a
borough explanation OF its workings
convinces ns that we have a first class
plant and that We are to have first
class s.rvice-the best that it is posi-
ble to have in town of this size, and
such an one as should meet the hearty
90 operation, encouragement and pat
Fonage of the citizens.
A short description Of the machin-
cry ay be interesting. The plant con-
lists OF the engine, the boiler, with
feed water heater and pump, and the
dynamo, with its separate EXETER dy-
lamo, instruments for gauging the
current, etc, etc.
The engine was furnished by the
Houston, Stanwood & Gamble Co, OF
Cincinnati, Ohio, and is what is known
AS cross compound, 100 horsepo wer
-ngine. The band wheel is ten feet in
iiameter and weighs over 1000 pounds.
This Wheel makts the lights steady
The steam is used several times and
IAN be used at $50 pounds pressure,
hus saving much fuel and water. The
ngnes are erected on Il massive ma
onry foundation Of the very best ma
elials, and can be easily arranged to
give lao horsepower il required. The
ign pressure boiler is sixty six inches
II diameter AMI eighteen feet long.
The dynamo is Thompson Houston
machine, and his capacity OF four
cen hundred iights-more than twice
he number nov in use here. III dy-
nano generates an alternating current
1t llc9 volts. The current from this
machine would by contact be instantly
fatal.
The Thompson-IIonston machine is
me Of he best makes OH the market.
aud weighs fourteen thousand pounds.
The wiring OF the various circuits is
being changed and rearranged so as to
reduce the loss caused by the drop in
electrical pressure or voltage. This will
make the lights much better.
The great advantage of the a'terna.
ing current, as used now in Forrest
Clty, is that current can be produced
It very high voltage and transmitted
vilh little loss, because Of the high
pressure, to a point near where 1t is to
oe used. There, ut small loss, the
voltage is reduced to that required by
lie lamps to be burned.
The large capacity of the Forrest City
nlant is "A safeguard against shut downs.
AS there is very little strain on the ma
chinery, and hence less danger Of break
age or of burning out wires, etc.
very lew towns as small AS Forrest
City have as good an electric light plant
as The new one just finished. The ma
chlnefy 10 OF a grade rarely found at all
IA the West or South and compares IA
sorably with that of any plant of it's
capacity hn,1he country.