Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-19
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Operations of District Department
the Past Year.
ENGINEER ALIENS ANNUAL REPORT
Statistics Given Concerning Over
head and Underground Wires.
NGIEEfR ALIENS ANNUAL REPORT
LEGISL ALTON n f E D F D

| Mr.. Walter c. Allen, the District. electri-
| cal engineer, has submitted to the Commits
| siGners his first annual report covering the
! operations of his department during the
| fiscal year ended June 30. 1893.
| This DEPARTMENT was established by the
| Commissioners July II, 1898 when the of
| flee in charge of street lighting and that
| portion of the Office of the telegraph and
| telephone service engaged in outside work
were consolidated into single office. to be
known as the electrical department of the
District of Columbia. The new department
was given supervision over the following
named public interests: All matters per
| tanning to street lighting: the electric equip
| m mt of underground and overhead trolley
| roads; underground conduits for electric
| lighting and power, telephone telegraph,
and other purposes; all overhead wires
| and poles. and exterior work relative to
| the District of Columbia fire alarm tele-
| graph and telephone service. The scope
| of this new department was further en-
| larged April II. 1899. by another order of
the board of Commissioners, placing the
| II manning portion of the telegraph and tel
ephone service within its jurisdiction
Mr. Aliens report is a most v2luminous
| ere. consisting Ct nearly 100 pages of tyne
| writing. but many of its features were con-
| tanned in his estimates for the next fiscal
y
ago. He gives the location of newly erect
ed lamps. and of those discontinued.
Incandescent Lights.
Under the head of "Incandescent Electric
Lighting" he says no extensions of this ser
vic have been made. except the addition
of five lamps placed temporarily around
a break in the wall of the Chesapeake and
Ohio canal on the Canal road. Owing to
the FACT that these lamps are on overhead
lines and "A large number on each circuit
fr, quent interruptions have occurred. leav-
ing whole sections in darkness until the
trouble has been repaired.
In lexington. where les lamps are main
tanned. the whole service was interrupted
four times during the year and partly on
ten other occasions. on the Aqueduct
bridge, where 30 lamps maintained. all
the lamps We're ont on eight different occa-
slons. on the Canal road, where 10 lamps
are maintain ID, they We're all out on three
different occasions. In Tenleytown and vi
cinity. and on the Tenleytown road, where
III lamps are maintained. there Were
eleven occasions when from % to 90 lamps
were out at time. Except in certain
locations where it is impracticable to main
tain either gas or naphtha lamps, as, for
instance. the Aqueduct bridge. where
strong winds prevail, this service is not so
satisfactory as gas single break in
wire will put out a large number of lamps.
while with gas such an interruption does
not occur.
designa ton purposes on corners lighted by
arc lamps has been extended as far as the
funds would permit thirty-one being added
to the fifteen already in service.
Arg Lamp Service.
The electric arc lamp service was extend
ed by the addition Of twenty-seven lamps
maintained by the United States Electric
Lighting Company and thirty-three lamps
maintained by the Potomac Electric Power
Company.
During the year the United States E,lec-
trio Lighting Company put it's new central
station in operation. In the old plant it
operated the majority of the public arc
lamps from Thomson Houston dynamos
averaging fifty lights to each machine. In
the new plant the latest type of Brush ma
chimes used averaging about 100 nights
each. The underground circuits have been
changed and connected together, but large
amount of the cable has been unable to
withstand the increased voltage, and many
Interruptions to the service have occurred.
The company has drawn in considerable
new cable, however. and is now engaged
in wedding out the poor sections of the old.
The Potomac Electric Power Company
has adapted all the Adams Bagnell lamps.
formerly maintained eight in series on a
6oo-volt grounded railway circuit to the
regular series arc light circuit and now
operates them from standard arc light dy-
namos This was done to comply with the
requirement CT the department that all
electro arc lamps should be operated on
non grounded circuits.
The following statement shows the distri-
button of the Ais new lamps erected during
the past fiscal year:
Gas-43 streets, alleys in northwest: %
streets in northeast; streets, alleys in
southwest; streets in southeast; 81 streets,
30 roads. county. Total. 224.
Naphtha-2 streets, alleys in northwest
6 streets, :; alleys in northeast; II streets
| in southwest: II streets in southeast; ri
streets, roads. county. Total, 90.
Collis-25 streets. northwest; > streets,
northeast: 3 streets, southeast Total, n.
Arcs streets, northwest: II streets,
northeast; 10 streets, southeast. Total, 60.
WelStYach-J1 streets. northwest.
Grand total. AS, made up as follows: 1G}
streets. alleys. northwest: 81 streets,
alleys, northeast; Is streets. alleys, south
west; 81 streets, southeast; 1919 streets, Us
alleys, county.
| The number Of lamps Of all kinds IL July
| l. 1889. as compared with July !, 1898.
lo:}s 1922.
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