The Wichita daily eagle., 1903-12-26
PEOPLE OF WICHITA
USING MORE GAS
Increase in Four Days Was
1900 Feet.
HOW GAS Is TESTED
Best Electric Light Plant in
the State.
.OW GAS is TESTED

James ]. Walch, superintendent Of the
Wichita Gas, Electric Light and Power
company, said last night that the in
city for the four days preceding Christ
mas was $4,000 feet, or $1,000 feet per
day over the same time last year.
This is reminder of the fact that very
few people even in this city are aware
that at the present time Wichita has one
Of the best gas and electric light plants
in the west. 1t is one of the few plants in
the country on which there is no bonded
debt. There are very few stockholders
of which Henry c. Scott. of St. Louis,
is the largest.
Some of the business men iR this city
who are acquainted with Mr.. Scott and
OIL familiar terms with him, know that
none of the stock is for sale. The men
who have invested their money in the
plant did so for a permanent investment,
and that is the reason that they are max
ing valuable improvements Since the
late improvements the plant is valued at
q quarter of million dollars, and more
Improvements will be made next sum-
mer. The old exhauster building viii be
torn away and a larger one erected of
brick and stone west of the present build
ing. and a new railroad switch will be
built on the company's grounds to facili-
tate the unloading Of fuel. Another
bench of retorts will be added TO the
plant, increasing its capacity ,eoo cubic
feet of gas per day.
Ed Vail said last night that last year
and this were the only years in the his
tory Of Wichita since the establishment
of electric light plants in the city that
they were able to furnish all the light
needed during the holidays. This com
pany furnishes all the gas needed for the
busy days preceding Christmas, and
could have furnished as much more.
The electric light plant OF this com
psny is up-to-date, and as good as any
in the world. There are two engines used
one of five hundred horse power and
the other is three hundred horse power.
The generator used for lighting has
capacity of ten thousand lamps of six
teen candle power, and the power sener-
ators have q capacity Of four hundred
horse power.
These power generators are used to fur
nish power to customers. People buy
the power for various purposes. 1t is
used for running fans and machinery.
The largest customer is the United Sash
and Door factory. The entire machinery
power furnished by the Wichita Gas
Electric Light and Power company.
One benefit of obtaining power from
a plant of this kind is that by proper
wiring the fire risk is very much less
than when steam is generated by fur
naces in the building The main thing is
however. in the saving. 1t has been
demonstrated that one big furnace can
make the same amount of heat as a half
dozen smaller ones at much less expense
just as a large mill can grind -four
cheaper than a small mill
Some people think that if natural gas
OR oil should be discovered near this city
that it would cause a depreciation in the
value of the gas and electric light plants
In the city. This is a mistaken idea. and
plants would like to see the oil or gas
found here or piped into the city so that
they could get cheaper fuel.
The franchise of the gas company re-
quires il to furnish its customers gas OF
eighteen candle power. and there are in
straments placed in the plant TO test the
candle power If the gas. Every day IN
city electrician calls at the plant and
makes the test. The tests for every day
in this month up to yesterday showed
twenty-five candle power for every day
except one. On the 23d day of the month
the test showed twenty-one and a half.
There are a good many things about
the electric lights that the average per
son does not understand. There is evi
IDENTITY a good deal about electricity that
the experts Go not know. but they know
some things that other people have not
learned. For instance, most people con
slider the incandescent light tho steadiest
of all lights. Superintendent Walsh said
yesterday that IL was one Of the wors
Pickering lights ever invented but il
fickered so fast that people could not
detect ii. He said the incandescent light
was made by alternating currents OF
electricity, and At every alteration there
was no light He explained it in thls
way: II you move your hand in one direc-
tion and then the reverse just at the point
where the reverse motion is made there
is a rest He said the electric current
which made the iucsnd-scent light alter
mated seven thousand two hundred times
IN minute and the eye could not de-
tect ii.