The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1904-12-22

sunshine from New York
9SoHr City.
Pretty Fanny, sitting before a mir.
ror and plating her brown tresses
looked up and pouted as the room
grew dim.
Then she reached up her dlmpled
hand and turned on the electric light
In peariy bulb swinging from tiny
bronze statue of Silenus.
At almost the same moment hun
dreds Of thousands OF other New York
hands were raised for the same pur-
pose. The cloud passing between the
sun and the earth caused about $500
900 electric lights to be turned on in
New York, representing the electric
equivalent of 250O0O horse power an
hour and an increased consumption Of
nearly 900 tons of coal.
Five hours of the cloud that made
pretty Fanny pout meant an added
expense Of at least $4,000 to the peo-
pie of the city.
How few persons know anything
about the prodigious development Of
electric power in the American metro
polls, or have any conception of the
immensity of the underground system
Of ducts and wires through which
mighty currents Of power are vibrating
to move 100000 passengers day
through the streets, to turn the wheels
of factories or burst into radiance in
millions of glass bulbs through fla
ments delicate as threads of silk!
Fifteen years ago, when the air was
webbed with wires and cables hang
ing from tall wooden poles, there was
something in the grotesque sight to
stir the Imagination. But since the
Mayor of New York laid the axe to
these poles, the mechanism through
which electric power has been swiftly
extended has been buried in the
ground.
Since that day Of tremendous pole
chopping, with its attendant applause
of the unlocking thousands, every sys-
tenn of the city travel has been har-
messed to electricity and millions of
electric lights have been added to the
metropolitan agencies of illumination.
There is to-day about $4,000 electric
horse power in use in New York. Four
years ago, according to the National
census, tlrre was only 311O16 electric |
horse power in use in the entire coun-
try.
Last year Prof. Sewers, the consult
ing electrical engineer Of the Depart
ment Of Water Supply, Gas and Elec-
tricity, estimated the whole electric re-
sources of the city at 100000 horse
power This year the subway rapid
transit system and the smaller addi-
tions incidental to the city's growth
and Transformation have, according
to rough official calculations, made an
of at least 10000 horse pow
er. So that a total of $4,000 electric
horse power is a conservative estimate
for New York
In less than six years the city has
issued permits for more than 2,SOO,000
lights and something like
$4,000 arc lights. This takes no ac-
count of the lights installed in the pre-
,eding fifteen years, of which there is
40 official record, although it is known
hat the permit figures cover many re-
of old lights.
Some faint idea of the network of
electric currents that lies hidden under
he streets may be gathered from the
'act that the New York Edison Com
)any has more than 26o miles Of wires
md cables in the city alone, besides
500 miles of circuits, including all the
'lectric lighting companies. and 2061
niles Of telegraph and telephone wires
md ducts. making a total mileage Of
$3.50 miles.
In many Of the cables, within the
pace Of three inches, there are 1900
eparate wires. The New York Tele-
hone Company alone has 250.OO0 miles
f copper wire buried in New York
'ity. Taking the length of the separ-
tie wires, the total electric mileage
4 the city would reach around the
world dozens of times.
A single New York company has
nore than 100000 separate lights on
IS circuits.
The New York Telephone Company
nd the New York and New Jersey
telephone Company, in a territory ex-
ending fifty miles from the New
'ork City Hall. have more than 225.O0O
eparate stations. There are now
lore than 5000 private telephone ex-
hanges in the city. with at least C0.00O
onnecting stations
The copper buried under the streets
New York represents, it is believed.
lore than S1O,OO0,0OO. There are no
eliable statistics on the subject, ex-
ept that a careful estimate OF the cop
er wires used in the Metropolitan {
treet Railway system alone places
heir total value at more than $780,
%.
1t is safe to say, on the average ba-
Is Of seven tons Of coal to an electric
orse power that the electricity used 4
! New York requires an hourly con- n
lmption Of not far from 5000 tons Of n
BAL.
All this growth in one city within a d
narter Of a century. with the means y
I. perhaps, 100000 additional electric
n,.co r,r4r~nr nIrooTr. s,r.Iar .o~rt-..1