New-York tribune., 1905-07-01
CHEAPER CITY LIGHTS.
PLANT TO COST S7,567, 900.
Eapert Engineers Report to Mayor
ON Proposed Building.

.or,osod r,unicinal electric lighting plant
for this city will have capacity OIL l''oO' o.
lights and will cost $1,56looo 10 oui4O ~
81 oeo nno q year TO run The annual cost d
1anp if the city builds its own plant Is pu1 O.
esA ~ for arc lamps, as compared Win sI-4 'o'
now paid the lighting companies 1or 'iie o"
kind of service. The report OF the ci'S o0-
mission fully justifes the findings OF lhe otoseii
legislative committee and the estimates op'"
bv the Merchants Association ana olner VI e"--
,-o+ioDs enlisted in the movement for cheaper
lighting -, obiaf
rarv T. Hutchinson, Nelson P, Lewis chiei
.e.i~,oo. oe the BOARD of Estimate and Appor-
tionment. and George F. Sever, the cornnllssioh
80 ona-+ engineers appointed last winter pS
,favor Mcclellan yesterday presented thelr re-
rort to the Board of Estimate and Apporlioh-
ment 1t says, in part:
r,. oooornnanving report gives the cost OF
corstr,1cttong and operation of CITY I elec.lie
nIant to supply all of the city hshtlass Wy for
tricity-to the entire ll: exclusiom IA ntber pub
streets marks public buildings ana o@IneL @ Pi, Pi4,
lie r1aces This plant, built in accorudiCe ~
these specifications, will insure service eQu'i -
or better than now given - oil eouinn,ent
for central station, of capacity OF lo:VOV 1 e.
watts and q distributing system oSo 9'too,,
supply $4,000 arc lights anu the total
candlepower incandescent equ1valents' 1e 80
cost will he ST 567. .000 The total annual opoi 3
ing and fxed charges, including interest," dI %
per cent depreciation. ana an opei opei'e'e iee
nenses will be- year, S1.zoS'oUV. ...r,, nor
NTi+bar the cost of building duct system LoL
rentals to he paid the existing ouct i coiiip 5
ave Included in the estimates OF cohsI. uot,O. Ia-
.,tire a. costs. these items omitted unoer
Vonr instructions that the city has the IisIt s+i ~
use such duct space as 1t requires II &c 1,,i,e,
Suhdiyiding the total annual coSl VI so
-, ncondescent lights, the annual cost
per arc light will be S64 VI, anu lne ooSI u f b
kiIovatt hour for incandescent service IN mI4i - %
of
30, 20 ntemn1ated in this report at the rates
charged the city by the Edison company id mou
be So 900; the operation OF llie e. dsI 600
therefore effect an annual Saslns VI p iI,,os+' ;
Is1 to annroximately 20 per cent OF the lnVeS'-
ment required. % os .,d electric
The total cost to the city OF gas ana eieetit t
,iot+S for the last year, under the rullns rates,
- s1 TO3 GOO the operation of TINS plant "ouIu
therefore effect a saving OF s43toU oESa 9aotic
cost under existing condltlons-thdl t -. ~ +be
lighting can be substituted for gas Dotn III Iia
sfraets and in public buildings, and an allluai
saving of $i334 600 be made .-.., ora
Tba estimates of the cost of construction anu
of onerafion included in this report presuppose
economy and skill equal to that shown IN ,e lne
conduct of private corporations we Deiiet :.
that the of the city wastes as Lue .bts onin-
nIant would be entirely impractlcaDle this op4Ai
ion being based preliminary estimates
The report says that the city has purchased
q nIot of ground bounded by Avenue A. SOth
and 91st sts and the East River aIroroihs ah
admirable site for a powerhouse or suHclehl Ca
pacity not only for the present needs OF the CITY,
hut for such extensions as probably would be
rccrired within twenty years The substation
buildings will be plain brick buildings occupy
ing a city lot The plan Of operation provides
that each substation shall be the heaoquar teL e, .
for the entire service supplied from It, In the
snbstations an inspector will have living quar-
ters supplies will be carried, lamps cleaned ana
repairs made. ,.. ,, -
ION the principal streets of Manhattan says
the report I'VE purpose duplicating the present
iron poles; on other streets we purpose using
poles of a somewhat different character ana
nrovide mast arms, in order to bring the hSht
more out into the street and away from the SIDE
walk This Is particularly desirable IN Inc
Bronx where the foliage interferes considerably
with the lights placed along the curb.