New-York tribune., 1905-01-06
prp,sr 1ND pUYIcJp4L LIGHTING.


Some practical suggestions of an interesting
character-particularly interesting just now
when the question of municipal lighting Is en-
gaging public attention-are contained III COM
missioner Woodbury's special report TO the
Mayor Of December 10 and the report OF MT.
Baylis, his consulting engineer. The TACT Is not
so well known as it ought to be that the De
partment of Street Cleaning has operated Tor
about year an experimental incineranng plant
at the foot Of West FOrty-seventh-st., where
refuse which has no market value is consumed
under boilers. A large volume of steam Is blown
of and wasted, after enough has been utilized
TO generate the electricity which lights Stable b,
IN Fifty -second-st, with something TO spare.
The establishment is crude, most Of its appl-
ances including the dynamo, being second hand,
but 1t is pleasure TO observe how eXperuy II
is managed. The Commissioners report con-
tains these instructive figures showing the re-
suit: To tow and unload at sea 263 yards OF
rubbish costs $53 so; burning in the incinerator
costs S19 60; saving day due to incinerator'
S34 20; saving per annum 600 working days.,
S1o26o In this computation no account is taken
of the power, converted into light which the
burning of the rubbish produces and of the
power which is wasted. Commissioner Wood
bry's report merely alludes to the possibilities
which the experiment suggests and which
he has repeatedly discussed in public and pri-
vate heretofore. leaving 1t to the consulting en-
gineer TO draw general conclusions with regard
to the problem Of municipal lighting.
Mr. Baylis having studied the work done by
the little incinerator In Forty-seventh-st., the
street cleaning statistics of New-York and the
results obtained in parts of London and in Yari-
GUS other English cities from the combustion of
refuse, has no hesitation IN saying that "the mu-
"nicipal lighting of a city or large town is al
ways possible If its mixed refuse is employed
"as fuel TO evaporate water to steam and the
"steam is utilized in the generation Of electric
currents" The bearing Of this established fact
on the question which is now under discussion
by the municipal authorities and the public,
and which is soon TO come before the legislat-
ure is clearly indicated by Mr.. Baylis in these
words: "The city has now at great cost to dis
pose Of a quantity Of material having a fuel
value at least two and perhaps three times as
great as the maximum requirement for mu-
"nieipal electric lighting" If it is true that
large saving on the cost Of present methods
would be effected by merely burning unstable
rubbish, it is hardly possible to doubt that its
conversion into electricity would be profitable,
provided the business were well managed
Nobody doubts that the handling Of the citys
waste was for generations monumental eX-
ample of bad municipal housekeeping. 0arDage
,s No Ionpar carried out to sea clandestnely
dumped in home waters with the certainty OF
its being in large part washed back to dehle tne
shores We have happily escaped from tlaI @
feature of bondage to a system whlcn wac
evolved from ignorance and tainted WIN Coi.
ruption In other ways, Also improvements ,,o
tna+ some day the Street Cleaning Department
SvsTl become an agency for the collection OF
handsome revenue instead of being an enormous
axnenSe.