The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-01
MUNICIPAL LIGHTING PLANS.
COW MISSION REPORTS INITIAL
COST S7,.J61 ,OfO.
Twenty Per Cent. Of That sum Report says.
Can Be saved Yearly Electricity for
Whole city Private standards OF Skill
and Econ OIlIy Assumed In Estimates.


Can Be saved Yearly Electricity for
whole Cn,-Pri,ate standards OF Skill
and Economy Assumed In Estimates.
The commission OF which Cary 7. Hutch
inson is the head. appointed last fall by
Mayor Mcclellan to prepare plans for
municipal lighting plant submitted yes
terday a second report to the Board OF
Estimate. This report dealt mostly with
the cost of construction of central power
station and the cost of operation of plant
to supply all public lighting by electricity
to the exclusion Of gas.
The specifications prepared by the com
mission cover 1885 printe pages lnclud-
ing land, buildings and all equipment for
a central station to furnish all the electric
lighting needed by the city the cost is set
at 81 .587 600. II has been worked out also
by the commission that the annual cost of
operating the plant, including interest on
the OUTLAY for construction and allowances
for depreciation will be 81. 269 600. Ac-
cording to these estimates the cost per
arc light to the city would be 364.O7 per
year instead Of the STAG which is charged
by the lighting corporations for street
lighting. For incandescent service it will
be SIS cents per kiIowatt hour instead OF
the 10 cent basis which the companies under
the bill passed at the last session OF the
Legislature can charge.
The tota cost Of supplying the service
contemplated in the report at the rates
charged the city by the Edison company
would be s.. 80. 600; the operation Of this
plant at the annual figure given above
would therefore effect an annual saving
of 81 4sl 600. equal to approximately 20
per cent of the investment required.
The report says that material reductions
can be effected by the Use Of smaller units
for street illumination, and. in particular,
by the Use of a Nernst lamp OF the series
! type. replacing the Welshach and other
gas and naphtha lights unit for unit 1t
! adds
I pumping can he effected by the use of cleo
,rically driven centrifugal pumps, in place
OF the steam driven pumps IN All save 'he
/ largest pumping plants. .,.
and of operation included in this report
! presupposc economy aud skill equal 10 that
/ shown in the conduct OF private corpora
Ne believe that the use Of the city wastes
| as fuel for this plant would be entirely mn
practicable this opinion being based on pre-
liminarv estimates.
Attention is drawn by the commission to
the fact that there are in Manhattan and
. The Bronx 442 miles of streets lighted by
gas and naphtha and that the Use Of these
would be eliminated by the plans recon-
mended.
For the proposed central plant the city
has already purchased ground bounded by
Ninetieth and Ninety-irst streets, Avenue
A and the East River and it is the opinion
of the commission that this site will provide
for the building Of plant which. will supply
the lighting needs Of the city for at least
twenty years
The report WAS referred by the Board Of
Estimate to Nelson p. Lewis the chief
engineer of the board, and to Comptroller
| GrOlt.