The Opelousas courier., 1905-03-25

u d across the sky the othe
@ Ia @ day and shut off the war;
u u sunshine from New Yor
|os City.
Pretty Fanny, sitting before a mil
ror and plating her brown tresses
looked up and pouted as the roor
grew dim.
Then size reached Up her dimple,
hand and turned on the electric ligh
in a pearly bulb swinging from a tin,
bronze statue of Silenus.
AT almost the same moment hun
dreds Of thousands of other New Yorl
hands were raised for the pur
pose. The cloud passing betwrTJEh,
sun and the earth caused about $500,
900 electric lights TO be turned on il
New York, representing the electric
equivalent Of $4,000 horse power ar
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 PEG.
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
immensely of the underground system
OF ducts and wires through which
mighty currents of power are vibrating
IN 1nnva aNl nl0 -
through the streets. to turn the wheels
OF factories OF 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 srotesque sight to
stir the Imagination. But since the
Mayor OF New York laid the x 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 it's attendant applause
Oh 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 $50 600 electric
horse power in use in New York. -Four
years ago, according to the National
census, there was only 311,O16 electric
horse power in use in the. entire u
try.
Last year Prof. Sewers, the consult
electrical engineer Of the Depart
lnes1t of Water Supply, Gas and Elec-
tricity, estimated the whole electric re-
sources of the city at 700, 1000 horse
power: This year the subway rapid
transit system and the smaller addi-
incidental to the city's growth
md Transformation have. according
to rough official calculations. made an
increase of at least 10000 horse pov-
SO that 4 total of $4,000 electric
horse power is a conservative estimate
New York.
In less than six years the city has
ssued permits for more than $500 900 |
ncandescent lights and something like
$4,000 arc lights. This takes no ac-
count OF the lights installed in the pre-
fifteen years, of which there is
10 Official record, although it is known
hat the permit figures cover many re-
installations Of old lights.
Some faint idea of the network of |
'lectric currents that lies hidden under
he streets may be gathered from the
act that the New York Edison Com
ANY has more than 800 miles Of wires
nd cables in the city alone, besides
$40 miles Of circuits, including all the
lighting companies, and 2o61
niles of telegraph and telephone wires
nd duets, making a total mileage of
$50 miles.
In many of the cables, within the
pace OF three inches, there are 1900
eparate wires. The New York Tele-
Company alone has 250,OOO miles
copper wire buried in New York
ity. Taking the length of the separ-
wires, the total electric rlileagc
the city would reach around the
-orld dozens of times.
a single New York company has
lore than 3,5o0,0co separate lights on
s circuits.
The New York Telephone Company
nd the New York and New jersey
telephone Company, in a territory ex-
'nding fifty miles from the New
ork City Hall, have more than 225. 900
'parate stations. There are now
ore than 5000 private telephone ex-
langes in the city, with at least 10000
injecting stations.
Ihe copper buried under the streets
New York represents, it IS believed.
ore than s1O,00o,0o 0 There are no /,
liable statistics on the subject. x
pit that a careful estimate of the con.
T wires used in the Metropolitan :
rect Railway system alone places
eir total value at more than $780,
.
lt IS safe to say. on the average ba-
J Of seven tons Of coal to an electric :
rise power, that the electricity used !
New York requires an hourly con-
mption OF not far from 5000 tons of ]
al. !.
All this growth in one city within a
.arfer Of q century, with the means
perhaps, 100000 additional electric
rse power already under construc- f
III a
The electric force employed in New II