The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1907-08-13

| EVOLUTION
Some Of the Difficulties Attend
ing the Introduction Of
Our Electric Plant.
WILL HISTORY REPEAT ITSELFs

WILL J1lC1ON1 NEI EA1 llDELE{
The recent electric light agitation
recalls that of the organization of the
one now the Public Service plant. On
July 2, 1886, H. w. Pope appeared be-
fore the Common Council and asked
permission to erect poles and wires on
certain streets for supplying electric
light to customers. He stated that a
plant would cost about $4,000 and a
special committee composed of Messrs.
Troxell, Beatty, Barker, Malley and
Werts, was appointed to investigate.
On invitation of Mr.. Pope the COM
mittee visited Orange and came back
much pleased with the plant there and
the hospitality of Mr.. Pope.
The August meeting was a division
of opinion some fayoring the new con-
Germ others opposing it. A franchise
was suggested but did not get very far
and at the September meeting a reso-
luton was adopted allowing the COM
pany to erect poles and string wires on
some streets specified, the represent
atiyes Of the company stating that
they could use the telephone poles in
other locations. The permission was
granted to Fl. W. Pope, Geo. e. Voor-
hees, Jr., and associates, and they
formed the Morristown Electric Light,
Heat and Power Company. Like the
more recent franchise the resolution
had two opposers in the council, Mes
Sis. Malley and Beatty, while Messrs
Troxell, Barker, Farrelly, Doty,
Schureman and Werts were in favor.
| The resolution did not give the new
company street lighting however and
the company some time after organ
ization placed two sample arc lights
on the Park. Some of the councilmen
wanted them retained and others ad-
ded and in the following March a trans
fer was put through with difficulty to
pay $120 for the two lights for the
months of March, April and May.
The May election turned on the
| lighting question and the electric
crowd won out and the following Sep
tember after advertising for bids for
| lighting contract was made to begin
October 21st for twelve arc lamps on
the streets. The Gas Company vigor-
ously objected to the letting to the
new company and as THE JERsEYMAN
stated at the time maintained lobby
at every meeting of the council.
After securing the right to go on the
streets the new company on the first
of October, 1885, was reported as pur-
chasing lot 40x123 feet on Cole ave-
nue. and one story wooden building
was started. The first equipment was
a eighty-horse power boiler, a sixty
horse power engine of the Westing-
house type and two Thomson Houston
arc dynamos each of forty-five lights
capacity and on November 8, 1886, cleo
tricity was used for private lighting
for the first time. One June 3, 1887,
THE CHRONICLE stated that the COM
pany had secured a 125-horse power
boiler, another engine of 65-horse pow
er and a Westinghouse alternating dy-
namo Of 1000 incandescent lights cap
acity and the paper notes little later
that number one wire had been run to
the business section for the lighting.
There was grand opening at the time
the incandescent machine was put in
operation. The little wooden building
had been enlarged and been freshly
painted. Day was on hand with a
luncheon inside the building and as
the day was warm the windows were
opened and boards nailed above the
sills to prevent people sitting down on
the paint. Everything was moving
nicely when a cylinder head of the new
Westinghouse engine blew out and
there was scurring to get out. One
man crawled between a window sill
and the stick above transferring a lot
of paint from the sill to his clothes
while young lady present siezed the
station cat and ran nearly to the Park.
Matters were Strengthened out after a
time and the official start was made.
About 1890 the hygiene ice company,
George e. Voorhees,, Jr., being one of
the promoters of this, as well as the
electric company, was organized. The
present brick building covering the
entire lot was erected and the COM
pressor for the ice company put in it,
steam being supplied from the boilers
of the electric company third boiler
having been set and an additional gen.
orator having been installed. This
lasted few years until partial
change of management when the ice
compressor was moved to new build
ing and supplied from it's own steam
plant. After this the only change was
the substitution of the freak or por-
cupine boilers for those formerly in
use and the raising of the rear part of
building to accommodate the new type
of boiler.
The first electrician in charge was
9. j. Young, son of Professor Young
of Princeton, previous to his time Mr..
voorhees, having looked after the line