The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1907-05-14
lNcANDESCENT
LIGHT PLANT
Report Submitted to City Council
For Establishing One.
REFERRED TO JOINT COMMITTEE

The following is the report Of IN.
Joint Committee of Light and Finance
for the proposed building of an iucan-
descent electric light plant for Fn.d.r-
icksburg prepared by Engineer Trsfiord
and ordered printed hy the CITY Council
at its meeting held Friday. May 10Th.
1907:
Richmond. Va. May 9th. 1907.
Mr.. +. Vi. Young. Jr.. Chairman Iicht
Committee. fredericksburg. Va.
Dear Sir beg 70 submit the follow.
ing report concerning the question oi the
expediency Of your city undertaking the
supply OF electricity for lighting aud
power Tor the private Use Of yourcitizens
may say at the start that I have no
intention OF presenting an argument on
the policy and theory OF municipal own.
ershlp. or of private Owership If public
utilities, or of the advantages and diSad.
vantages which each possesses. bur
rather To discuss the matter from an .u-
gineering and economic view point.
showing you what you can do for your
citizens If YOU determine 10 enter the
field of commercial service.
| Briefly, the conditions existing m your
city regarding electrical service are these.
| The city owns small electric plant or
Grated 10y water power and used for
| street lighting purposes only The plant
| furnishes service TO - are lamps. the
lamps and apparatus being capable OF
furnishing the very highest class OF Serv-
Ice known. and vastly the superior of
any lights in the State Of virginia of
which have knowledge. mention tli,
because find that not infrel ueutiv IL Is
considered that all arr Ugh, arr alike in
value. and comparisons are made t@-
tween the cost OF an are Light IN i.iisrput
piaces without considering he quality Of
the ar light. The number of ichts
used l. very liberal for city oi your sig.
and popuiati 1n-fnr instance YOU hav.
approximately one-haf a. many lights
a. the city OF Roanoke with hve times
your population. whilst the cost Of vou-
lights. according % the figures furnished
me, are very much below that charged
10y private companies TO other cities for
vastly Inferior lights On the whole
therefore. / think yuu have reason 10 Dr..
satisfied with the results obtained from
your street lighting plant. even though
you have been paying for twice the
amount OF water power which YOU have
occasion 10 Use. and have only be. able
L utilize such power during 30 r.e- cent.
o. the time IN which you had IL AT your
disposal
aN
Use in your city l. IN very backward
state. learn from sources which have.
every reason To believe reliable that the
maximum load does not exceed 90 kiio-
watts OF electric energy Approximately
~ h. p.l- The mason for this limited
Use oi electricity j. apparent from an in-
sl-cuOn OF the rate sheet OF the private
company now furnishing the service.
The prices charged are virtually thoS.
which obtained IN cities az your>iz- -orn..
niteen or more years ago. aud rho old
method OF charging principally by "lat
rates l. largely adhered TO- ! heard
many complaints during my brief stay IN
your city concerning the quality of the
service, but ia justice 20 the company /
must say that the only evidence Of this
which ! observed was that the voltage,
was too high, thus forcing the lights 10
an unusual hrilliaucy and cOuseo dently
causing "blackened globes"
was not permitted 70 examine the
plant facilities OF the company. but learn
mat The equipment consists of iO-k. "
and COX w, alternating current gen
'rators located in separate plants The
general appearance of the distributing
poles and wires was such a. 70 indicate
that the time had come for a general re-
newal, much az the wire being oi a class
which has long since been condemned a.
dangerous
II II obvious that in a city oi the size
81 fredericksburg the best Interest % th.
citizens l. 10 have but one corporation
responsible for the supply of electricity.
there l. not enough business 10 divide
without a duplication of expense which
Is unnecessary. For instance. in the
question Of superintendeuce. yhe whole
business would justify the payment OF q
reasonable salary which would secure
the services OF an efficient man. II the
business be divided YOU have the choice
81 pay ing the salaries of two such men
OF smaller salaries 10 less efficient men
who are dear at any price Ia station
attendance and linemen the same j. also
true, that with a division OF business the
public must IN many instances pay Tor
the services OF two men. where one would
De capable OF performing the whole II no
division existed Assuming. therefore
that the city shall determine that IL is 10
the best interest of her citizens To furnish
AL Of the lighting and power REQUIRED
within her corporate limits. ! will pro-
ceed 10 describe such plant a. I con
ceiVe 70 be proper 10 supply your present
requirements and also the REASONABLE.
growth OF the business (under the i'm
proved conditions OF less costly service
Tor the next five years.
The size II your plant should be- about
$50 kilOwatts. of which so kilovafr-
should be reserved for the lighting OF
your streets and l2O kilowatt- for com.
merclal service. These figures will pro-
vide Tor the doubling OF the present com
merclal service, and Will allow Won TO
continue the present street service until
Increased lights are desired. a. which
time you can by improved methods in.
crease the number u 100 lights comper-
able to those you now have. or 40
lights similar to thosein use in Richmond
and to be used in Norfolk.
To develop this $50 kilowatts of cleo.
trical energy, there would b.- REQUIRED
approximately 21O h. .. of mechanical
power To be delivered either bv means Of
water wheels or some other source Of
power. II water power be used about
34O theoretical water horse power
would have to be contracted for. and
this brings Us lace To face with the CUES
tlon oil whether or no more water power
than the 200 horse LOwer covered bv tne
city present lease can be secured from
the company owning the water power
On this subject my information j. di
Versliled. ! am told that the water
power company do not want tofurnish
more than the present quantity that
they can spare any more" and also
that they want a franchise from the ciry
Tor furnishing the electric service them.
selves, which would require the use of
tue very same power which they sdo
not want TO furnish" and cant snare
Before proceeding to definite plans for
the construction OF a plant it would be
Well 70 get clearly defined statement a.
"a Ia4fI ..r -