The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1908-11-19
HOODOO is STILL ON
MUNICIPAL LIGHT
PLANT.
Delay by Contractors tina
Cause of No End of
Trouble.


twelve months has been a record
OF mishaps, miscalculatlons and
mistakes.
For two months the suburban
sections of the city have been with.
out lights part OF the time. Occa-
sionally the downtown districts
suffered a period of darkness Very
often In portions OF the city where
residence lighting Is contracted for
the supply has been very unsatls-
factory, or entirely absent
There are several reasons for
this condition Of the lighting plant
First and probably foremost ls the
vexations delay In receiving ma
terial and machinery ordered from
the east
Toe Many Contracts.
Secondly. during the summer
months Superintendent Youngs. fig
ufing that he would have his addi-
tioual supply Of power on hand By
October ], closed up contracts
which so reduced the available sup
ply. when the engineering depart
ment failed. to get the extra ma
chinery installed on time. that
there was not enough electricity to
keep all the street lights going.
Members ~ the city council have
been exceedingly generous during
the months Of long days in order
Ing street lights INSTALLED. aud this
has been probably an unnecessary
drain upon the available power
supply.
When the bends for the conneo-
lions with the wheels al the power
station arrived. Il was found that
they bad been put together wrong.
The bends bad 20 be cut apart and
put together again. a tedious and
ume-consumlng operation.
Agreement Broken.
When Il was seen that the addi-
uonal power was not forthcoming
on October !, the date figured on.
superintendent Youngs expected to
draw upon the supply Of the sno-
qhalmie Power & Lighting cofn-
pany. with which the city had n
reciprocal agreement. On October
u The SnoqualmIe people With
drew from this agreement. and the
lighting department was left 10 ita
own resources: facing an abnormal
demand for power and light. with
only a minimum supply.
The lighting plant should have
been IN a position 10 furnish an
ample supply Of right on October /
last Instead. the city il now get
ting but a little more than a.0O0
horsepower.
The contract for the steel nine
for the penstoek was awarded To
Mcneil 4 Co, Of pitfshurr and
they were months behind time in
setting the pipe here. Crane 4
Co. who furnished part Of the ma
chinery. were also behind time with
the orders, but because Of the de-
lay IN receiving the pipe the city
could not place the material fur.
nished by Crane & Co. even when
IL did arrive.
Natural Mistake.
The department accepted power
and light contracts during the
summer. on the theory that they
would have everything ready bv
October !. For this Superintendent
Noungs is to blame. and he freely
acknowledges hts mistake hut saws
he did what any other man would
probably have done under the same
circumstances.
The engineering department has
had charge of an actual construc-
ton work, and this department ana
the contractors are 70 blame for
the delay in getting the new ma
chinery In operation The charter
distinctly states that the city en-
gineer shall have charge ~ an mn
nicipal construction. CITY Engineer
Thomson has been absent for six
weeks, delegate TO the good roads
congress In Paris Assistant. city
Engineer J, I. Stannard has had
supervision Of the work Of construc-
tiQn during Mr. Thomsons absence.
AH q relief 20 present conditions.
Superintendent Noungs expects TO
have two more new generators In
use within two months One new
generator is now fully set un hut
has not been available because OF
the delay in completing the pipe
line between Cedar lake and the
penstock A third new generator
is now az the power plant awaiting
installation.
One Supply line.
At present there is only one
supply line carrying power from
the power house 10 the sub.station
I'm the city. Whenever anything
happens to this line. an power is
shut off q second power limo Is
now being built. and will be cut In
between Seattle and Renton this
week. This line Is about Onethird
When finished IL any
thing happens Go one line. the sec
ond line can he depended upon 70
carry power
In summarizing the situation, Il
can be said that the board of public
works was 10 blame for not hold
Ing the machinery contractors rig
idly 20 the date they promised 70
Wlfill their contracts, and after
wards failing 20 exact a penalty
for the delay.
Superintendent YounEs hlundcred
In taking ON more contracts than
he existing power warranted. even
though he felt Justified In anticl.
hating tho additional mower on a