Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1910-06-17

the Committee; J. NJ. Hill, Esq,
John T. Harrison, Esq, and +. {.
Spinks, Esq, members of the COM
mittee. and Philander Belts. Esq,
who appeared at the request OF the
committee.
Mr. Spinks: You state here, Mr..
Belts, about this change having been
made. and say it was accepted by
Council
Mr.. Belts: The recommendations,
| mean.
Mr.. Spinks: Who made the rec
concentrations?
Mr. Belts: did.
MIR. Spinks: What position did you
occupy then?
Mr.. Belts: Consulting engineer to
Council. They asked me virtually
whether they were getting their mon
cy's worth. | said they were not ana
recommended that certain changes
he made.
llr. Spinks: Do you know that the
| recommendations you made to the
| Committee on Light were carried out!
Mr.. Belts: Certainly.
Mr.. Spinks: How do you know it?
| Mr.. Belts: Here's the correspon-
dcnce that shows that. | made these
recommendations that certain things
| be done, and after Il lot OF hemmlnS
and having, and after Il lot OF delay
| they finally had to carry out the rec
concentrations.
Mr.. Spinks: Do you know it was
done?
Mr.. Belts: Absolutely. Certainly.
of course | know it. After this time
went down with the Committee on
| Light. They wanted TO know if the
change was satisfactory
Mr.. Spnks: You say you went
down with the Committee on Light?
Mr.. Belts: Yes. sir.
Mr.. Spinks: Who went with you?
Mr.. Belts: Mr.. Uhler and Mr..
Dunn.
Mr.. Spinks: Mr.. Dunn is not on
| the committee.
Mr.. Belts: He was adviser to the
committee. | think that was why he
went. Mr.. Uhlcr was the only one OF
the committee that went with us.
Mr.. Spinks: When you and Mr..
IThlcr and Mr.. Dunn went down there
YOU made your investigation of tie
power plant?
Mr.. Belts: Yes, sir.
Mr.. Spinks: You did not make any
investigation of the lamps?
MIR. Belts: No. sir.
Mr.. Spinks: You say you know the
coils were put in. the ~ ampcre
coils. You say they were changed 10
your own personal knowledge. We're
the resistance coils changed?
nC
lamps.
MIR. spinks: You say there are
none.
Mr.. Belts: No. sir; not in those
lamps.
Mir. Spinks: Would it not be pos
siblc 10 force this flow OF current
through these circuits and supply
some of them with another?
Mr.. Belts: No. sir; ii would not:
These lamps are in series, and what
goes through one must go through
another. The very same thing.
Mr.. Spinks: Take this for instance.
If we had a twelve inch water pipe,
suppose that we had one inch pipe
tapping into that twelve inch main
in one place, and further on we had
a two inch pipe tapping into the same
twelve inch pipe. could you not get
larger supply of water through the
two inch pipe than you could get
through the one inch pipe?
The Chairman: That's water you
are talking about. This is some
thing else.
Mr.. Belts: OF course, if we had a
two inch water pipe and one inch
water pipe. more water would go
through the two inch pipe than
through the one inch. or course it
would. But that is not this case.
These lamps here that we are talk
ing about are very different from
that. That is not like the series arc
lamp at all. You sec the current
goes through one lamp, then it gees
on through the next and on through
the next. and so on Here's two
inch pine, couple that oil 10 Il one
inch pipe. couple that on to ten
inch pipe, now they are all coupled
together. Whatever goes through
this first pipe goes through the next
one and so one, and nothing can go
through this second pipe that has not
come through the first.
Mr.. Spinks: Then il would not be
possible TO put say one lamp IN De-
tween two others. and get less cur
rent in this intermediate lamp imam
you get in the others?
Mr.. Belts: No. sir. because there
is the same amount of current all the
way around the circuit.
Mr.. Spinks: But suppose you have
resistance coils in this intermediate
lamp. Can you do this?
Mr. Belts: Of course you can do II, |
Mr.. Spinks: You just said it could
not be done.
Mr.. Belts: Oh. as to that. If you |
had this water main here you nave |
spoken about. you could tap into that
and run another pipe around II, put
what would that be, you wouldnt get
any benefit from that.
Mr.. Spinks: You would prevent |
the purchase OF new lamps?
Mr.. Belts: No, sir. you would have
TO do n lot of fine calculating 10 get
any such result as that: the dliler-
cnce between these lamps, if some OF
them were the old lamps, would be
you would have 10 he
very careful in all the calculations to
make them do anything at all No
body would attempt TO do that. No
body but fool would do that.
Mr. Spinks: You are not positive
that il was not done. OF your own
personal knowledge. | mean. You
were employed by the city TO make
these recommendations?
Mr.. Belts: Yes. sir, my recon-
was that the system be
and they waited several
months before they did anything. but
they finally came along and did it.
They sent letter to Council and
asked ii il would be satisfied
M cD;pl-c. Thar was he Ordin- |