The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-10-28
TINE more iSE o. CENTRAL
ELECTRIC STATIONS.


wAsHINGToN. Oct. % The burNau o.
the CENSUS has Recently issued a special
report relating 10 central electric stations
furnishing electrical energy for lighting.
heating power for manufacturing and
mining Purposes. for street railways and
for elevators for charging batteries, no.
Stating the matter broadly this industry
doubled let wssn the years -. and 1907.
rho period covered nv the report
| For purposes 81 statistical record central
stations ar" divided into two groups. one
being called commercial and the other
municipal In the former group there
are included the plants owned and oper-
ated by individuals Arms or corporations.
and IN the latter are included the plants
operated by municipalities In the com
m"rcial class there were reported 2 SOS in
/ 1902 and ~? in 1917. In the municipal
class there were SIS and $50 respectively.
The increase in the business has heen IN
/ investment horsepower and kiloWatt
/ capacity and in the output 81 stations AZ
measured IN kilowatt hours rather than
IN the number Of plants. The reported
cost ~ construction and equipment 10
81 .Oes 9I3 s22 in 1897 as compared with
SSOt 30 352 IN 1872. The horsepower ca
7 pacItv increased from $50 S9I 90 I.OS2
5SS. the kllowatt capacity from 2I?. 23S TO
,. 1927 and output in kilowatt hours
from , .JO7 .OSl rs to sS2 2Ts 7s7 From
/ this ~ may h. inferred that there ~ some
B thing besides water IN issued electrical
securities From these plants light was
supplied through mors than 5000 600
| Inoande-cent lamps IN 1897. and through
more than ~ OOO an in 1901 All this.
| however. represents only part OF the
country'- usA 81 electrical energy. That
business ~ its present aggregate repre-
sents the investment Of probably not far
from So 80 O1OOOO.
An exhaustive tabulation in detail 81
all such enterprises would 10 exceed
ngly dlfficult and perhaps impossible
Besides tho large central stations def
nltey engaged there are innum~Tabls
small concerns operating dvnamos for
thslr own purposes and Incidentally sup
Diving others. There are some 1900
independent farmer or rural telephone
/ lines. and there are many electric police
patrol and fire alarm systems the detA lie
~ which could not he ascertain
In the tabIlation both the major groups
/ tho commercial and the municipal are
divided into the composite and tho
purely electric Most ~ the central
stations are of tho latter class. devoted
solely 20 the generation and sale Of cleo
! trical energy The composite stations
engage directly IN such enterprises as
| the manufacture ~ gas and the op~ra-
tIon ~ water works, zoe plants electric
railways, IN mining or other commercial
industries The s42 s7e az invested Nv
mUniC ipalIti..- IN cost of construction and
equipment ~ an imposing sum taken by
itself. but u ~ small compared with the
81 O53 g3I.l5 similarly invested Nv the !
commercial group. The plant and -Iuip-
m-ni cost - the purely electric stations /
IN the latter group - reported a. $3.50
t37 "a. and ~ the composite class a.
NII.j 81. with the municipal group 4
represented ~ those Glasses bv S2S $50. }
5I0 and So sss NJ respectively
The report notes the IA, I that the States
included N ths Western division that - /
the states lyiug entirely or N much their .
larger part west 81 the IO5th meridian.
Arizona and New NeNicn being included /
report larger Ter capita 81 primary !
hor--'- power. IT DYNAMO capacity. and .
II lncand--c-nt lamps wired Tor service.
than anv other division. That IL. in am
area with a population in 1897 given a.
e. - $50 there were IN operation sS7s. / ~ I
Atlanti" division. including New England .
New NnrA. New Jersey and P..nnsyIvani1.
With a r-pur'ad population II es.77Sois
there were lis ~ such LAMPS In
this r--p~rt the sixteen south atlantic
and south central States. including
TeNas. ara reg on # darkness. kerosen.
a1i candles For the illumination ~ a
population ~ 2S.vp1. ~ Their. were IN
Iy'7 -uIv 81. $40 IncaudssC-nt lamps
commenting on the municipal stations
N. report Says thar the claim has s,-n
made. ant sustained Nv what appears
- ue reasonable argument that the drift
- these public utilities ~ from municipal /,
- commercial but the results 81 The
censIs do not furnish corroborAtIVs syi-
denre Of 'Ni- On tho contrary there
appaa ~ 10 be distinct field Tor mun.cipai
.~'Tic stations. not only because of A
!s-. lnR which NAV ~yI-' ~ MANY localities
hat 'hese public utilities sno4ld be ownsd
NV the citi@- rui because many ~ the
places ia which mum .oipdl plants are
located do not present sufficient induce
nan' for the Investment II commercial
capital pIt ~ SIS municipaI plants
reporting u Ip2. 80 reported in 1917 I
~ 'hs rena ndar ~ had becOme CONNER
cial were dIscon-inu-d or idle was
merged hy tho consolidation ~ two citie.
and / DESTROYED hv fire Most Of the
municipal plants. iOsi ou; - .2s2 are IN
places with less than ; DoJ inhabitants
There are pn'v ~ IN cities NJ 100 on or
over More than half NJ tina total. 52f
out - 49, ar" IN 'he Twelve States
grour@d A. tho north central
Tha increasing uSa " water a. an agent
IN ne dev"l oprnen' " primary power
for tho operation ~ 'h~ss stations 4.
notable In 1877 steam engines and
rs1r, turbines furnished , All. $50 horse.
power ont ~ a total ~ Z 0g? 3aS, whils IN
49,? 'h" supply from those SOURCES ~as
17e.9u hors" power ont 81! a total Of
$50 30, Water wheels ga W. Iss. az horse
power IN 1877, and ,a'e.0S7 in 1907 Gas
engines were used in 1901 for the devotion.
mont ~ IS SIS horse power. in comparison
with i2IT similarly d"valoped in 1902
Although IN" horse power dsrived from
steam n 1897 was dounls that obtained
by 'he Iss " water wh~"ls. out Of tho
?Oo 900 horse power Increase in fy.
YEARS aio.siS horse power il credited 10
and gtT 40 -