El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-01-22
WHITE HOUSE LIGHTS
ILLUMINATING THE SPLENDID HOME OF THE
NATIONS CHIEF
20OC Incandescent Lamps Required for Lighting the In
terror of the Mansion Current Supplied From the
War Department Costs Nearly $4,000 Managing the
Lights at Entertainments.

in an instant put out every incandes-
cent lamp in the presidents dwelling.
Such a misfortune is now provided
against by a simple arrangement which
enables the engineer, simply by the
turn of a switch, to connect the white
house with the electrical outfit that
supplies the city of Washington.
Cost of Making juice
One reason why Uncle Sam makes
his own electricity for the white house
is that it costs him only about one
fourth as much as if he bought it
that is TO say, rather less than 21z cents
a kllowatt hour. During the first quar-
ter of the present fiscal year the execu-
tive mansion consumed, for purposes
of illumination. 1892 kilowatt hours
worth of electricity, and for power an
additional 1890 kilowatt hours. The
bill for electricity used in the white
house during the last fiscal year was
s37S6 Lieut.. U. S. Grant, of the army,
who Is superintendent Of the state, war
and navy building, keeps the account.
and sends it every three months to
Col Cosby, who settles it by check.
Arrangement of Cables.
Now, from the basement of the war
department the big electric cable trav-
els underground through a terracotta
tube, passing beneath Executive ave-
nue. Gas the L shaped street that runs
around the presidents dwelling is
called, and entering the basement of
the business annex of the white house.
There it is split up into several small
cables. all Of which are governed by a
switchboard under Mr.. Taft's office
One of these cables lights the annex,
and operates electric fans in summer
The others pass on to the white house
proper, distance sof $50 feet. through
a concrete conduit large enough for
man TO walk through, STOPPING. This
conduit also contains drain pipes and
heating pipes.
The cables that pass on to the white
house carry a light circuit and power
circuit. The latter runs a motor in tho
basement, which operates the electric
elevator, and also a pump that carries
water to a tank in the attic. This
tank is kept full in order that it may
render the pressure of water through
out the mansion uniform at all times.
White House Elevator.
AS for the elevator (Which is in con-
slant use by members of the presidents
household), IL is so ingeniously con-
trived that even a little child can run
it in safety-all that is necessary being
TO touch the buttons marked l. 2 g. T.
according to the floor one wishes to
reach. 1t may be called to any floor
by like means.
The light current just before it en-
tiers the mansion, is distributed from
switchboard 10 three minor switch
boards, which govern the electric lamps
in different parts of the house. Me-
chanically speaking, the arrangement
is very complex, but its operation is
exceedingly simple. Under ordinary
circumstances Mr.. Hoover the head
usher, and his assistants attend to all
the business of turning on the lights
and putting them out 1t is only on
important occasions as, for example, at
an evening receptiOn-that Mr.. Riley,
the chief electrician, is on hand 70 see
that everything is all right in his de-
partment.