Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1910-06-14

at, whether the Alexandra Electric
Company still has in service some of
the old original lights.
Mr.. Kirby: Yes, sir.
Mr.. Spinks: These lights cant
come up to the requirements of this
contract?
Mr.. Kirby: No. sir You don't
get 1000 candle power on an A c
lamp at Z p amperes and you can't
get in on sc amperes.
Mr.. Spinks: Would it not be i'm
possible to get Z Y amperes on this
system and keep the lamps running?
Mr.. Kirby: You could get 1t, but
the lights would not stand it. That s
the trouble | had year ago, and 1t
burned the lamps out; burned out
the lamps at King and Fairfax, at
King and Pitt, at King and Washing
ton. at st. Asaph and Prince. All of
them have gone up from the excess
sive current. | don't know how
many. They will burn the light up
and burn the gas cap off. An expert
at Fort Wayne said that he did not
know what the trouble was, and L
sent one to Chicago for test to see
what was the matter, and | have
letter from them showing that there
was nothing in the carbon to cause
1t. They might have written that
to hold up their end, but don't De-
lieve they did. | knew them Tor
many years, and the manufacturers
said that they had the same trouble
at Atlantic City.
Mr.. Hill: If the Alexandria Light
Company would spend the money
they could have 1000 candle power
lamp, could they not?
Mr.. Kirby: | don't think they
could. What do you think, MT
Lloyd?
MIR. Lloyd l don think they
could. 1t would require new equip
ment. The term is commercially
1000 candle power, really it is not
There is wide variance Of candle
power in it. The lamps don't get
. the IN amperes and of course they
can't give the light.
Mr.. Spinks: Even admitting that
the seven and one-half amperes light
was the 1000 candle power lamp,
they would have to force that amount
of current through the lamp to get
that candle power?
Mr.. Lloyd: Yes, sir.
Mr.. Spinks: Mr.. Lloyd, do you
think it would be possible with the
present system we have here to get
a7h ampere current through these
lights to keep them lighted; provided
that more than one-third of these
lights are 6.6 ampere lights?
Mr.. Lloyd: No, sir, | don't think
so. If the coils are not changed the
lamps would gradually burn out, but
there is a wide variance in the con-
tract. At one place it states 1000
candle power, and other states that
It is to be inclosed arc lamps of alter
mating current of the latest type. That
would be tx ampere light, which
would give the so-called 1000 candle
power light. If you sent one OF
those lamps to the proper place and
had it tested they would get the ac-
tual candle power If you sent them
a 6.6 ampere lamp they would put
that amount of current through that
lamp, and tell you what the candle
power was.
The Chairman: They would not
attempt to force a Z II ampere cur
rent through there?
Mr.. Lloyd: No, sir. The old lamp
threw its light down due to the burn
ing of the carbon The A. c. lamps
give greater power than the old
lamps
The Chairman: The old lamps
had to be trimmed every day?
Mr. Lloyd: Yes, sir.
The Chairman: These run for
three days?
Mr.. Lloyd: About 100 hours.
Mr. Harrison: Some of the globes
seem to be dark like they are
smoked.
Mr.. Kirby: That is due to- the
deposit on the cap. 1t is formed by
the gases. You can make those caps
clean again. When | went out to the
Southern there was a whole lot of
them out there and they are worse
than these, because they have that
smoke out there, and / have had
them cleaned and they are all right
now.
The Chairman: What are those
lamps out there on the Southern?
Mr.. Kirby: They run on 40 volts.
They are the same as the lamps in
front of the stores.
The Chairman: They are the same
as the lamps in Potomac Yards?
Mr.. Kirby: No, sir, they are 22O
lamps. These lamps get about 80
volts across the arc, these lamps in
town.
Mr.. Lloyd: That voltage appears
to be excessive.
Mr.. Kirby: Let me see now.
think there is only 40 volts across
the arc | think ! am wrong. Forty
volts across the arc is right. That
would make 400 watts, a nominal
1920 candle power.
Mr.. Spinks: Then these lamps of
TX ampere with the present voltage
going through it would give 1,2OO
candle power?
Mr.. Lloyd: Yes, sir; | should say
so. The old term used to be candle
power II is not the present method
of determining what the lamp does.
Mr. Spinks: That depends on the
voltage going through the lamp and
the ampere?
Mr.. Lloyd: Yes, sir; the result is
the watt.
Mr.. Spinks: Well, the voltage at
40 with p amperes would give how
many watts, you say?
Mr.. Lloyd: About three hundred
watts.
Mr.. Spinks: What would that be
equivalent to in candle power.
Mr.. Lloyd: | should say 900. The
only actual method would be to make
a phonometer test.
Mr.. Spinks: With 40 volt cur
rent and a TX ampere lamp you
think that the current going through
that lamp is about 800 watts, and
what is that equivalent to in candle
power?
Mr.. Lloyd: About 900, but that
is the so-called 1000 candle power
lamp. think that report of the
LID rnr,lnn+ will efafa that the Il