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


think the city paid Mr.. Belts $4,000
for his services Afterwards the AL
exandria Electric Light Company en-
ployed MIR. Belts as consulting en-
gineer, and he recommended that
they purchase fifty y ampere lights.
Mr.. Kirby: Yes, sir. They put up
fifty Z ampere coils, and put extra
coils in the old lamps, but there are
about one-third of the lamps in the
city now that were the old original
lamps.
Mr.. Spinks: The city has been
paying ever since this plant was in
stalled in 1906 for 1000 candle pow
er lamps and we have not gotten
them yet.
The Chairman: Here is one thing
about this. This city awarded the
franchise for thirty years on the con-
dition that this company provide q
600 candle power lamps, and it pro-
vides that the lamps shall be enclos-
ed alternating arc lamps of the latest
type and of 1000 candle power.
Mr.. Kirby: You have not any In
vestigating to do so far as | see ex-
cept to see if they are doing it.
Mr.. Spinks: From the time this
plant was first installed-this Alex
andria Electric plant-until this
time, more than third of those
lamps have been Go amperes?
Mr.. Kirby: Yes, sir.
Mr.. Spinks: And the best portion
of the time they were all 90 am
pere lamps?
Mr.. Kirby: Yes. sir. Those new
lights were installed just a few
months before Darrah went away.
l was there about sixteen months.
That's about two years ago they were
put in.
Mr.. Dunn: They were installed
Immediately after Belts report
about six weeks or two months.
Mr.. Spinks: l want to ask you
this: Even though this company has
installed II ampere lights, say fifty,
have we been getting 712 ampere
current through all the lights. or
even through those lamps?
Mr.. Kirby: Not during the time
that | was there?
Mr.. Spinks: These lights were all
Connected with the &C. ampere lamps?
Mr.. Kirby: Yes, sir.
Mr.. Spinks: Would it be possible
to force II ampere current through
them without burning up the 6.6 am
pere lights?
MIR. Kirby: No.. sir. Instead OF
running the maximum power Of light
YOU have to run the minimum cur
rent.
Mr.. Spinks: You have got to run
ampereage according to the lowest
lamps-that is. according to the Sc
lamps?
Mr.. Kirby: Yes, sir.
Mr.. Spinks: Even if we had 8 Y
ampere lights in some places and Do
in other places. you could not get the
best results from those lamps without
burning up the Go lamps?
Mr.. Kirby: That's right. That's
the trouble now. They are burning
those lamps out.
Mr.. Spinks: Out of sc lamps that
are burning, there have been thirty
six that have never come up to more
than &c amperes?
Mr.. Kirby: Practically so. because
they still retain the old coils. And
that contract provides that they shall
be the latest type of enclosed lamps
and they are not, and were not when
they we're put in, because the Fort
WAYNE lamp is not recognized as be-
ing a first class lamp. You will find
very few in any of the cities.
MIR. Spinks: When that light at
Duke and Washington Streets was
put up, you were then with the COM
pany?
Mir. Kirby: Yes, sir.
Mr.. Spinks: What is supposed TO
be the amperage of that lamp?
MIR. Kirby: Seven and one-half.
Mr.. Spinks: That is an improved
lamp?
MIR. Kirby: That's about the best
lamp on the market.
Mr.. Spinks: You would not say
that even that was 1000 candle
power lamp?
Mr.. Kirby: No, sir.
Mr.. Spinks: That's the only lamp
out of all the sc in Alexandria that
is an improved lamp?
Mr.. Kirby: The lamp, ! judge, IS
the equivalent of 1000 candle
power lamp. and is as good a lamp
as you could get on an \. c. current;
it is of the latest type of Westing-
house lamps. .
Mr.. Spinks: Were you connected
with the city of Alexandria when this
franchise was sold?
Mr.. Kirby: Yes, sir.
Mr.. Spinks: You were running
the electric plant here?
Mr.. Kirby: Yes, sir.
Mr.. Spinks: Under the terms of
our contract and agreement we had.
the old lights were not to be shut off
until the new lights were turned on?
Mr.. Kirby: Yes. sir
Mr.. Spinks: The city was to light
the streets until the new company
had its plant equipped and in run
ming order?
Mr.. Kirby: Yes, sir.
Mr.. Spinks: Tell us why the cur
rent was cut off of the city lights be-
fore it was turned on the Alexandria
Electric Company lights.
Mr.. Kirby: Mr.. Uhler gave US or
ders on Wednesday evening TO have
our plant in readiness. We were
going to run. We wanted to COM
pare the lights. Mr.. Darrah went to
work after Mr. Uhler notified him
not TO cut our circuits, he deliber-
ately went to work and cut his cir
cults in on our own wires and both
circuits were open. and when II
came time for me TO put on the cur
rent the circuit had been cut in on by
the new plant.
Mr.. Spinks: Did they use all OF
the old wire at that time?
MIR. Kirby: Yes, sir. for the first
two or three months: all except some
on King Street, but the Wilkes Street
and the Queen Street circuits were
old wire.
Mr.. Spinks: What is the condl'
tion of that old wire?