Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1910-05-05
FINAL CHANGE
At LOCAL PLANT

+ After some experiments Saturday
afternoon at eight o'clock Sunday
morning the Harwood high tension
current went permanently into COM
mission at the Standard electric light
plant, this city, carrying the entire
burden of two street railways and all
the other business belonging to the
plant. AS implied, steam ceases to
furnish any part of the motive power
and the engines have wholly gone out
of commission.
The system of machinery including
the three -hun,ded horse power engine,
formerly in use and which gave the
plant busy and congested appear
ance, is no longer needed. To afford
room much of the machinery has been
moved aside, while in short time the
entire plant as relates to former equip
ment will be dismantled.
The high tension current is insult
able for practical purposes until it is
reduced to lower voltage. Immediate
ly after entering the plant (at $4,000
volts) it passes through two large
transformers, in which from this
given electrical current is produced
another current of 1890 volts. 1t is
the latter current of reduced voltage
that does the work.
From the transformers the current
passes directly out into town to sup
ply the patrons of the company with
light and power or is conducted to the
large motor, which operates the gener-
ator supplying current to the Danville
and Bloomsbury Electric railway and
the Danville & Sunbury Transit COM
pany.
The switchboard installed is one of
the most modern and improved of its
kind and is an interesting object of
study. One large panel is for motor
purposs. Another panel is divided in
to two circuits, one for lighting resid-
ences and business places and the 9TH
er transformer panel controlling all
the current coming into the plant. An
other panel controls the operation of
the motor generator set, while still an
other controls the current for the troll
ley generator. One panel is in two
circuits, which control the feed wire
of each trolley line.
The generator which furnishes cur
rent for the two trolley lines is oper-
ated by synchronous motor, of 225
horse power output and having 620 re-
volutions per minute. The generator
is the one formerly in use in the pow
er house at Groyania and is Crocker
Wheeler generator of 250 k. W, with
600 revolutions per minute.
While the plant was being operated
by the high tension current Saturday
afternoon an interruption occurred,
which demonstrated that very trivial
accident out on the transmission line
may suffice to impair the service.
About the middle of the afternoon the
power became very materially reduc-
ed, the trolley cars being unable to
maintain their schedule.
1t was at once inferred that an accid-
ent had occurred somewhere on the
transmission line. Repairsmen were
sent out from Davnille, Bloomsbury
and Grovania. The leak occurred at
the Frosty Valley road, and under the
plan adopted, was discovered in a
minimum of time.
Somebody had made target of the
high tension porcelain insulator, the
bullet slightly cracking it. The dam
age wrought, however, was sufficient
to make it useless, the greater part of
the high tension current escaping down
the pole into the ground.
George NJ. West, who is in charge of
the local plant, states that until things
get in good working order Interrupt
tions may occur now and then but that
in a very short time everything will
run like clockwork. He does not think
that people will interfere with the line
to an extent. All persons, he SAYS,
should realize that the high tension
current is very dangerous. Notices
will at once be posted along the line,
which it is believed will have the eff
feet of preventing further tampering