Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1910-06-17


John T. Harrison. Esq, and +. C.
Spinks, Esq, members of the com
mittee, and Philander Belts, Esq,
who appeared at the request of the
committee.
Mr.. Spinks: You state here. Mr..
Belts, about this change having been
made, and say it was accepted by
Council
Mr.. Belts The recommendations,
| mean.
Mr.. Spinks: Who made the rec
concentrations?
Mr.. Belts: | did.
Mr.. Spinks: What position did you
occupy then?
Mr.. Belts: Consulting engineer to
Council. They asked me virtually
whether they were getting their mon
eys worth. | said they were not and
recommended that certain changes
be made.
Mr.. Spinks: Do you know that the
recommendations you made to the
| Committee on Light were carried out?
Mr.. Belts: Certainly.
Mr.. Spinks: How do you know it?
Mr.. Belts: Here's the cOrrespon-
dence that shows that. | made these
recommendation that certain things
! be done, and after a lot of hemming
and having, and after lot of delay
they finally had to carry out the rec
concentrations.
Mr.. Spinks: Do you know It was
done?
Mr.. Belts: Absolutely. Certainly,
of course | know it. After this time
went down with the Committee on
Light. They wanted to know il the
change was satisfactory
Mr. Spinks: You say you went
down with the Committee on Light?
Mr.. Belts Yes, sir.
Mr.. Spinks: Who went with you?
Mr.. Belts: Mr.. Uhler and Mr.
Dunn.
Mr.. Spinks: Mr.. Dunn is not on
the committee.
Mr.. Belts: He was adviser to the
committee | think that was why he
went. Mr.. Uhler was the only one of
the committee that went with us.
Mr.. Spinks: When you and Mr..
Uhler and Mr.. Dunn went down there
you made your investigation of the
power plant?
Mr.. Belts: Yes, sir.
Mr.. Spinks: You did not make any
investigation of the lamps?
Mr.. Belts: No. sir.
Mr.. Spinks: You say you know the
coils were put in, the Z Il ampere
coils. You say they were changed to
your own personal knowledge. Were
the resistance coils changed?
Mr.. Belts: There are none in those
lamps.
MIR. spinks: You say there are
none.
MIR. Belts: No, sir; not in those
lamps.
MIR. Spinks: Would it not be pos
sible to force this flow of current
through these circuits and supply
some of them with another?
Mr.. Belts: No. sir; it would not.
These lamps are in series, and what
goes through one must go through
another. The very same thing.
Mr.. Spinks: Take this for instance
If we had a twelve inch water pipe,
suppose that we had a one inch pipe |
tapping into that twelve inch main |
in one place, and further on we had
a two inch pipe tapping into the same |
twelve inch pipe, could you not get a |
larger supply of water through the |
two inch pipe than you could get
through the one inch pipe?
The Chairman: That's water you
are talking about. This is some
thing else.
Mr.. Belts: OF course, If we had
two inch water pipe and one inch I
water pipe, more water would go
the two inch pipe than
through the one inch. or course it
would. But that is not this case.
These lamps here that we are talk
ing about are very different from
that. That is not like the series arc
lamp at all. You see the current
goes through one lamp, then 1t goes
On through the next and on through |
he next. and so on. Here's a two
nch pipe, couple that on to a one
nch pipe, couple that on to ten
nch pipe, now they are all coupled
together. Whatever goes through |
his first pipe goes through the next
me and so one, and nothing can go
through this second pipe that has not
,ome through the first. |,
Mr.. Spinks: Then il would not be
possible to put say one lamp in be-
ween two others, and get less cur
ent in this intermediate lamp than
-ou get in the others?
Mr.. Belts: No. sir, because there {
S the same amount of current all the I
way around the circuit. Il
Mr.. Spinks: But suppose you have c
agfofonca coflc n this informed latp 1 1
amp. Can you do this?
Mr.. Belts: OF course you can do 1t, [
ut Ir
Mr.. Spinks: You just said it could a
OF be done.
Mr.. Belts: Oh, as to that, if you {
ad this water main here you have n
poken about, you could tap into that O
nd run another pipe around it, but Il
hat would that be, you wouldn't get
ny benefit from that. s
Mr.. Spinks: You would prevent
re purchase of new lamps?
Mr. Belts: No, sir, you would have
, do a lot Of fine calculating to get n
ny such result as that: the differ II
nee between these lamps, if some of
lem were the old lamps, would be
you would have TO be II
Try careful in all the calculations to N
axe them do anything at all. No
Jdy would attempt to do that. No Il
)dy but fool would do that.
Mr.. Spinks: You are not positive Ia
at it was not done. OF your own W
,rsonal knowledge. l mean. You te
ere employed by the city to make
ese recommendations?
Mr.. Belts: Yes, sir. my recon- re
endation was that the system be la
anged and they waited several be
onths before they did anything, but tn
ey finally came along and did it.
ley sent a letter to Council and
ked If it would be satisfied so
Mr.. Spinks: That was the ordin la