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

Mr.. Kirby: No, sir. 10 the pest
of my knowledge, fifty lamps were
gotten in by Mr.. Vaudeville. They
put them up on King Street, most of
them. They we're seven ampere
lamps. That's where Mr.. Belts made
his complaint.
The Chairman: As member of
the gas light committee, | remember
letter read before the committee,
stating that they were going to put
in these lamps, and asking the COM
mittee to sign a letter, that it would
not register any more complaints if
- ~ put them ins
put in. Mr.. Darrah put in some coils
here, but they were sc amperes.
They ordered extra coils and lamps
for King Street, and my information
is that Mr.. Belts took for granted
that all the lamps had been changed
to the seven amphere type, and he so
notified the committee and then the
company stopped paying rebates.
One-third of the lamps they have
now still retain the old coils. They
have never been changed.
The Chairman: | remember once
that | had a conversation with you
and you told me that they were going
to put in the new type Westinghouse
Electric Company lamp. Did they
do it?
Mr.. Kirby: No, sir. They put in
one lamp that hangs at the corner of
Duke and Washington Streets. That
lamp don't give any trouble. That
has been up for three years and it
has only been out once. That was
the kind of lamp that Mr. Mclver
was going to adopt.
The Chairman: If this company
had lived up to what they said, would
we not have better light today?
Mr.. Kirby: Yes, sir; sure. If
they had adopted that lamp they
would most undoubtedly
The Chairman: But this present
company did not buy any lamps?
Mr.. Kirby: No, sir. They are
burning the lamps, the same ones
that were here when they came here,
with the exception of fifteen on King
Street, and there are some others.
The rest of the lamps-say about
one-third of the lamps in use-are
still the same that they found here.
They have boosted up the current,
but the lamps wont stand it. The
success that | made of the lights
while | was there was in cutting down
the amperes and trimming the lower
carbon down. We had an expert
here to look into the trouble, and he
said he could not do anything. Then
| had the station cut down the cur
rent, and after that | had no trouble.
The Committee on Lights knows that
| had one lamp out during the year
from March 30th to March goth, and
Mr. Uhler said that was a very good
record. | remember that he said
that you had better have a ticket
made out and framed. But that re-
suit was from cutting down the cur
rent. You have to do that or the
lamps wont stand it.
The Chairman: These people are
extending their pole lines all through
Braddock Heights and Del Ray, and
through St. Elmo and down to Fort
Hunt and Fort Washington. Can
they do that with the power they
have and give the city what they
have agreed to give it?
Mr.. Kirby: Yes, think they can.
They have practically soc k. W. That
turbine of theirs is good for 700
k. W, and | Judge they are running
not more than 200 k. W. 1t may be
400 in winter They have two en-
gines that are good for so each to
fall back on. They have ample
power.
The Chairman; Is that new tur-
bine that they have put in there up
to date?
Mr.. Kirby: Yes. sir.
The Chairman: You think that
the trouble is that the city is not
properly wired and that the lamps
are not the proper lamps?
Mr.. Kirby: OF course. The wiz
ing don't affect the light. to a certain
extent The main point is in the
lamps.
Mr.. Harrison: Is there any lamp
manufactured that will give a light
known as 1000 candle power. or
what they claim was 1000 candle
power lamps at the time they made
this contract with the city?
Mr.. Kirby. | don't think so. In
the first place they don't term it can
die power. They use amperes and
voltage.
Mr.. Harrison: At the time they
made the contract they made it for a
1000 candle power lamp. Is there
any lamp that will furnish that
power?
Mr.. Kirby: l don't think there is.
You can tell what the ampere should
be. | think seven and One-half am
peres on A. c. They run high on
d. c. On the old lamps they run di-
vided arc and full arc.
Mr.. Harrison: Is there any lamp
they can use that will give light
equivalent to the light called for
here in this contract?
Mr.. Kirby: Not an inclOsed arc; !
don't think so.
Mr. Harrison: They claim they
are giving more light by this
Mr. Kirby (interrupting): That S
the question. The best thing TO have
done would be 10 take one of those
lamps down and have it tested for its
wattage.
MIR. Spinks: Can't we test each
one of those lamps with a machine?
Mr.. Kirby: Yes. you can get a
watt meter. or voltage meter. But to
get this down Systematically TO do
il right, it would be best TO have it
tested. was talking to the South
Eastern Tariff Association man d few
minutes ago. and he says that in
places where these questions come up
that's the first thing they do; have
the lamp taken down and have it
tested Then they have data to work
on.
Mr.. Spinks: What l meant was
could we not test those ourselves, OF
would that be a good test?
Mir Kirby: Yes; the only test you
could make would be for the wattage
OF the lamp.
Mr. Spinks: That would give it tc
us anV night that we took il, say to-