The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-05-01
The New Public Utility Franchises


wires in the city of Keokuk for the transmission and dlstrb
ton of electric energy for light heat and other pur
poses and operate street railway and IN
Keoku The documents plain matter ofact business
propositions free unnecessary verbage phrases OF
umeaning and socaed okers of every kind Their
simplicity such that they be understood by everybody
which is in itself strong point in their favor
Briefly, the arrangement conempates granting TWEEN
tyve year rachise to electric light and com
pany At first thought this like long period Of time
but Of fact simply extends the existing fran
che for eight years franchise which these ut
ties operated has seventeen and the
proposed franchise engthens the period only eight
This certainly very modest extension considering
the benefits that certain In its essential fea
lures the street railway ordinance not materially different
from the in force The rights and interests of the
city protected every point and much better equip
ment and service than the present is assured.
The lighting ordinance also, contemplates service
greatly superior the present Under the
existing contract the city lighted according what's known
as the Philadelphia moonlight schedule; that IS to say
the street lamps lighted only when the is not
evidence according to the calendar The fact that the
may be obscured by clouds and that light often lacking
when most needed cuts figure under the contract
force Even when burning the lamps do satisfactory
light They what known open (carbon) arc 8
lamps and their light in addition to being unsteady
thrown the street angle of about 5 degrees below
the horizontal while directly under the lamps dark shadows
cast How unsatisfactory the existing arrangement has
been all along and at the present time is within the know
edge of resident the city and of all who have visited
it, Probably much if not adverse comment has
been occasoned by Keouks defective and insufficient light
ing system by any The proposed
conempates radical change in this important
ter Instead of street lights during certain night hours only
certain nights during the month"; the schedule of light
ing proposed is what is known the All Night Every Night
schedule The lamps to be lighted all night and every
night of the year from oneaf hour after half
hour before sunrise Nor is this ALL The equipment is be
completely revoutionzed at large For the present type
of open lamps, such first devised when electric
lighting invented be substituted highly efficient
mnous magnitite lamps which only give
light but distribute it satisfactorily. The lamps
by actual umnometer tests throw the light distance of only
225 feet The lamps that will be installed if the proposed
franchise goes effect will throw their light distance of
$40 feet than twice far. AS between the present
lighting system and the system is proposed install there
is no adequate basis for purposes of comparison The
posed arrangement vastly respect that
there is little nothing between them in Only
few cities in the Und States date equipped with
this size and type of luminous arc lights
In consideration of installing and maintaining new and
improved system of street lighting Messrs Stone Webster
ask that the price Of $50 per lamp per be
tnued for period OF years The price
sonabe On the contrary the city are to
thanked and all Keokuk congratulated upon the prospect Of
securing contract upon such fair terms Installation
the proposed street railway and lighting systems will
involve the expenditure here by Stone Webster of be
tween 100000 and 100000 addition investment
In the water proposition The $50 per per annum
agreed by them and the city commissioners be less
than the actual cost of the lights long
electric current supply them has to be generated steam
system will necessarily have be operated great
until cheaper becomes available According to Engineer
Coopers estimate it will be years before the big
dam IS completed and electric energy generated by
power ready for distribution During this period Messr
Stone Webster will not only derive dividends from their
large investment but will be operating their utilities in Keo
kuk for the public benefit loss themselves of thous
ands OF dollars annually They have been reconcied to this
proposal by the prospect of cheaper power at the same
price during the remaining five of contract From
the viewpoint of the ctys interests arrangement
wholly admirable 1t puts additional burden on the CITY
and it contempaes the investment here much additional
outside capital and securing vastly better street lighting
service The people of Keokuk should fail close with
this offer they afforded the opportunity It
the chance OF lifetime to secure the biggest thing available
to this city aside from the water power enterprise
In consenng to operate and maintain public utilities
in keokuk Messrs Stone Webster departing from their
usual custom. 1t is their rule interest themselves onlv in
larnac itin Rrtth nri liz