The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-01-10
WOULD NOT HEAR
FROM LOW BIDDER
Gas Burner Contract Again
Recommended by Light
Committee.
FIXTURES UP TO CONTRACT
Resolution Adopted Looking
Into the Lighting of Alleys
by Electricity.
FIXTURES UP TO CONTRACT

Refus1nS polntblank to hear from the
representative of the General lighting
Company. tho lowest bidder, the Coun-
ell Committee on Light last night for
The second time recommended 10 the
Council the award OF contract to the
American Street Lighting Company, tho
present contractor. for sup. lying and
lighting ornamental street gas lamp
burners, the city furnishing the poles
and gas. The price Is SIS per lamp
each for Loo lamps. slightly lower
thaa last year, the number of lamps
being increased by zoo making the
contract carry With it an outlay of
$4,000.
The award had been rccommittcd by
me Common Council. whore II general
debate took place on the whole question
OF lighting the streets in the course
OF which 1t WAS brought out that the
award mad been TO the higher of two
pldders, ana II Was asserted that the
lamps burned much more gas than the
agreement specified and did not come
UP to the required candle power y
written report from Superintendent
Knowles, which was forwarded 10 tile
Council for information, showed that
several lamps tested Were within the
contract specification aS to the amount
OF gas burned per hour. three and
MATT CnDlc feet
REPORTS Dont Tally.
y report of Mr.. Knowles, made two
years ago, was read, stating that the
old iidt-tiame gas burners consumed
SIN rect per hour, and that the saving
IN gas would meet the excess cost, cs-
pecially as the company assumed cost
OF lighting ami eNtinguishing the
lamps In report made last night
Mr.. Knowles placed the consumption
OF the old HAT fame burners at Ten
cubic feet per hour, making the com
parison even greater in favor of the
patent lights.
Mr.. Fuller wanted to know why the
city should spend money for renting
gas burners wien Ii was erecting an
| electric plant. Mr.. Knowlcs's report,
while showing tests as to the amount
OF gas consumed, did not show candle
power of the patent lamps. but the SUI
pefintendcnt stated that 1t was gen
orally accepted that they averaged
about sixty candle power
The committee discussed for an hour
whether the company was fulfilling
ITS part in replacing Worn burners. the
statement being made that the lights
were about half the illumination of
what was given when first Installed.
! The vote to send tho paper back to the
Council with the report OF the super
! intendent as TO gas consumption tests
..
| Ayes-Messrs. Cease. Iobson. Mon
cure. Rogers. Saunders. Wiltshire.
Workman and Grimes
Noes-Messrs. Melton. Mitchell and
Powers
! Before the vote was taken Mr.. Pow
ers made sharp fight to obtain a
! hearing for the agent of the General
lighting Company. who was present,
! but the committee refused TO accord
him the floor. although 1t heard at
length from the manager of the pres
ent contractor, who promised that his
men would do better work in the flu
trre In cleaning and renewing lamps.
Would Transfer Whole system
] While the Light Committee was IN
session the Committee on Electricity.
I In session IN another room recon-
mended to the Council an ordinance
! transferring from the Light Committee
/ IL the Committee on Electricity the
| control of street lighting and the To-
cation of lights. Superintendent Traf-
/ ford reported that with the water gem
Grating plant the electric plant could
| operate HOO arc lamps. while the
steam plant furnished power for water
pumping. up TO 100000 900 gallons daily
! If the amount of water could be cut
( tn 100000 gallons daily, the city could
| replace all present gas lamps with In
! candesccnt electric lights.
Mny RepInce All GINS Lnmps
The superintendent was instructed
/ TO prepare IN estimate of the cost Of
{ wiring for such installation. the plan
| heing 10 provide an arc light at each
street intersection and IN incandescen
! light in alleys and the centre Of dark
/ blocks. Mr. Tranord said that 1t would
! take several months and require
| complete separate system OF wiring for
such alley lighting by electricity. He
EXPRESSED IN haf
! ing estimates now, the city should
! first hnish and complete its plant be-
! fore awarding contracts for such ex-
/ tensions, which might readily be put
! in next year