The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-02-29
Franchise Asked to Fur
nish Heat at Meter
Rates.
CUTS OUT SMOKE,
CRIME AND DUST
Virginia Railway and Power
Company Proposes to Lay
Mains to Supply Office Build
ings, Stores, Hotels and
Churches-Would Reduce
insurance Risks,

Application for a franchise for a
central steam heating plant. VITA
branch supply means throughout con
Ecsted portions OF the city, will be
| made TO the Council next Monday night
by the Virginia Railway and Power
/ Company. Distributing mains Will be
| laid from the power house at Twelfth
street and the river TO serve a number
OF the largest buildings In the city.
and the service Will be extended as
I, rapidly as conditions warrant. provided
the consent Of the city Is secured.
General Manager c. b. Buchanan, of
the Virginia Railway and Power Com
| psny, announced yesterday that plans
| for distribution and sale Of steam for
heating purposes had been under con-
sidera'ion for some time. and that the
directors OF the company had author
| lied nira 10 eXpend 100000 IN laying
! mains. p:Svidcd the Council will gram
;hc necessary franchise.
Eliminates Smoke and Dirt
Eliminating TO a large extent smoke
and CRIME from the business section.
| and reducing INSURANCE rates by with
drawing high pressure boilers from
large buildings. the plan outlined is
said TO be In line with the best progress
OF american cities. more than 400 such
| central steam heating plants being
| now in full operation. The greater
part of the SKY scrnper district of
New York City lie served in this man
ner. Only two such plants are
| lanta and Birmingham. Baltimore has
plant in fun operation. and the cleo
trio company in Washington has re
| Gently applied to the District commits
sioners for Il franchise
Tho Virginia Railway and Power
| Company is now excavating for the
foundations for an annex to its power
house. which Will cost 100000 and be
| op-rated entirely BY steam Mr.
Buchanan explained that since this
plant must be In operation every min
ute OF the twcnty-four hours through
| out the year. II was contemplated IL
the necessary permission Is secured, TO
install extra boilers and TO sell the
surplus steam at commercial rates.
Architects Desire 1t.
(, The matter. which has long been
| under consideration, and which has
been the subject OF a number OF pre-
| liminary estimates. was brought to a
mead recently by the application of
number of architects for some of
the largest buildings now being erect
1 ed here. a. C. Bosom. designer of
the new First National Bank sky
scraper. now in course OF erection, and
architect for the new ten-story build
Ing to be erected by the Virginia Rail-
| way and Power Company at Seventh
ana Franklin Streets. urged on the
| company a prompt decision. showing
that large saving could he effected
| in the installation o. separate heat
ing plants in such buildings, that the
buildings would he much cleaner and
would be free from soft coal SCOT and
Crime. and that having no fire or pro-
: ut
penalty placed by insurance companies
on buildings containing steam boilers.
Stenm sold by Meter.
Mr.. Buchanan said that from the
study he had given the systems in
| operations in other cities, he consider
cd II feasible to extend the service
| throughout the more closely built up
portions of the city especially 10 serve
large buildings. Any building which
has steam pipes and radiators or
standard hot water heating apparatus
can connect With the supply furnished
hy merely eliminating its own boilers
and taking the steam from L meter
al tac property line, exactly as gas and
water is delivered. The company bears
all cost OF condensation in the mains.
the property owner paying only by
meter for what he receives. and may
turn of and on his heat as desired.
making his hill large or small, on
exactly the same basis as citizens now
burn gas
Because OF the great cost of install
, lation and the waste from condensa-
ton. the steam distribution will
hardly be feasible in the more widely
scattered residence districts. The form
Of piping now in use in cities with
central heating plants. with the In
sulaton and packing to protect it. costs
10 install approximately s15 per linear
foot
Convenience and Cleanliness.
As 10 the cost Of heat delivered in
this manner, Mr. Buchanan said that
| his understanding was that 1t was APP
proNimatciy the same as running In
dividual boilers. The advance lies in
Continued on Second Page.)