Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-06-18
WORKS BOARD
AGAIN TAKES Up
LIGHTING PLANT
Expert Declares Harvesting of
Watershed to Supply City
Current Not Feasible.

The Board Of Works at a special
meeting yesterday afternoon revived
discussion OF the plan of converting
the power OF the Pequannock water
shed into electrical energy. Fred
erick o. Runyon. an electrical en-
sineer, VINO mad been employed by the
I board to ascertain the amount of
current which could be produced and
the amount Of current which could
De sold in the event of the esta bIish-
ment Of a municipal lighting plant a.
/ the watershed made his report.
Mr.. Runyon explained to the board
that II would not be feasible to estab-
! lish a plant at the watershed with
the idea Of supplying Newark with
current The cost of carrying the
power and the general overhead
charges would eat Zp me profit II this
plan was carried out. said Mr.. Run
yon. Mr. Runyon did explain that IL
would be a great paying proposition
TO convert the water power into cleo
trical energy if the power was sold at
the source Of supply.
The deliberations of the conferences
centered around an Investigation
made by Mr.. Runyon at the request
| OF the board after Commissioner
Btertuempfel had recently renewed
/ his agitation for making some profit
4 able use Of the city's water power.
! Commissioner BiertuempfeI agitated
/ the subject when he was an alder
man and has made 1t a special study
| It is his plan that the city should
own its lighting plant
In recent statement to the board
Mr.. Runyon had said that a lighting
plant would be a financial failure
As the basis of his figures. Mr.. Pun
yon assumed half a cent a kilowatt
! Commissioner Biertuempfel contend
/ ed that a higher rate could be gotten
/ This was denied by Mr.. Runyon, who
maintained yesterday that the only
/ consumer in question would be the
/ Public Service Company, which could
| produce current at that rate and
/ could, therefore, not be expected TO
pay more.
1 Stating that this would have to be
! tested first, Mr.. Biertuempfel ex-
pressed the opinion that it would pay
/ the city to do its own street lighting,
I as well as the lighting of the public
( buildings.
we are now paying more than
! quarter of million for our street
| lighting, and there is no prospect OF
/ material reduction in the rate
! charged us by the Public Service for
( our street lighting" ne said.
/ "As concerns lighting our buildings
We are already committed to the
principal of municipal lighting
! Haven't we already about ten mu-
nicipal plants in our city? It is lust
! this splitting UP of the city's enter
prise that 1 wanted to avoid when I
( first urged that the city should go
into the lighting business about seven
years ago.
In answer. Mr.. Runyon told the
J cnDlTllfSCiOnarC fh1F y
/ Commissioner Biertuempfel's plan
would be that the city would have TO
have two plants, one in the city capa-
BILE of taking care of 80 1-3 per cent.
of the power production and a plant
at the watershed.
Mr.. Runyon then advised that the
city lease the energy represented BY
the water power as a concession to
some concern. This plan would bring
| a revenue without the risk Of invest
ment.
Mr.. Sherrerd did not favor this
| plan. as he feared 1t would lead to
legal complications any time that the
water supply might not measure up
/ to the full horsepower guaranteed
under contract. There might also be
/ u question Of contamination of the
water.
This danger could be eliminated
Z
| provided for supervision by the city
of the concern using the water power
Mr.. Sherrerd recommended that the
city could build the hydraulic system
/ as a permanent feature and then
/ either give out the concession to con-
/ meet with that arrangement or es.
/ tablish lighting plant for the neigh
borhood.
As prospective customer the town
] 80 =
to vote on the establishment of n
lighting plant on June so, It was
also stated that the American Hard
Rubber Company. at Bloomingdale.
would be a probable customer, as II
was using the maximum capacity Of
power production at its own plant.
The company had once entered into
negotiations with the city, but these
had fallen through because of an adj
verse opinion by an engineer who had
drawn the plans for the conpany's
plant at that time.
The esta Adjustment of plant to
supply surrounding territory, Mr.
Il Runyon stated, would reduce the
initial outlay of sS25. 521 by about s52.-
600 and the maintenance expenses OF
$4,000 by about $4,000. On the basis
that the rubber people are now pay
ing 3 cents for their power it is fig
urea Lndl --CSiAl AdNc SoaAA DS VIZ
tanned, which would net a gross rev
enue of $50 600. or an approximate
profit Of $4,000.
The establishment of permanent
hydraulic structure on third of d
mile cutoff between Newfoundland
and Macopin intake of a three-naile
bend of the Pequannock River, which
would receive all the power of the
flow was estimated by Mr.. Sherrerd
/ at s22o,O00