The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-09-30


of a part of either engine ut time of
maximum demand will cause i'm
mediate interruption OF the light
ing service.
The smaller engine is wasteful of
steam, and therefore, of fuel. The
boilers are of type uneconomical
of fuel, and besides use more fuel
proportionately than others of their
type on account of being overloaded,
The boilers furnish steam to an
air compressor and pumps. In case
of fire the pumps are speeded up
to increase the pressure of the wa
ter in the mains and more steam
than usual is taken by the pumps.
AS the boilers can furnish only suf-
ficient steam for normal operation
of the pumps when the maximum
electrical demand occurs, 1t is evil
dent that should fire occur ut this
time. early evening, part OF the cleo
trical demand could not be supplied,
Consequently, it would be necessary
to shut off the street lights should
fire occur in the early evening.
Re erring again tc the water sup
ply Fart of the plant. it should be
noted that there is no provision for
duplication. At times If maximum
consumption there is only one pump
and air compressor capcole of sup
plying the demand. Therefore il,
case of anything going wIcng, the
water supply would be interrupted,
which would he serious at any time.
and especially in case of fire. The
capacity of the elevated tank is only
10000 gallons. If the tank were
full at the outbreak of the fire, and
a pump became crippled, the elevat-
ed tank would supply water for only
a little over an hour, and at only
ordinary pressure.
The improved plant will be de-
signed so that crude oil or coal can
be used for fuel as a substitute for
wood. Possibly engines will be in
stalled which will use crude oil by
internal combustion, without using
steam boilers.
There will be no difficulty in de-
signing a plant which will save
fifteen per cent of tn fuel bill, If
steam is used, or one third Or more
of the fuel bill if oil engines are
used. The fuel bill is now about
$4,000 per year, and increasing rap
idly as the city grows.
1t will therefore pay to go to con-
siderable extra expense to get ma
chinery of type which will save
fuel.
There are those who claim that
100000 is too much to spend on the
power plant and that half of this
| amount is sufficient to put the plant
in good order.
Those who argue thus do not
make sufficient allowance for future
growth or for getting machinery OF
an efficient type so as to save fuel
The present electric light and water
plant was, when built in 1910
thought to be of sufficiently large
output to meet the demand for from
ten to fifteen years. AS above shown
1t is now overloaded, even though
| less than five years have elapsed.
Regarding the distribution sys
TEN, the need of the proposed en-
largements should be self evident t.
most people. There are many place
where small wrought iron pipes
which were put in to supply one
two houses, now have half a doze
! houses connected. In such place
the service is very unsatisfactory.
especially when there is a deman
from several houses at once, Tn
pressure becoming so low that the'
! is only a mere dribble from some
the faucets. In other places vail
able houses are so far from n.
drant that they would be destroyt
| in case of fire.
! It may be claimed by some tn
the present time Is unfavorable
obtaining money on account of q
boarding attitude financiers ma