Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1921-11-09
ELECTRIC PLANT IMPROVE
MENTS
Fully $500 Being Spent on Barton
Municipal Electric System.

A new $4,000 transformer station,
with other new equipment and an in
stalling cost of $1,000, is nearing
completion on village property near
the upper end of High street. When
complete this will add safety and
convenience as. well as giving pro-
vision for expansion.
The presenJ transformer station is
wooden structure on Harrison ave-
nue.. Should this building burn and
destroy the transformer it would pro-
badly require several weeks to IN
stall a new transformer station. That
there is always danger of fire in a
wooden structure is we'll known and
with high voltages such as enter this
substatlon, there is double danger
both as to fire and in fighting a fire.
Steps were taken toward new plant
when the property at the upper end
of High street was purchased a few
years ago, where village storage
buildings have been erected.
In addition to the fire hazard there
has been the danger resulting from
the 12,OOO-volt wires entering the
village at the upper end of High
street and running to the present
sub-station. Since the new station
is strictly fire proof and takes 10000
volt wires at the very entrance of
the village two hazards have been
eliminated. /,
Two transformers weighing two
tons each have been placed on a large
cement pier and the pier is large
enough to, accommodate another
transformer when increased demand
for current calls for another. The
capacity of the two new transformers
is about twice that of the present
equipment. These transformers will
have no covering but will have prop
er protection about them for the pub
lie. The wires from the Charleston
plant enter the transformers from a
steel tower 18 feet high and through
huge switch weighing ton. The
| latest thing in lightning arrestor
is also installed. A switch-house lax
Ia feet built of cement, roof, walls
and floor. will house the switches for
the different sections of the village.
This feature will be a great improve
ment over the present arrangement.
A new switch-out for the Nichols
system where it connects with the
Barton wires has also been installed.
Many new poles have also been set.
A complete new copper telephone
line has been run on the electric polls
from the plant in Charleston to the
village fiji c e, Chief Electrician
Clark's house and to the Orleans vii
lage office for the exclusive use of
the village and the plants employ
ees. A Portable receiver and trans
formers allows one working on the
line anywhere over it's Is miles of
distance to tap in and talk to any
station on the line.
About 225 bags of cement have
been used in the construction, a new
mixer having been purchased for this
and other villages uses.
These improvements are in the line
of permanent betterments which pro-
vide for the enlargement of the sys-
tenn. The work is being done by the
village employees, Hazen Clark, chief
electrician, experimenting; Street
Superintendent Sargent doing the
cement work, and F. w. Cutting, ex-
ecutive for the trustees, in general
charge.
The village is also constructing
several rods of new cement sidewalk
at the south end of High street which
was badly needed and adds greatly
to the appearance of the street as
well as to the convenience of the ped
estrian traffic on that street.
These improvements in connection
with the side walk work done early
in the summer over a considerable
portion of the village constitutes i'm
provements in the village of public
nature in excess of anything done in
recent years.
Next week we hope to give a sum-
mary of improvements made by pri-
vate property owners in the village
There have been manv and marked
improvements of more than usual size
and substantial character.