The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1922-05-26
TO SUE
LIGHT COMP ANY
Electric Light Co. Shut Downs
Cause Heavy Losses To
Power Users.

When you are absolutely de-
pendent upon a public utility
corporation for electric power to
operate your plant and the pub
lie utility corporation shuts
down for repairs, leaving your
plant idle and work spoiled, can
YOU make the public utility COM
pany reimburse YOU for the
damage YOU have sustained?
That is an interesting point OF
law which a number of Eliza
beth City manufacturers may
carry to the courts in actions
against the Electric Light Com
panv of Elizabeth City.
Numbers of small manufacturers in
Elizabeth City have suffered great in
convenience and large financial losses
as a result of the neglect of the cleo
tric light company to furnish its pa
irons electric current at all times. The
Wineke Company, manufacturers OF ice
cream. had a two hundred gallon batch
Of ice cream in the making one morn
ing last week when the electric light
plant closed down for six or eight
hours. The entire batch of cream
turned to clabber before the machinery
could be started up again and The Win
exc Co. saw 200 gallons of ice cream
custard run off into a sewer.
W. H. Weatherly Co., in the process
of making 4 batch of fancy candy had
several hundred pounds of melted sugar
ready to run thru its machines, when
the electric current went off leaving the
entire batch of candy to harden be-
fore its manufacture was completed.
The Daily Advance, an afternoon pa,
per. dependent upon the electric light
company for power to run its typeset-
ting machinery and presses has beeG
nearly forced to lose an issue Of its
paper because the power has been cut
off on them. The plant of this news
paper has lain idle for many hours,
leaving the entire force in idlenesS be-
cause there was no electric current.
Hosiery mills, shipyards, machine shops
snd many other industries have suffered
similar economic loss and the folks are
getting tired of it.
The frequent shutting down of the
Electric Light Co. of Elizabeth City Is
NOT due to unavoidable accidents or cor
ditions beyond the control of the com
pany. The company has known for
several years that its plant is in a di-
lapidated and run down condition and
its boilers utterly inadequate to meet
the steam power requirements of it,
plant. Knowing all this, the company
last summer installed one puny little
secondhand marine boiler. This gave
the company three boilers, two OF
which were known to be in most un-
satisfactory condition. Instead of rush
ing repairs on those two old boilers
last summer, the company waits until
this summer to put them in order,
While putting these old boilers in or
der. the boiler installed last summer
continues to give trouble and every
time anything happens to it, the electric
light plant shuts down until repairs can
he made. That's the fix Elizabeth City
is in to-day for electric light and pow
er.
But what may prove even worse; the
same power that operates the electric
light plant is used for pumping water
for the city's water supply. When the
electric light company shuts down, nc
water is pumped. At such a time
fire gaining headway anywhere in the
city might burn unchecked for hours
for want of water with which to fight
it.
The Wineke Company has employed
an attorney to push their claims anC
will make the electric light company
nav for their losses due to its negli'
genee. or find a reason why. W. ii
Weatherly Co. and other manufacturers
are keeping careful account of then
losses with a view to bringing suits
against the electric light company