Note 112 — Chapter XIII · LIGHTING STREETS.

Since writing these lines the following letter has appeared in the Standard and has never been refuted, which shows that electric lighting for streets is not yet all that can be desired:

Electric Lighting.

To the Editor of the Standard.

Sir,—At this time, when the question of lighting by means of electricity is receiving so much attention, and as Chesterfield is the only town in England whose lighting is done throughout by electricity, it may be interesting to your readers to know what our experience has been.

I need not detail the stages which led to our abandoning gas, and taking up the electric light after being in darkness some months. I may briefly state that, after going carefully into the question, we decided to adopt the system whose praise was in everyone’s mouth a year ago, namely, “The Brush,” and, though we were applied to by other companies, we placed the execution of the work in the hands of the one that we considered the most suitable—the Hammond Company. During the negotiations of the contract, Mr. Hammond particularly pressed us not to stipulate for incandescent lamps, as he acknowledged that their Company were not in a position to cope with incandescent lighting for public purposes. We, however, decided upon the town being lighted with the Lane-Fox Incandescent Lamps, as well as the Brush Arc Lights.

After waiting many weary months for the completion of the incandescent lighting, it is now, when declared by the contractors complete, in my opinion a decided failure. The Lane-Fox lamps, which have been supplied by the Brush Company, are most variable in their lighting power; whilst some are good, others only give a feeble light instead of a light equal to that of fifteen candles, as expected. The arc lights are doing good service in some of the large streets, but as a whole I think it has been fully demonstrated in a year’s trial in Chesterfield, that the field for arc lighting is very limited indeed.

Though the tradesmen have been canvassed by the Hammond Company with a view to introducing the arc lights into their shops and hotels, in not one single case has the light been adopted. Indeed, it is evident to us who have them under our eyes every night, that they are only fit for lighting works and large, open spaces. The experience that has been thus gained at Chesterfield at the present juncture must be of value to all towns intending to adopt the electric light, and is my reason for troubling you with this letter, although I believe the time will shortly come when lighting by electricity may be advantageously adopted, both for public and private purposes.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,

Geo. Edwd. Gee, Alderman of the Borough of Chesterfield.

High Street, Chesterfield, October 10, 1882.

[113] The Surveyor of Folkestone says: “Sugg’s self-acting regulator is used, adjusted as nearly as may be practicable to consume 4 feet per hour, and so very satisfactory is this apparatus that for the last two years, after burning 7294 hours, it is found by the average meter to have consumed 29,227 feet, as against 29,176 feet as per regulator, being only 51 feet in excess of that which the apparatus is adjusted to consume.” Vide Ellice Clark on gas in Public Streets, ‘Proceedings of the Association of Municipal and Sanitary Engineers and Surveyors,’ vol. ii. P. 193.

[114] Bracket lamps may not be fixed by an urban authority to houses within their district without the previous consent of the owners of such houses. Vide ‘Fitzgerald’s Public Health Act,’ third edition, p. 182.

[115] Meeting of the ‘Société Technique de l’lndustrie du Gaz en France’ in 1882.

[116] “Faure’s” batteries can store electricity, but at present this cannot be manipulated on a very large scale.

[117] Published by Messrs. Spon, 16 Charing Cross, London.

[118] Vide ‘Proceedings of the Association of Municipal and Sanitary Engineers and Surveyors,’ vol. vi. p. 9 et seq.

[119] Siemens’ light at Blackburn cost 2s. per hour per lamp of 6000 candle power.

[120] Vide ‘Proceedings of the Association of Municipal and Sanitary Engineers and Surveyors,’ vol. viii. p. 171, &c.

[121] On this point Mr. W. G. Laws, Borough Engineer, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, says: “Taking as an example a street a mile long, lighted by the arc system, the arrangement would probably be lamps 60 yards apart, placed alternately on either side, giving 30 lamps or 60,000 candles at a cost of about 800l. per annum. If lighted by ‘incandescent lamps’ we should have them placed about 30 yards apart on both sides: that is, 120 lamps giving 2400 candles at a cost of about 420l. per annum. The number of gas lamps for the same distance might be 150, giving about 2250 candles at a cost of 300l. per annum.” (‘Proceedings of the Association of Municipal and Sanitary Engineers and Surveyors,’ vol. viii. p. 65.)