AT THE POWER HOUSE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 19, 17 October 1907, Page 4

AT THE POWER HOUSE.

MORE EQUIPMENT INSTALLED. NEEDS OF THE FUTURE. The attention, of a representative of The Dominion was called yesterday to an obstruc-, tion .in Victoria Street.' Closer inspection proved it to be an enormous Lancashire boiler that had' arrived. a 'few days before by' the Nairnshire, and was being transferred by stages' into the power-house to • take, its place, in the impressive'lino of : enormous steam, generators that;..count: for .so much in the tally ,of comfort and. convenience, for they, are the feeders of the lino of beauti- . ful : engines, thajt whirr softly on the otiicr side of the brick,wall, making'invisiblo energj for the .;tramways and a. proportion ,of the public, lighting of the'ciiy.' •; Electricity is becoming an enormous factor in'-.our overy-day life, and~tho foundry .that controls output for the services mentioned is indeed las- , cinatihg, not from .the purely mechanical : riew only, but from-the rapidity with which the equipment is being added-to,, and the, power-house -itself enlarged.' : THE '.' LANCASHIRE " REGIMENT."" There are riq*v seven of these hugo " Lancashire" boilers- in. Wellington—each weighs 23J tons and measures 30ft;-in length by Bft. in diameter.-. Five are at presont at' work, one is .already placed on its base and is being fitted up with, all the up-to-date accessories that are-essential/to .the-modem boiler,, and there is the ono that is now- being placed in position—making seven in all.•"•In' addition to this group, two aro being made ,by Messrs.; Luke and Co. and Messrs. Cable and JJoi,, working conjointly. These -will* have to be erected in that part, of the powor-houso recently -taken, in,, on :the western ;.sido—the section formerly occupied' by. the. old ■ Boys'; Institute in Victoria Street.,-. Concrete pile foundations have been already sunk for three •' toilers,'.and.-.the two to.bo made locally.will occupy two places. - WHERE; THE 'JLICHINERY 'HUMS;'' ; The .boilers must have ; , their . I 'utilitarian equivalent in. machinery, so on the. other-side, , of the brick partition'that divides, the power 7 . house into Wo halves is a .machine-room that promises' to become ono of .the : finest and ■ most complete of. its kind in the colony. The working machinery, strength at present con-, eists of a row of Bollis and Morcom's engines. —ono 1000 h.p., three : 480 : h.p.,;andoi\o 250 h.p. Another 1000:h.i?. : set'is already on its base, and should ba ready for service in about- ■ a "week's time. '-It jwas.-.wanted.": As showing how 'close has been, thb,'ca;ll on. the power, producible,' -it . is. stated ' - that., .-ift: busy • times—between s'«,,and ~6,-; p.m. and ''on fine Saturday 1 and Sunday afternoons andholidays—ti:o 1000,, h.p." and' all,,three 480 h.p.' sets are needed to - produce " the energy required. •If -bne'-;-of -,the. sets broke • down, something Would-ikppon;-,the little % 250 h.p. would count,-for/.something, but some portion of. the service would suffer. With the extra 1000 h.p. -'set,-however, the position> would bo, safer —for .some timo to come. 'In the madhine-room . there'is' roomfor another three 1000 - h.p.'< sets, 1 ; similar -to those now. in; position, ■ and there is ■ every .justification, for* an orders foe; another - one being placed to provide for the heavy; demands that will be made- for-'power, during • the next year or two. . * PRIVATE POWER.. • . V; ; Tho cable that is to conduct the" power for private',consumers-in the'city has .arrived from Home, and ; is now'.being laid, down in. ducts throughout tho city.'.' As" sooii as that work- is. completed the,' City ..Council' will yue able .to supply' all' the -power required, pri-' vately. ■' "• - ', . ~