DIM LIGHTS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 197, 15 May 1920, Page 8

DIM LIGHTS

PEAK LOAD PROBLEM AGAIN

CHAIN-GRATE FURNACES BEING

HAND-FED

ELECTRICAL PERPLEXITIES

Niglilt workers who depend on clrctrio light are having nil unenviable experience owing to the folling-oJt in the normal illuminating power of tho electric 'bulb. l<'ew who use this power have failed to notice the dimness of tins lights from 5 Cto 7 p.m.—and last evening to a hour—during the _ whole of the week. A reason for this weakness in what has been a most reliable service was sought from the Lighting Engineer (Mr. George Lauchlan). Tlilat official stated that the trouble was one he had foreseen. Tlw plant had been kept going at full pressure for so long that it was now beginning to jib at the work. It was another outcome of the war. These things could not be rectified during te war, but tho breaking point had to come sooner or 'atcr. vVhat had happened at tho powor-house was thait tho chain-grate floors to some of tho furnaces (which move evenly over two drums automatically) had refused work, and Jbbfey, with ft staff of stokers depleted by influenza, had to hand-feed such furnaces with tho result that the even heat obtained by the chain-srato was not secured, ana as llic result tho t,oiler pressure vns not maintained when it was most needed, between 4.30 p.m. and 6 p.m. ' . The staff was so weakened by influenza that men had to be borrowed from the tramways power-house last evening to keen things somg at the lighting power-house. The furnaces needed overhauling and that might have been possible to some extent during the past week, but owing to the very severe cold snap and gloomy weather and the amount of sickness about, the demand for current for radiators had made it impossible to let even one boiler down. The public had to remember that it was - last year's trouble accentuated by a bigger (iemand than ever. The peak-load of the year lasted from now until the middle pf July, and it was very doubtful if the light would improve very much, on what it was now of an evening until the new boilers were, in iise. "I will consider myself lucky if we get through next month with things no worse than they are at present," said Mr. Lauchlan. In' saying that the engineer inferred that under tho present stress nothing much better could be expected, at peak-load hours at all events •unless the miracle happened—real good coal and perfect stoking! Mr. Lauchlan went as far as to hint that economies might have to be effected in order to get over the mid-winter peak in safety, and, asked to indicate the direction of such economies, he suggested the cutting out altogether of radiators. When surprise was expressed, Mr. Lauchlan said that radiators and anything else electrical were all. right 60 long as the plant was running well within its capacity; indeed, it was'right to encourage the use of radiators as current was being sold that would otherwise go to waste, but it became a very different proposition when a plant came to the end of its resources, and to maintain such services extensions of the plant became necessary.' The radiators would, he thought, have to be rated as they were in most other places, that was by having a meter of their own and being charged the maximum price per unit for current.

"When you see a four-jilobe radiator proingr," said Mr. Lauchlan, "remember that it is consuming as much current as would keep ten larse houses Roinpf in light—that Rives you an idea of the current these radiators use!"

Mr. Lauchlan intended it to l>e understood that if it became necessary to cut off the supply to radiators the current so diverted would be of considerable value in such crises as we are now experiencing with our electric light service. •