Wabash Weekly Plain Dealer Friday, April 9, 1880
The Electric Light
The City Council More than Satisfied with the Test-They Formally Accept the Light and Pay For It.
Its Marvelous Cheapness as a Light
The City Council met last evening in special session to act upon the adoption or rejection of the Electric Light, which had been tested for the past two weeks. Every member of the Council present stated that from their own observations they were satisfied that the light more than fulfilled the guarantee that had been made, that it was to light an area one mile in diameter as light at the farthest possible point as it would be from a gas lamp of ordinary street size on hundred feet distance, and a resolution was promptly passed that the City Clerk draw an order on the City Treasurer for $1,800, the price of the apparatus complete. The light has now been burning nearly two weeks, and careful tests have been made as to the cost, which show it to be not only the cheapest light in the world, but actually workings are better than any estimates yet made. Every one admits that Wabash is better lighted than it would be with several hundred gas lamps, and the actual costs are as follows, as proven by actual tests and guarantees: Salary of engineer per year…..$400. Cost of fuel to run engine power guaranteed by Atlas Engine Works not exceed over 50 cents per night….. $182. Cost of carbons per year, oil for machinery, …… $130. Total cost of lighting city per year…..$712.
The above estimates on fuel citizens of this city who have investigated the improved engines now build endorse as reliable. The above estimate is also made on carbons for all night long every night in the year while if the full moon nights are deducted the engine and light will have to be used more than 300 actual nights per year thus bringing the actual cost of lighting the entire city down to about $800, per year. These are figures proven by actual test and they cannot be disputed and when every tax payer has carefully perused them he will heartily applaud and endorse the action of the Council, which has shown itself to be the most careful and judicious body of men in the state as well as the most enterprising.
