SCIE 



tEntered at the Posi-OfBce of New York, N.Y., as Seoond-Clas3 Matter.J 



A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OF ALL THE ARTS AND SCIENCES. 



Sevknth Year. 

 Vol. XIV. No. 351. 



NEW YORK, October 25, iS 



Single Copies, Ten Cents. 

 $3.50 Per Year, in Advance. 



A REMARKABLE ELECTRIC-LIGHT PLANT. 



The Heisler plant operated by the Illinois Valley Electric Light 

 and Power Company is one of the most remarkable incandescent 

 electric-light plants in the world. We illustrate soms of its promi- 

 nent features. The location and arrangement of this plant, so 

 characteristic of the Heisler system, deserve more than ordinary 

 notice. The area covered by one circuit has never been equalled 

 in the history of incandescent lighting. Their circuit of forty-five 



The Illinois Valley Electric Light and Power Company, was 

 organized at Ottawa, 111., in the spring of 1889. Desiring their 

 operating e.xpenses to be a minimum, they looked around for a 

 suitable location. They were fully impressed with the advantages 

 of water-power, and found an excellent site at Marseilles, eight 

 miles distant. The advantages of the incandescent light were 

 such as to lead the projectors of the enterprise to favor its adop- 

 tion, but some investigation into the cost of the circuits required by 

 some systems revealed the fact that the i nvestment for coppe 



FIG. I. — INSIDE VIEW OF THE HEISLER DYNAMO-ROOM, MARSEILLES, ILL. 



miles is, so far as we have been able to learn, the longest incandes- 

 cent circuit in the world, nor do we know of a longer arc circuit. 

 Not only is this the case, but the investment in copper for the cir- 

 cuits is a very small part of the total cost of the installation. An- 

 other fact characteristic of this system is that the most distant 

 lights burn fully as brightly as those near the dynamos. The re- 

 sults have been eminently satisfactory, both to the parties using 

 the light, and the citizens who inaugurated the enterprise, and 

 carried it through to success. 



would be prohibitive. Although somewhat discouraged by this 

 view of the matter, they did not cease their investigations. Hear- 

 ing of the claims made regarding the adaptability of the Heisler 

 system of St. Louis for such locations, they were induced to look 

 into its merits. The investigation resulted in the adoption of the 

 system, and the installation of an extensive plant at Marseilles. 

 The lights were started in the summer of 1889, and have been suc- 

 cessful from the beginning. Arrangements are now being per- 

 fected to extend the circuits from Marseilles to Seneca, located five 



