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some minutes carried on, and would, I am advised, by condensing
on the dynamos, switches, &c., working at very high pressure,
possibly cause an electrical break down. The risk of such an
accident, or any serious accident to the running machinery, might
no doubt be provided against by a proper system of inspection and
testing, and so far as the filling of the building with steam, and
risk to life from the bursting of a steam pipe, is concerned, the
ill-effects might be minimised by covering in the pipes; but the
Result of any cessation of work for even a few minutes at a
generating station, upon which the supply of a very large area is
solely dependent, would be so serious that I consider that it will be
necessary to reqaire that the Company shall, to the satisfaction of
the Board of Trade, so sub-divide the station at Deptford as
practically to provide two distinct generating stations; or shall
forthwith establish a second generating station in some other
locality. In either case there should be duplicate sets of mains
led by different routes to each of the distributing stations in the
area of supply.
(b) That the great length of the trunk main increases the
chance of a breakdown, and that the pattern of main
proposed, with its numerous joints, is unsatisfactory.
This is a question which, no doubt, merits the serious attention of the
Board of Trade, but it is one which I have no reason to believe
would not be satisfactorily dealt with by proper regulations.
(c) That the proposed pressure of 10,000 volts is so enormously
in excess of anything which has hitherto been worked
with, that the scheme is a gigantic experiment.
No doubt in a certain sense this is true, but it must not be forgotten
that whereas a few years ago the pressure of some 200 volts was
considered to be the limit of safety, this Company has for some
time been working, eafely and successfully, at a pressure of more
than 10 times this amount, and as the so-called experiment of
still further raising the limit of pressure would, if successfully
carried out, be of immense benefit both to the public and electric
lighting undertakers, I do not consider that, under proper regulations.
the London Company should be prevented from carrying
out a scheme in which they have shown the greatest confidence,
and which the majority of the scientific witnesses who have been
called approve of in principle.