Electric Lighting.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7427, 23 November 1892, Page 4

Electric Lighting.

• MESSES J. BALLANTYNE & CO.'S PREMISES. Dunstable House has long been noted for ita excellent lighting by day and night. Since the new building was erected by Messrs Ballantyne and Co. every care has been taken to ensure to each department the very best facilities for "natural lighting by day and for the beat of artificial illumination at night. Recently an entirely new installation has been effected. The establishment has hitherto been lighted ia part only by electricity, but now each portion is thus lighted, and colours are as easily, distinguishable during the hours of the evening as in the middle of the day. To obtain this result an additional dynamo has been provided. This iB driven by a Eansome'B 10-h.p. portable engine, and the belting used is composed of links of leather coupled with steel pine. In all there are 190 incandescent lamps of 16-candle power each,one dynamosupplying 100 of these and the other (that formerly in use) ninety lamps. To ensure perfect safety, the wires conveying the light through the establishment have been protected by casings; and, instead of being stapled on to the outside of the walls aB formerly, are hidden from view, and inn inside grooved casings. At the aperture through which the wire passes to each lamp there is a neat earthenware insulator. The grooves are one inch apart, and the wires run from each machine to two distinct boxes in the establishment, from whence they are distributed by sets, each switch controlling a set of from six to ten lights. Each of these switches is fitted with a wire f uee, so that in the event of wires or fittings coming into contact the f uHe at once cuts off the connection, thus putting out that set of lights and rendering everything perfectly safe. If any heating should by any chance occur in the main cable, which is a very remote possibility, similar provision is made for dealing with it. All the fittings are incombustible/ and thus perfect safety is ensured. Mr TV. G. Meddings, Inspector of Telegraphs, who was deputed by the Canterbury Fixe Insurance Association to examine and report upon the installation, pronounces it entirely to his approval in every detail, and says that the appliances in use are of the most approved style. The illumination of the Caahel street front will in future be quite a feature on those evenings when the shop is open. Immediately over the two doors are placed two one hundred candle-power swinging lamps, which will light the main entrances very powerfully, in the windows there are stationed what are known as floats. Tnese contain eight sixteen candle-power lights, fitted with enamelled iron reflectors. These are placed close to the plate-glass windows, and reflect the light on to the goods in the windows without dazzling the eyes of the spectators or throwing any glare on to the street. These improvements h&ve made the lighting of Messrs Ballantyne and Co.'s shop-front equal to that or any Bhop in England, and reflect great credit on the firm for ita enterprise. The improved and enlarged installation has been conducted by Mr H. Black, under the supervision of Mr Turnbull, engineer to the Gulcher Electric Lighting Company. The lighting will be under the management of Mr C. A. Seager, Messrs Ballantyne and Co.'d electrical