Electric Light came to Forest Gate in 1898.

The following is an extract from the Forest Gate Weekly News, dated May 27th 1898.

"From Woodgrange Road to Abbey Mills is a good two miles distance, and  seems a long way but the electric light which we shall all have next winter will come all this distance, and be none the worse for it, although the cable which brings it is not so large as a man's wrist. Seeing that the electric light standards were being fixed in Woodgrange Road and had been erected all the way up from Stratford I thought that most probably the work at head quarters was in a fair state of progress, and there might be something to see and report upon. I therefore dropped our Borough Electrical Engineer (Mr.J.J. Steinitz) a little note and he very kindly invited me to see all that there was to be seen.

We met at the Town Hall and first of all went to have a look at the principal transformer chamber and main distribution centre which has been located in one of the vaults of that building. This place might easily be turned into a veritable chamber of horrors but Mr. Steinitz has all through had before him the motto of "Perfect Safety", and has safeguarded not only the general public but also all workmen. Into this chamber come the two large main cables from the works at Abbey Mills, and a most complete switch board splits up the current into smaller cables, one for High Street, Stratford; two for Maryland Point and Stratford New Town; and two for Romford Road and Woodgrange.

'At what voltage does all this work?' I asked.

'At 2,000.'

'Is there no danger to the one who has to manipulate the switch board then?' I at once queried.

'It would have to be a man's own deliberate action if he came to any harm whilst attending one of these ''boards,'' replied Mr.Steinitz. Every part is thoroughly safeguarded and perfectly insulated, and all handles which have to be manipulated are so constructed that in their use it would be impossible to touch any connection which would be alive with the electric currents. In addition to all these precautions, the room itself will always be kept locked, and only himself and his head assistants will have keys of it'.

Mr.Steinitz went on to explain to me the construction of these switch boards which were his own design. They each weigh about 15 cwt, and are not only made on thick slate bases, but as slate sometimes has metallic veins these are again separated from the walls by special insulators. There are also special arrangements to prevent the high pressure electricity from "creeping" from one terminal to another. There is also a point about them which will be of special interest to the consumer. Should anything go wrong with either of the recording instruments it would not mean the light of the whole town going out as has happened in many places, but the faulty part would be thrown out of circuit for the time being and no one inconvenienced.

The switches for the street lamps are also in this room. These lamps are to be fed direct from special high tension mains and the whole of them will be regulated from the Town Hall. As the whole of these switches will have to be manipulated every day the board has been so arranged against the wall that the switch handles pass through it, and are worked from outside by the man in charge. The only thing which he can touch being a non-conducting handle. The transformers for reducing the tension from 2,000 volts down to 100 volts for the Town Hall service are also situated in this chamber.

Having seen these various pieces of apparatus we walked on together to Abbey Mills where the works are in course of construction.  All the way I was asking questions, and with unfailing courtesy I received answers.

We were talking about the street lamps, and Mr. Steinitz told me that the estimated cost of each per year was £200

'How many gas 1amps will these replace?' I asked.

'Four and each of these cost the Corporation £3 per year. One electric lamp will therefore replace the equivalent of £12'.

'Then our street lighting will cost more?'.

'Yes rather more, but we shall get about double the light'.

I then enquired when the whole plant would be in working order and ready to start, and was told that on September 25th all would be ready, so that the public could begin to receive Supplies by quarter day. This date he could guarantee, as he had persuaded the Corporation to let him personally test all machines before they left the makers' workshops, so that there might be no hitch when they arrive. This, though a matter of expense at present, would be a saving in the long run, not only of money but of great annoyance and trouble.

By this time we had reached Abbey Mills, where we found a scene of great activity the engine house was just ready to receive its roof, the foundations were awaiting the fixing of the boilers previous to the rest of the building going up. The huge shaft, which is to be 150 ft. high, with a diameter of 8 ft. at the top, was assuming gigantic proportions, and will shortly tower over every thing round about. At the side of the electric light buildings are being constructed the sewage pumping station and flood-water pumps. This arrangement will effect a great saving of fuel and labour as the extra pressure of steam which it is necessary to keep in the boilers, in case of necessity with respect to the pumps, will be sufficient to run the electric lighting plant during the day. It will also save two boilers which cost £600 each.

In the main building, in addition to the foundations for the four engines and machines which are now being fixed, there is room for four more to allow for developments.

I hazarded a question as to whether that was the extent to which developments were expected, and was surprised to find that this is looked upon as but a pioneer job, and could only supply 1 per cent of the artificial light of West Ham. I was even more surprised to know that no borough is at present supplying more than that. What a future there is before the electric light and then when we get electric power into general use, what an enormous affair it will be.

I was most anxious to know how the general householder and tradesman would stand with regard to this light, so far as cost relative to gas was concerned, and had the matter of charging and cost very carefully explained to me, and I will endeavour to explain to my readers. We are to be charged on a sliding scale of 7d [about 3p] and 3d.[about 1½p] per unit, which is based on the calculation of maximum demands taken on the average of 6 monthly readings. If a householder has 12 lights, and uses the whole of those 12 li~ht8 at one time he would have his maximum demand registered at 12 lights and would pay, 7d. per unit for the consumption which would be made by that number of lamps, one hour in each day. All above that he would pay at the reduced rate of 3d. per unit. This works out very advantageously to the consumer, who has lights going on an average of 5 hours a day, and makes it that his light will cost about equivalent to 2s.4d [about 13 p] per thousand [hours] for gas.

'What about the free wiring system of which you spoke when last I saw you, Mr.Steinitz?'

'We have not been able to come to terms with the Free Wiring Syndicate, but we are applying to Parliament for power to wire private houses ourselves, charging the householder only a small percentage, on the outlay. This would cost the owner of an ordinary house only from 10s [50p] to 12s[60p] per year'.

'Have you had any applications from prospective consumers for connections to be made?'

'A large number and you might let your readers know that if they want the light, as soon as it is available, they had better send in their application forms as soon as possible, as all such applications will be filed and taken in absolute rotation.'

I was naturally anxious to know if this scheme would pay its way, and make a profit, and received answer that the first idea has been, good work and thoroughness, with absolute safety, in every department, but if the public book the light even to the extent of ⅔ of the capacity of their present plant, they would be sure to make a profit. This calculation was based on the experience of other Boroughs 1 and not on theory only.

Mr. Steinitz then showed and explained to me the working of the individual house meters, and invited me as soon as the machinery is all ready for running to pay him another visit, which I very readily promised to do."

[The front page carried a portrait of the Borough Electrical Engineer].

This article is fromthe "Hoe we used to Live" series of Local Studies Notes (No. 31), originally published by the Council's library service.