wed by the introduction
of the alternating system, using high potential primaries with the
converters at each house, reducing, as a rule, from 1,000 down to
either 50 or 100 volts. I am not familiar with the early alternating
work, and had not at my disposal sufficient time in preparing my notes
to go at any length into an investigation of this branch of the
subject; nor do I think that any particular advantage could have been
served by my doing so, as it has become generally recognized that the
early alternating work with a house-to-house converter system, while
it undoubtedly helped central station development at the time, proved
very uneconomical in operation and expensive in investment, when the
cost of converters is added to the cost of distribution. The large
alternating stations in this country have so clearly demonstrated this
that their responsible managers have, within the last few years, done
everything possible, by the adoption of block converters and
three-wire secondary circuits, to bring their system as close as they
could in practice to the low-tension direct-current distribution
system. I do not want to be understood as undervaluing the position of
the alternating current in central station work. It has its place, but
to my mind its position is a false one when it is used for
house-to-house distribution with converters for each customer. The
success of the oldest stations in this country, and the demonstration
of the possibilities of covering areas of several miles in extent by
the use of the three wire system, resulted in much capital going into
the business. One of the earliest stations of a really modern type
installed on either side of the Atlantic was built by the Berlin
Electricity Works. The engineers of that station, while recognizing
the high value of the distributing system, went back to Edison's
original scheme of a compact direct-connected steam and electric
generator, but with dynamos of the multipolar type designed and built
by Siemens & Halske, of Berlin, the engines being of vertical marine
type.

This was followed by the projecting in New York of the present Duane
Street station, employing boilers of 200 pounds pressure, triple and
quadruple expansion engines of the marine type, and direct-connected
multipolar dynamos. Almost immediately thereafter, the station in
Atlantic Avenue, Boston, somewhat on the same general design so far as
contents is concerned, was erected. In 1891 a small