HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1968-10-31, Page 2nia. Hum:mi.! IEXPPSITOR, SEAFORTH, ONT., OCT. 31. 1968- 2
.Seaforth PVC Has Lon.
Ells -tory of
In 1889 Seaford' had a pop- uated on Coleman Street. On thought about "Not on nights of 1894, on June 29 of that year, out the private company and
ilation of 2,553. It was a thri- September 2, a tender for the the full moon when no extra Scott Brothers immediately once more go into the busin-
/Mg centre for shipment of ag- extension was awarded to John light is required". proceeded to form their comp- ess of providing electricity for
itultural products, had several Lyons in the amount of $1,264. The same by-law set the any which was to be known as the community. Accordingly,
important industries, especially On October 21, 1889, council rates for commercial subscriters the Seaforth Electric L i g h t an outside valuator, 1.13. Keily,
•
_hose concerned with the manu- approved the purchase of a plart which were 150 per night for company with &capitalization was brought in to estimate the
-aeture of salt, and many andconsisting of one dynamo with the first 1, 000 candle power arc of $25, 000; the first directors worth of the Seaforth Electrie
taried vigorous mercantile est- 50 lamps of 1,600 candle pow- lamp used and 120 per night for , to be Archibald Scott, James Light, Heav& Power Company.
Iblishments. Yet the miracld er each to be used for comrner- each additional lamp. For in- Scott and Francis Holinestead. He arrived at a figure of
3f the use of electricity to supp- cial purpOses at an approximae candescent lights of 16, 25 or They applied to the On trio $19, 300 ...and a by-law w a s
Ly light,- let alone power-- for, . cost of $3, 000 from the Ball 30 candle power the charge gOvernment for a charter op prepare'd accordingly w h i ch
industrial purposes, had not yet Electric Lighting Company of was 50 a night. In either case August 1 1, 1894, and the char- would have authorized t h e
.i• naptured the attention of the Toronto. At the same. meeting the subscriber had to agree to ter was granted on November 3 town ,to offer the owners that ,
generalpopulation. The mem- they approved the purchase of pay for a minimum of 200nights of the same year. sum for their plant. However
bers of the town council, how- a Corliss engine from Cowan & per year. The bills were to be The Scott Brothers had not ale company wanted a second
a
ever, were aware that this new Company of Galt and a boiler rendered quarterly and a charge waited for their chartet to be- evaluation made. This was
Psj) discovery could be used for from Chrystal & Black of God- of 210 was levied on all over- gin to prepare for a proper in- done and a figure of almost
lighting the streets and several erich at an approximate cost of• due accounts. The corporation stallation for providing the town the same amount was reached.
owned all the fixtures placed on with electricity. In May they A second by-law was then pe -
10 1904 -
of the more forward-looking $1, 600. ,
merchants were anxious to ill- Thus the total capital ex-
uminate their stores by electri- penditures, apart from install -
city. Accordingly, in the early ation of poles and lines, came
months of 1889 the council de-' to roughly $5,900.
termined to go into the busi- Whatever the citizens of
ness of generating electric pow- Seaforth may have felt about
er for the purpose of illuminat- ,the new venture, one of the
ing the streets and such metan- local banks - the Canadian properly. As early as four house with an installation o f
tile establishments as desired it. Bank of Commerce - obvious- months after the inauguration of two large boilers, a powerful
'They determinenthat an invest- ly had faith in the future of the commercial electricity in Sea- engine and a complete incan-
ment of $6,000 would be re- use of electricity and purchas- forth complaints from subscrib- descent light plant at a total
quired to provide the generat-- 'ed the total issue of debentures _ ers had reached a point where cot of approximately $12, 000,
ing facilities and set Monday, in November at the rate of $106. at the council meeting of April In August the newly formed ,
May 20, 1889, as the clay on On November 27, 1889, the 28, 1890., it was agreed to company awarded a contract
which the citizens of the town 'council determined that the investigate means whereby the to the Johnston Electric Com -
would be given an opportunity town would be serviced by six- tt .commercial lighting ,circuit pany of Toronto for a M, 000
to vote for the proposal. Ten teen street lamps - five On ' the -tould bliprriecle-to work efficient- light incandescent plant. B y
days before the by-law was to Main Street, seven in the sec- ly. These difficulties„persisted January, 1895, Electrical
be voted upon, the editor of the don of the town west of Main • through until November 13,1893, News was able to report
. Huron Expositor was warning: , Street and four in the section when on a motion of D. D. Gunn "The Seaforth'Electric Light.
- "As yet this matter seems to east of, Main.Street. R. S. and James Watson a committee Company which recently pur-
have created very little interest Roberts, engineer of the water- 'was set up t6 investigate "the -chased the mbnicipality light -
among the people ... we think- works, was in general charge of unsatisfactory condition of 'the ing plant has since erected a
it would be advisable before the ,the operation of the elecnic pl- electric light plant" with a power station, are operating
voting takes place -for the coun- ant but on Dec.ember 16 the -Cast view to leasing or selling it. On 800 incandescent and 75 arc
cil to call a public meeting or man to be employed exclusive- December 15 the cciuncil auth- lights and are said to have one
take some -other step to lay this • ly for electric purposes in the orized advertising for tenders of the best equipped plants in
information before the People". town of Seaforth was appointed. for the sale or lease of the plant. Ontario". Three.years later
, The council responded He was Harry Strong who was , At this point two enterprising the company was operating be provided by private enter -
their investigations and were
itt e time ip Ly g OUL
other hand those interested i n
promptly and called a public ,"' named "Electric light assistant, brothers - James and Archibald, successfully. In 1897 it was prise. Under the leadership of
able to report to council on the Seaforth Electric Light, I -bat
meed.,ng for May 17, 1889. At at such salary as council may Scott - who were successful generating power by the Unit- ---, the Honourable Adam Beck, the
April 25 that they estimated & Power Company were doing
. that the combined costs per maintenance purposes, two town consider the possibility of form- pany's alternator and the Ball Rower as a public utility gained the town would require 400 h. p.
Council 6.ien instructed the passing, much to the exasper-.
their utmost to pre vent i t s
n' thii meeting it was explained . think proper to give". For Seaforth businessmen began to ed Electric Improvement Com- proponents of hydro electric
interest on employees - D. Lusby and John in a company to provide an arc dynamo along with two 85, majority support. The citizens
' • comnattee to contacethe On- ation of council which three
of Seaforth were very muCh ID -
Hydro Electric w C days after it had agreed to pay
mission to determine the cost the company $6, 000 backed out
terested in the controversy.
Towns as close as Stratford and
St. Marys contracted With' the for this amount of power. A of the agreement because
Hydro -Electric Power Commis- week later, according to the "CoMpany trying to buck by-
law".sion of Ontario as early as May Daly diary, the group went to .
4, 1908, to buy their power Mitchell to "hear Adam Beck August 8 was the day set for
supplies -from the Commission: -.speak on hydro power". Appar- the citizens of Seaforth to vote
system would be utilized to necessary and do anything re- meeting of the town council lights. Meanwhile, in Seaforth, the en y h'. 1 On by-law 86. in the w e e k s
, .
premises for commercial use purchased a site on the m am pare
and had "reasonable liberty" to street immediately south of and was voted on by the citi-
il tracks where re- zens cif Seaforth on May 1,
rvice
The Public Utilities Commission includes (left) Commissioner D. Sills, Chairman
R. S, Box, and Mayor Frank Kling.
service this equipment especial- the ra way p •
ly in the cleaning and replacing viously Vanstones had a lumber 1905. Apparently they were
of carbon points in the arc yard arid Patrick Keenan a quite satisfied with the oper- message of publicly owned hydro ing ot council notice was given
to every municipality. By 1910 that by-law 86 would be sub -
lamps. grocery store. Here they pro- ations of the Seaforth Light,
the town council of Seaforth de- mitted to permit the town to ,
._
The system never die work posed to erect a brick power Heat & Power Company and not
cided it was their duty to look
interested in the town taking into the matter very seriously issue debentures in the amount
of $25, 000 for the purchase of -
over the business as the by-laW
and on March 28 of that year hydro equipment. On Monday.
was defeated by a majority of
the following motion was passed: July 11, this by-law was given
69. "That the mayor (D. J. McCal-.two readings at the council
Between the years of 1905
lum), J. C. Greig, and J. F. meeting of that day. The next
and 1910 the people of western
Daly be a committee to look day a special meeting was call -
Ontario 'developed an intense
. into the Niagara Power proposit- ed to discuss the by-law with
interest and came to accept a
ion to get an idea of how much" the Board of Trade, Seaforth ,
completely new concept of _
could be used in this town and • Businessmen and the council.
electric power; Although it had
' an estimate of total costs to the At the same time negotiations
been known for almost a decade
,town". ,. , .- -were begunwitit,the Seaf orth
that great supplies of power' '
<• From this point on -events _Electric Light, Heat &
could be generated at Niagara • • '
Falls and transmitted to munic- moved quickly. One of the Company and at an evening .
meeting on Saturday, July 23
members of the original com-
ipalities requiring power, the council ratified an agreement ••
'idea that this service would be mittee, J. F. Daly, kept a con -
operated by a provincial c,om- scientious diary and it contains to pUrchase their plant f o r
mission encountered great ob- many items which indicate the $6, 000.
• development of thinking about By this time the members of
the town council had committed
themselves "To do their utmost
to pass the by-law". On the
stacles on the part of those who
believed that either their ,self hydro electric power for Sea -
forth. The committee lost
interest or better service could
• . .
capital, sinking fund costs and Hargen were charged by council adequate electricity supply for h. p. high speed Robb mains
running expenses would be at the first meetinein 1890 "in the "town. By the spring of 1894 and two 75 h1 p. Robb boilers.
approximately $1. 500., It was addition to their present duties they had an offer ready for con- The power thus generated
further declared that 30 indi- have the care and supervision of sideration. A public tneeting supplied 1,160 incandescent
vidual subscribers had pledged the electric lights. They shall of the ratepayers of Seaforth 'lights, 44 1, 000 candle pow -
themselves to utilize the setv- keep,the electric lamps clean was called on April 6, 1894 to er arc lights for commercial
ice at a rate of $40.per annum. and in proper working order, discuss the sale of thetlectric purposes and 22, 000 candle •
No decision as to what type of change the carbon points when light plant. At the April 11 , power for the use of street arc
wa entrate the power had been quired ---------fct working a motion was moved by James The-Seaforth Electric Light, gealOrth Light, itleai' and Power 'berstiastWbest because front immediately preceding t h e
taken at tint point.
,1 4esitlpi iti'tkrfk7awcaieof tAIS time on the council gen- voting almost the entire town
of the same " Beattie and William- Slater • Het e Poi,rd? Cori-IP:any Hact
' '-tVe P4.1'
Three days later the citizens By-law 2 for the town of '
'whereas it appears the vote
of Seaforth voted on the .pro- Seaforth, 1890, provided 'that taken on selling the e 1 ectric
posal andOt was carried by a power would be Supplied for light plant has -resulted in a
majority of 51. -• ' lights on the commercial cir- • majority for selling the plant
Through the summer at was euit until 11:00 p.m. each even- ,the offer of Scott brothers of
d t mined that the new elect- ing and on the street circuit un- $5, 000 for said plant be accEpt-
e er
ric generating plant would be til 1:00a. m. each night except ed". The motion was carried
housed in an extension to the for the canny proviso which only and made effective in by-law
then existing water works sit - the Scots of Seaforth would have 10 for the town of Seaforth,-
secured a ten-year franchise "
to supply the town of Seaforth
with power when it purchased
the old original plant. In
1904, therefore, the matter
came up again and there were
members of council who felt
that it Would 'be in the b est
interests of the town to hu y
P'
not. be,in business for very many
years longer, eat back on both
maintenance and capital expend-
itures with the result that the
service was not entirely satisfact-
ory at all time's. At the same
r'etally-tind the committee in ;
pato= ar can'
formal and informal discussions
with all segments of the town
In order to obtain a consensus
regarding the hydro question.
Appardntly it was felt that e
.-.•
, time, Adam Beck was "stump- people of Seaforth wanted- to
ing" the area carrying the proceed and at the July 5 meet-
_
PUC staff Ch,arles Reeves, Jack Muir and To Phillips stand
in front of a new hydraulically operated bucket h 'st with which
they maintain service on Seal orth distribution lines. Towering above
the truck is,the water tank which with a 140,000 gallon underground.
'reservoir ariijtalor factors in maintaining a constant water supply
for Seal orth tottszenters. ,- •
,
PROVIDING ,THE
ESTIN .SERVICE
VER THE - YPtitS
The Seaforth Publie Utility Commission continues a tradition of service
. to Seaforth that had its beginning more than 75 years ago with the
establishment of the town's first electric light system.
The system of those years - providing as it did power to service a
maximum of 58 lamps - was a far cry from today's plant which serves
some 900 customers and which has a capacity of 4,00Q KVA.
Similarly water works capacity reflects the needs of the community.
The Seaforth ublic Utility Commission sharewith the Town of Seaforth
pride in the accomplishments of the -past 100 years and
continues to look forward and to plan so that the increasing demands
of a growing community for power and water may be provided
at minimum cost.
EAFORTH PUBLIC 'UTILITY COMMISSION'
R.s.,Rox 1). SILLS MAYOR FRA NX =NG WALTM-SCOTT MRS. AMY 'HORNS
, Chafritaii Commissioner Commissioner; Mansor • Seeretary
involved f r on side
had come to town the day be-
fore and suggested a comprom-
ise which consisted of the Town
of Seaforth, buying the pole in-
stallations of the private com-
pany. Both parties agreed, to
this and the lights continued
burn in Seaforth until the
-hydro electric lines would reach
the town.
It was just as well they did
because it was not until May 6,
1911, that Mr. Dalycould're- •
cord that the Hydro Electric,
Commissi„On poles were nearing
Seaforth and.ther,rea0ed the'
town on May 10. HoWever, it
was not tititil a special !meeting, .-,
of council council On Tuesday, June
2,7 -that a contract was let for
ale powerhouse which was to be
located at the rear of the town
hall, at the suggestion of the
commission engineeri';'' to 'Harry
Edge, a local contractor. Still
progress was painfully slow. On
August 15 Daly records "Hydro *
construction work progressing
slowly". And two days later
he says rather bitterly "Edge has
three bricklayers at Hydro Sta-
tion". Next day there was an-
other headache. In order to get ,
the poles and wires in shape w.
Hydro started trimming the
trees and Daly noted "Public
. raising Cain". But a week -
later the building was going up
and poles and lines were getting
into, good shape.
, It Was,still ancttlieS,11124tk
• beforel'Segortb.ico,nld,,c, 1,0r,,atic
0'
bcame
or the other. On August 6 . ' its first lighting supplied under
e
J. F. Daly recorded in his diary the Hydro Electric Power Com -
"Never in the history of Seaforth mission's scheme. On Saturday,
has there been such excitement , September 30, Main Street was
over anythinws there is o v.,er for the -first time by incan-
hydro by-law." The files o f descent lights. A month and a w
••• th H rcin Ex ositOr CP144111 the . half later the Hydro g4Pg
story with many columns o f "about through with their work ,
letters - pro and con - carried but it Was not until December
in every issue preceding voting 1, 1911, that J. F. Daly could
day. ' „t record "Hydro turned on for the
HOwever, on Monday Aug- 'first time, Everything 0. K. ".
- •
ust 8, 1910, e people 0 f Two days later the electric
Seaforth indicated that they had -lights weter on all-night for the
made up their rninds almost first timeand, again according
unanimously. They approved to Daly, "Everyone pleased".
Finally the diarist who was
the by-law by a majority o f "
370 votes to 42. . to serve long on the Public
For a couple of months there Utility Commission of Seaforth
seems to have been little action as well as holding other import -
taken, On October 11 a delega- ant nihnicipal offices, includ- "
ing mayor, proved his good
tion representing the Seaforth
Town Council went to Berlin. faith by noting on Friday, Dec.
(soonto 'be renamed.latchener) 8 "Having house wired for elec-
to attend the official' opening tricity". The ndxt day "House
wiring finished. Fixtures, bulbs
of Hydro Electric.
In November the issue be- and switches, $6. 75". From
came hot again. The Seaforth this point on, the story of hydro
Elecnic Light, Heat and Power in Seaforth is one of steady .
Company filed suit to quash by- progre.ss and achievement large -
law 86 on November 25 and =. ly the result of dedicated serv-
ice on the part of a relatively
the council said "defend it".
small number of people who
At the same time they asked
Served either as commissioners ,
the Hydro Electric Po w er
Commission to send an engireer or as employees of the Public
to come -to the town to provide. Utility Commission.
technical advice on the , The Committee of 1911 had -
weathered a fierce storm and
ation of the power station and
the erection of poles. During had managed to lay a firm foun-
this period the council w a s dation. For example, they had
the foresight to secure permiss-
attempting to negotiate a
settlement with the Seaforth ion f-om the Ontario' Hydro -
Electric Light, Heat .& Power Electric Power Commission to
Company without much su- sell power to the neighbouring
ccess. Although the threat- settlements of Egmondville and
ened suit was nevet•brought to Harpurhey and later to ask for
ecooumrpt,anoyn Dtherceeatmebneerdlt2o :uht eoff
adjoining townships of Tucker -
the right to'supply power to the
Tucker -
the lights. The town retaliat- smith and McKillop. They were
also good promoters andier-
suaded the council to.affiarne.s
.Gillesple's store to display elec-
tric fixtures and to be used for
storage purposes.
Late in December of 1911
council passed a by-law by
which the administration Of
hydro would be carried out by
council acted justly With t h e a commission of three.men -
wasting company", but that the chairman, the commissioner
council' had not done this with (these 'to be elected) and the
the result that; lenording. to mayor of the town, The result
the company, they are "det was that the first public utility •
rendering our plant useless".
Somehow, the controversy • it in its first year Of Operation
c19orrintn. ission of, Seaforih had
two of the.origin'at members on
priving us of our business and
was settled. In his diary, J.
D. J. McCalldni was chairman,
F. Daly makes terse comment
"Special council meeting, 8:00 W. E. Kerslake was commiss-
p. m., Light CoMpany troubles loner and I, C. Greig, who had
hseatptipeedn"e,d urAanatuthaalltythueth aHtytihr:d been elected mayor, was also on
the commission. Halfwq ,
u p , , ,
ed by threatening to sue f o r
darnAget if this was done. At
the same time the company
was still presenting its case
through the local newspapers
to the citizens of Seaforth
charging that Adam Beck had
promised them that the' Corn -
mission would "see that t h e
*