The Edison system is also employed at Berlin, in fact the Deutscher
Edison Gesellschaft have at the present time a monopoly of the supply
of the city from three large central-stations, each of which serves
the area in their immediate neighbourhood. The mains differ from those
used at Milan in that stranded highly insulated cables, protected
with steel wire on the outside, are laid under the pavement in every
street throughout the district. With the exception of the Leipziger
strasse and Unter den Linden, which are lit with arc lamps suspended
from chains running between cast-iron poles 24 ft. high, about 100 to
250 ft. apart, gas is used for the street lighting, and electricity
for the interior illumination of many public buildings and private
houses; there are also a good many arc lights outside the shops and
restaurants. The mains are on the Edison network system, the area of
copper being such, that when all the lamps are on there is a loss of
energy of 25 per cent.; but this does not occur on an average for more
than half an hour a day. No sole concession is given to the company,
who simply have the right to take up the pavement and cross streets,
and for this permission they are bound to furnish any consumer in
the district with a constant supply of electricity at the following
charges:—
10-candle lamps 2·5 pf., about 0·29 _d._ per hour.
16- ” 4·0 ” 0·48 ”
32- ” 8·0 ” 0·96 ”
50- ” 12·5 ” 1·50 ”
100- ” 25 ” 3·00 ”
In addition to this an installation fee of 6_s._ per lamp is charged,
which includes one lamp.