Pearl Street Station began generating electricity - September 4, 1882

On this day in 1882, Edison's Pearl Street Station in Manhattan began generating electricity. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This Day in History Class. It's a production of I
Heart Radio. Hi, I'm Eves and welcome to This Day
in History Class, a show that on covers a little
bit more about history every day. Today is September fourteen.

(00:25):
The day was September four two. Pearl Street Station, the
first commercial central power plant in the United States, started
generating electricity. Building on the work of other inventors, Edison
created an incandescent lighting system. He had already constructed experimental

(00:45):
power installations. He used a dynamo now known as a
generator to deliver power to each of these small installations.
But incandescent lighting in homes and indoors was becoming more
popular and a substantial source of power was needed. In
eighteen eighty, the same year he received the patent for

(01:07):
his incandescent lamp, Thomas Edison established the Edison Electric Illuminating
Company of New York to build power stations in New
York City. Edison decided to build the first permanent central
power stations for supplying incandescent lighting in New York's Financial
district in Lower Manhattan. Construction of the station began in

(01:28):
eighteen eighty one. The mechanical and electrical part of the
plant was at two fifty seven Pearl Street. Since the
building was constructed for commercial use, the structure had to
be strengthened to hold all of the necessary equipment. The
flooring was replaced with a floor of girders supported by columns.
The building used for storage, sleeping, and offices was at

(01:52):
two fifty five Pearl Streets. Each building had four floors.
Edison chose this location because it provided a good mix
of commercial and residential business and was home to many
major newspapers. It was also close to the Western Union
Telegraphy Company and City Hall. The company paid around three

(02:14):
hundred thousand dollars to buy the properties and build the
station and distribution system. Constructing the network of wires and
conduits that delivered energy to customers was one of the
most expensive parts of the project. After administrative expenses, canvasing,
and patent license fees, the cost came to about five

(02:36):
hundred thousand dollars. Four two hundred and forty horsepower Babcock
and Wilcox spoilers were in the basement of two fifty
seven Pearl Street. Six engine and dynamo assemblies were on
the floor above that. The dynamos were driven by reciprocating
steam engines supplied by coal fired boilers. Each assembly weight

(02:59):
about thirty tons and was rated for around twelve hundred lamps.
The third floor housed wooden frames wrapped with copper wire
resistances that were used for manually regulating the dynamo fields.
The fourth floor was home to a thousand lamps that
were used to test dynamos that needed inspection or repair.

(03:20):
The first engine and generator assembly was tested on July five,
eight two. The station went into service on September four.
Pearl Street Station used direct current, which is an electric
current that flows in one direction with alternating current on
the other hand, The electric current changes direction periodically. Customers

(03:42):
were not charged for current until eighty three, after the
system for accurately recording the flow of current had proven reliable.
The first bill was to the Ansonia Brass and Copper
Company for fifty dollars and forty four cents. The New
York Times Offices were one of edison first customers. Pearl

(04:02):
Street Station did not become profitable until eight four. Other
direct current, low voltage central station electric systems were later
built around New York City. In January of eighteen ninety
A fire destroyed some of the station, but it was
back up and running not long after, and stayed in
operation until eight four. Though Edison defended the use of

(04:27):
direct current, the rest of the world was gravitating towards
alternating current by the time at Pearl Street stations shut down.
Other power plants have been designed to service larger areas.
Edison sold the buildings and they were later torn down.
I'm Eve Jeffcode, and hopefully you know a little more

(04:47):
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(05:12):
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