IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2015 - 106

book review

powering a city
a chronological look at New York's systems

We have one book revieWed
in this issue, and both the author and
the reviewer are no strangers to the
pages of this magazine. both men have
entertained magazine readers with
their articles in the "history" column.
The book reviewed here, New York
Power, is highly recommended by the
reviewer "to anyone interested in the
evolution of electrical power systems
in general and anyone with an interest
in the growth of the City of new York."

New York Power
By Joseph J. Cunningham, ISBN 13:
9781484826515
When i was invited by associate editor
Carl Sulzberger to review Joseph Cunningham's book on the new York power
system, i instantly experienced the feeling of honor and privilege but with a
higher level because of what i knew of
Mr. Cunningham. i looked forward to
reading and reviewing the book, realizing the knowledge i would gain about
the amazing new York power system
along with authoring tips.
Prior to reading the book, i was fortunate to have been able to correspond
with the author regarding various historical topics, mostly about railroad
electrification. i was very impressed
with his vast knowledge and enthusiasm for electrical history and learned
that his interest in electric power systems started when he was in high
school. i learned that at that time his
science project,"The Theory and opDigital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPE.2014.2362479
Date of publication: 7 January 2015

106

ieee power & energy magazine

eration of alternating Current," was
awarded a gold medal that ultimately
led to a scholarship for the study of
physics in college. Cunningham has
researched and authored numerous
booklets, articles, and books on various electrical systems subjects. The
book reviewed here
has been meticulously researched, and the
author's passion for
the subject is readily
evident throughout.
My interest level
in the new York power system has always
been high; however,
my knowledge was
limited mainly to edison's Pearl Street station and more recent
system developments
by Consolidated edison. as i read through
New York Power, i
quickly realized the magnitude of what
it took to provide an adequate power
system to supply such a huge densely
populated vertical city.
The chronological evolution begins
with pioneers and provides many key details of the beginning of lighting systems
that occurred in the United States. it was
interesting to note that, around 1879, a
substantial arc light installation was located at the College of St. ignatius, now
the University of San Francisco. efforts
by elihu Thomson, Charles brush, edison, and others are explained. Cunningham rightfully credits John W. Lieb for
his efforts in establishing the edison sys-

tem. The development of indoor lighting
as contrasted with outdoor arc lightning
and the desire for "soft light" was very
interesting and well explained.
The advent of central stations, their
design and construction, along with their
role in the expansion of the new York
power system is thoroughly covered. The
multitalented Thomas
e. Murray's involvement and contributions
to the development of
several central stations
and the power system
in general receives
well-deserved recognition. The evolution
of the massive Waterside station is well
documented and supplemented with pictures. other key facilities such as the West
16th Street Substation
provide the reader with an appreciation of the sheer size of the new York
power facilities.
one fact i found interesting was that
the edison Company provided free replacement bulbs to their first customers. The operation of the fundamental
"three-wire system" and how it began
is well explained. The use of electricity
beyond lighting covers various motors
and their applications such as elevators
with developmental credit to Frank
Julian Sprague. i found it very interesting to learn about the use of battery support that was installed to meet
peak demands.
january/february 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2015