1912: No electric light for ten days during light system change

The following appeared in the Rock County Herald on November 22, 1912:
 
NO ELECTRIC LIGHT FOR TEN DAY PERIOD
LIGHT SYSTEM BEING CHANGED
Resident Districts of City Will Have to Burn Oil Lamps pending the Change in Electric Light System—Business District Will Have Light—Work on New Equipment Being Rushed.
For a period of ten days, at least, beginning with Wednesday evening, the residence districts of Luverne will be without electric light service, owing to the changes and alterations being made at the power house and in the wiring system, in preparation for the installation of the 24-hour service, which the municipal plant will hereafter give its patrons.
In order to install the large new dynamo, which will furnish the current for the night schedule it has been necessary to remove the large jack-shaft and the old dynamo, so as to permit the laying of the foundation for the new dynamo.
This wall must be allowed time to set before the new dynamo can be mounted and the switch-board overhauled before the residence districts can again be supplied with electric service, and this work will require at least ten days.
The new Skinner engine and also the small dynamo, which will furnish the current for the day service, have been installed, however, and it is owing to this fact that the business houses have not been deprived of night service.
While it is believed that this dynamo will generate sufficient electricity to supply the business houses until the large dynamo can be put in use, all of the patrons are urged to use just as little current as is possible, for by so doing it will permit more people to have the service.
The dynamos heretofore used are what is known as single phase machines, while the new ones are three phase machines, and for this reason it is necessary to put up new wiring on all the main lines and also to install new transformers, and this is proving a tremendous task.
In the residence districts, however, it will not be necessary to change the wiring in the homes or that tapping the main feed wires, for the present, at least, but the cutting over from the old to the new wires means a great deal of work, and in the business houses where the day service will be utilized for power purposes, rewiring will be necessary.
The work of making the numerous changes is not progressing as rapidly as is desired by the council or City Electrician Hughes, owing to the inability to secure a sufficient number of skilled workmen. Especially is this true in regard to the rewiring, but Mr. Hughes has made repeated effort to secure additional linesmen from Sioux Falls and other towns, but thus far he has been unsuccessful.
Another thing that has been retarding the work is the fact that cross arms, wiring and other supplies are slow in arriving.
City Electrician Hughes requests the Herald to announce that owing to the vast amount of work in connection with the changes being made in the Luverne electric light plant, the electric light meters will not be read this month. The amount of electricity used by patrons will be estimated and any over-charge will be corrected at the next reading.
Donations to the Rock County Historical Endowment Fund can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, P.O. Box 741, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence to mannmade@iw.net.