This day in Norment-Ward-Beall history 13 Nov 1896 The U. S. Electric Lighting Company was founded by Samuel Norment and his colleagues. Thanks to excellent business management and foresight, it has prospered not only for its own uses - primarily the electric trolleys - but also in selling electricity to other users. Outsiders, seeing the profit potential, are installing overhead trolley wires (picture), much despised by their local competitors and the citizens. Morning Times (DC) 13 Nov 1896 U. S. ELECTRIC CO. PROSPERS Capt. Thomas Concern Has Gained 7 Per Cent Over Last Year. The fifteenth annual meeting of the stockholders of the United States Electric Light Company was held Wednesday night. It was called for the purpose of hearing reports from the officers of the company and to elect directors and officers for the ensuing year. An interesting and encouraging feature brought to the attention of the stockholders was the statement that, despite hard times and contraction in business operations, the company has increased its earning capacity since last year about 7 per cent and decreased its operating expenses 10 per cent. It was ordered that $300,000 be expended the coming year in modernizing the machinery, increasing the plant and extending the business of the concern. The directors also were authorized to solicit estimates and bids for remodeling and improving the B street and thirteenth-and-a-half street station. The directors elected were A. A. Thomas, Seymour W. Tulloch, G. W. Peterson, Charles C. Duncanson, Emmons S. Smith, A. T. Marsh, George W. Gray, Clarence F. Norment and Charles Werner. All but Messrs. Norment and Werner were re-elected directors and these two were selected in place of Dr. D. P. Clarke and Robert Boyd. The directors will have a called meeting in the future to select officers, the present officials holding over as follows: Capt. A. A. Thomas, president; Seymour W. Tulloch, secretary, and A. F. Marsh, treasurer. Capt. Thomas has been connected with the company for ten or more years, at first as director and then, beginning four or five years ago, as president. He is an indefatigable worker, wholly absorbed in the development of the electric company, and confident of its complete financial success in the future as in the past. The position has been rendered trebly difficult to maintain as the Potomac Power Company, representing the trolley octopus, has had powerful advocates in Congress, and many methods for the purpose of crippling its rival and fastening the deadly overhead wires on the city. Capt. Thomas has been tactful, diplomatic, energetic, and enterprising. This was the sentiment expressed by the stockholders. His victory over the out-of-town corporation is a part of recent District history. Mr. Tulloch has been connected with the company since the beginning, in 1879, and is a shrewd financier, a clear-headed calculator, and a broad-minded business man. Both will undoubtedly be re-elected. Electric Power, Volume 1, No. 10, 1889, p 328 Washington, D. C. – The Brightwood R. R. Co. have been contemplating using some other motive power than horses on their projected railway, and have arranged, through one of their officers, Capt. A. A. Thomas, for a trial of the electric motor on their lines. They will obtain their power from the city circuits of the U. S. Electric Lighting Co. Western Electrician, 4 Feb 1893, p At the meeting of the United States Electric Lighting company held last week encouraging reports were made by the officers of the institution, showing that last year there had been an increase in the business of the company of 85 per cent., and in the ten years since Capt. A. A. Thomas has been at its head an increase of 94 per cent. Last year it was found necessary to increase the size of the works by duplicating the plant. Work will be commenced immediately, and an office building will be erected too. A week ago the stockholders elected the following board of directors: A A.Thomas, W. E. Clarke, S. W. Tullock, A. M. Renshaw, Robert Boyd, G. W. Pearson, D. B. Clarke, C. C. Duncanson, John Paul Jones, Emmons S. Smith, P. Hill. These gentlemen organized by re-electing Captain Thomas president; S. W. Tullock secretary and treasurer; A. M. Renshaw general manager, and adding W. E. Clarke and Robert Boyd as first and second vice presidents respectively.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Nov 2014 02:49:05 +0000