Don José Natalio Perosio - The "light" of the town

In the small city of Presidente Derqui in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, long before the official entities provided electric power, a notable neighbor made sure that the town had electric light. We refer to José Natalio Perosio (1903-1958), son of Natalino Perosio and Catalina Massa.

He studied bookkeeping, radio and mechanics. He put his knowledge to the service of the community. He carried out the wiring of the eight surrounding blocks at Avenida de Mayo and San Martín where the first generator he also built operated.

This motor-powered plant was fueled by diesel. It was built with a Ford motor that was replaced three times during the fifteen years in which it served. The motor had 14 HP.

The electricity began to be provided at dusk and at 23:45 it gave its classic signal with a flicker in the current to announce the generator would be turned off at midnight. Some neighbors remember that during the dance nights at the Club Unión, near Don José Perosio's home, the service was extended until 3 in the morning, at which hour three successive cuts announced the end of the supply.

It was very difficult to verify the consumption, so the users made a small voluntary contribution. Regrettably, an excessive overload due to illegal connections caused an explosion of the generator in the year 1940. Electric power was only provided by a state enterprise in the year 1942.

Courtesy of www.ptederqui.com.ar