The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-06-11
The City Councilmen make
an Inspection Tour.
Aurora's New System Fully
and Carefully Examined.
Description Of the Light and
also of the Trip.


electric light now in use in that city.
The party consisted of Mayor Carse
Aldermen Lundy, Larkin, Lafrenz, O'NeIl
Hull, Reimers, Barber. Cavanaugh, Henry
and Mott, City Clerk Koehler. Marsha
Miller, NJ. G. Mills, president of the Rock
Island Electric Light company, and re-
porter for the ARGUS
"A start was made at I O'Clock, Friday
morning, and after a ride of some six
hours the destination was reached without
any accident or incident worthy of note.
AT AURORA.
After reaching the hotel in Aurora, the
Rock Islanders were served dinner, and in
the afternoon they were visited by num-
Der of business men, including the mayor
of Aurora, and were driven over the town.
In the evening the electric lights were in
spected, and the cost and system fully eX-
planned by the agents of the electric light
corporation.
Saturday morning the visitors took the
C. B. s. Q. train and reached home at five
O'Clock. They speak in the highest terms
of the hospitable treatment which they re-
ceived while at Aurora, and also while en-
route to and from the city.
INCIDENT.
The aldermanic excursionists had Jolly
time during the trip, and played numerous
practical jokes upon one another. One of
the tourists was seen walking up and down
the platform of several stations with a
a placard attached to his coat
tails announcing the fact that he
was blind and solicited charity
Another alderman was tied fast to his
seat, and was released after making many
promises as to his future conduct.
The practical joker, however, suffered
joke tie be played upon himself, as the
following will show: At Kewanee circus
was giving an exhibition. and among the
visitor thereto was a man who had been
robbed of his watch. This excited the ire and
indignation of the aldermanic tourists, and
they all said they would ike to see some
one steal their watches. The man who
had been playing jokes right along was
particularly loud in his statements that
such trick could not be played upon
him.
Shortly afterwards it was discovered
that his watch was gone, and never was
there more crestfallen and excited indi
vidual on board a train. His timepieae,
however, was returned to him on arriving |
in this city last night, and he is now sad |
dest when asked the time of day.
THE VERDICT
of the aldermen ON the electric light will |
be made public at the next meeting of the |
city council, when the subject of making |
a contract for lighting this city for the
next three years or more viii come up for
consideration and final action, as both the
electric light and gas light companies are
competitors for the contract.
The Aurora Nescs gives the following
scrap of history about the electric light.
1t says,
1t may be interesting to some people to
know how the council came to make the
contract by which the city is lighted by
electricity The history of the matter is
here told:
Aurora Gas Light and Coke company to
furnish the city gaslight at $42.5O per
lamp post had been running for thirteen
years, and was to expire on February 20.
1881, ~hen the city council, in the fall of
1880, took up the matter of making new
contract with the gas company. That
honorable body passed resolutions pointing
toward the getting of figures from the gas
company for the street lamp posts and
private consumption. The gas company's
reply to these resolutions was that $26. so
per post would be charged for street light
ing, but that the company thought the
had no right to enquire int it's
prices to private consumers, and refused
to entertain that part of the resolution.
The council considering the price
gwen for public lighting too high, made
an offer of $25 per post,
and the gas company refused to accept it.
There the two stood, showing their teeth
at one another until an agent of the Illinois
Street Lighting company of Rock
Island saw the fitness of compromise on
his gasoline and visited this city, where
Mayor Brady signed contract with that
company to light the city with gasoline,
the price to be $40 per post, the company
to furnish new posts where required at 81
apiece. The council, however. refused to
ratify Mayor Brady's hasty action, and SO
that matter was dismissed from the public
mind. At later meeting of the council
the committee on gas and gas posts was
Instructed to notify the Aurora Gaslight
and Coke company not to light the city af-
ter the expiration of the contract then in
vogue.
The annual city election was to occur in
March and the lights were to be extin-
guished on February Goth, but the council
deemed it best to let the matter stand for
settlement by the-new council. It was now
apparent our city was to be in the dark for
some time after February Goth, so
The Daitg Nesos began agitating the mat
ter of electric lighting which. il learned
through correspondence, had been success
full at Wabash, Ind, and Akron, o. The
first move made was by the city editor of
the Nelos, Mr. r. w. Corbett, who went
to Chicago and consulted Mr.. M c. Bull
lock, general agent fer the Brush compa-
ny, to the end that q generator and lamp
might be sent to Aurora to show our citi-
zens what electricity would do A few
days laterAMr. Bullock came to Aurora MS
the guest of Willis B. Hawkins and at that
gentleman's residence formed the plan for
organizing company to light Aurora Mr..
Bullock was to send sample light to be
shown on the Daily Nescs building. the
escuarafoY tn no RIM NV he Dull, A.. i