Omaha daily bee., 1883-04-04
MANSIONS LIT ELECTRICALLY,
Many Of thu Finest Residences
in Town now Illuminated
By 1t.
How the Lights are Distributed
The Electric Light 10 Eur
ope and Australia.
New York Star,

AS the twilight was deepening into
the darker shades Of night, a reporter
for the Star stood at the corner of
Madison avenue and Thirty. sixth
street q few evenings ago to witness
the sudden Transformation from Cim-
erian darkness to MONDAY brilliancy
In the palatial residence to j. Pierpont
Morgan, the we'll known member of
the banking firm of Drexel, Morgan
& Co. Weary of waiting for the up.
town electric lighting district to be
laid out and circled with wires to be
connected with uptown residences,
Mr.. Morgan gave the first order for an
Edison isolated plant among the man
sions of the m,lliona!res who inhablt
Fifth, Madison and Lexington
avenues. The plant Is for 269 A aud
116 B lamps, or q total number of $50
burners. In a twinkling, as If by
magic, from every window In the
DIV Yelling, a food of mellow light that
gave the appearance of q general Il.
Elimination. The Star man wal re-
ceivsd kindly by Mr.. Morgan, as he
entered the mansion, aud the myster-
ious illumination was explained to be
the perfection of electric lighting.
~ have abandoned the use of gas"
said Mr.. Morgan, with the exoep.
ton of a'few Jets at various points for
use when the electric light engines are
not working. The diff aren't lamp cir.
cults throughout the house are pro.
tected by the usual Edison safety
guards against fire, while switches,
each designed to control a large mum.
Der of lamps, are conveniently
arranged In the different rooms, so
that the lights can be turned on and
off In quantity, In addition to each
lamp, being lighted or e1tinguished
separately"
Your house must have been
thoroughly wired" said the reporter.
Eyes," was the answer, Sin every
portion of the house and stables"
Chow are the lights distributed"
"They are distributed In the follow
ing order: "Main halls and stairway,
80; attic rooms and halls, IA; dome
oyer stairway, 20; servants hall and
buffers pantry, closets, eto., 10; third
floor, 20; second floor, 40; drawing
room, AZ; reception room, IL; library,
10; sitting room %; dining room, %;
stained glass ukyl,ghts In dining, room
ceiling, %; conservatory, 40; base
msnt, %; cellar, %; stable and car
riage house, 6, and engine room, 4,
making a total of 3S5 Lamps"
After contrasting the Morgan man
sion with is more dimly, lighted sur
roundings, and admiring the simplioi'
ty OF mechanism which controlled the
electric force, the reporter called upon
President Eaton, at his ,cosey off ,es
No, Go Fifth avenue, and csked hin
how many Of the uptown palaces were
prepared for the introduction of the
electric lighting system.
"We are wiring the uptown man
sions at q very rapid rate" was his re
sponse "Among others the homes o
William III Vanderbilt and his son
G ,rpelins Vanderbilt, are thorough,
wired, - y are the residences of Johl
Sloan. r. L Stuart, w. l.. Hutohin
sou, Ogden Goelet, r. L, Belknap
Robert Goelet, II. Lamb and tn
Hawthorne, one of the largest ant
most fashionable apartment houses Il
the city. The Dakota apartment
house, at Seventy.second street ant
Eighth avenue, Is being wired TO
{, ZOO lamps, and orders for public an
private houses In the upper district ar
coming In daily"
What are the boundaries Of you
uptown d~istriot7"
ut extends from Madison square q
! Twenty.third street to the Centrs
Park; but its exact boundaries are nc
yet determined. Capital has bee
offered to Us to complete 1t, but 1t
not probable that We will be ready fo
operations for several weeks. Tn
preliminary work has been begun; an
we are now ~canvAsslng the district.
"How much of the city Is cor
nectsd2"
''Thus far we have only complete
= what Is known as district No l. !
extends from Nassau street to Ess
river and from Wall to Spruce an
Ferry streets"
"Hss there been any break In til
=, circuit or stoppsge Of the electric cul
rent2"
! "We have been running u engin
necessarily without one extinguisl
ment. Daring the past eight days "
> drove 1t day and night. It has
: power Of 1875 horses, and we have Fl,
! others In district No. l. 1t was starte
on Sept. A, and has not stopped o M
ment day or night since that tim
. Our report for last week shows 81
houses lighted with $500 lamps
operation"
Have you many isolated plan
down town."
"Yes, Q great many, among thel
Everett's two hotels, the America
Express company, Thurber's grocer
house, Max Ames' picking and pre-
serve establishment, the America
Bank Note company, the Manhatta
Il road chops and The Herald build
ing. We have never had q fire or a
cident, and they are simply an impos
siblity."
care any other newspaper building
lighted by your nystem2'
"The Times building Is In the dow
town circuit, and the plant is thus d.
scrlbed:
Lamp
Composing room. l.
Mailing
Press room.
Reporters room. "Reminiscences.
= Editorial room.
= Halls.
OKLA