Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-01-08
MORE LIGHT WANTED.
Some Reasons why Burlington Should
have More Light, and why it should
be the Electric Light.

Now that the people of Burlington have
| awakened to the necessity for more light
| on the streets would it not be well to con-
| slider the electric light There is Il com
pany in existence in Burlington and Il
| plant all ready to put at work, of ample
capacity to light the city finely. Other
cities even smaller than Burlington are
| daily going over to the electric light, and
we should not be left out in the cold The
| local company can, if they choose to do
| so, furnish the city with more and bet
| ter quality of light at a less price than gas
can he furnished 1t is notorious to every
resident, as we'll as every patron of the
city from adjoining towns, that our
streets are very poorly lighted-in fact
that the money spent in that direction is
practically thrown away. There is so lit
| tie light at the present time that it is often
more Of an injury than benefit to the per-
son who is driving through the streets
There Is not light enough to illuminate
the street and the lamps only serve the
purpose OF preventing the eye from seeing
anything beyond their feeble rays.
1t Will be Il good Investment Tor the city
i'll more ways than one to nave more light
from some source; but now that the
electric light is coming 50 much into use
elsewhere it ought at least to be corsid-
cred. company has recently been
started at Plattsburgh and that village
has already ordered 70 arc lights This
viii probably be ample to llghJ their WI
lage in fine shape. This is progress, and
1t makes Burlington suffer by contrast.
There are several ways of lighting
streets by electricity; by incandescent
lamps distributed as the ordinary lights
by arc lamps ut the street corners and
by towers. The latter is the best plan
for the cities that are not closely shaded
throughout and have few business streets
with high buildings set closely together, to
cast heavy shadows. BY this plan OF
lighting, towers from 100 to 100 feet high
are erected, and lamps of 2O0O candle
power, to the number OF four to
six. are placed ON each tower. In
the city of Elgin, Illinois, city
OF about the same population us Burlng
ton the streets are lighted by seven towers
A central tower, 100 feet high, with six
lamps, and SIX surrounding towers, l25
feet high, with four lamps each, are used
IhlS number lights an area four miles
square, and Is considered an admirable
plan.
The Plattsburgh dynamos are driven by
the water wheels OF the Sarauac Horse
Nail Company. The Telegram says in re-
gard to the lighting OF the streets This
action on the part of our trustees is highly
commendable and meets with the ap.
proval OF our citizens. 1t is IL step for
ward and shows that our village trustees
are progres ~, The electrict light is pre-
cmlncntly Tia, Aght for streets. There
Will be no dark corners In Plattsburgh
when the electric is III position. The
street lamps will be put up ut once. The
company Will put in a steam engine should
the water wheel not prove powerful
enough to drive the dynamus.h
In Tact all live and progressive cities are
adopting the electric light for both public
and private lighting, and Burlington
ought TO have enterprise enough 10 keep
even with cities OF less than half her pop
ulaton and wealth. At a meeting of tie
citizens of Skowhegan, Me, among whom
were forty-fiye subscribers for liSAls, held
the other day, the Skowhegan Electric
Light Company was organized with Il cap
| ital OF $780, 900 The board of directors was
authorized to purchase ninety light
plant, and the entire amount OF stock nee
essary to pay for same was subscribed for
before the meeting adjourned. Skowhe-
gan mas Il population OF about 5000 inhab-
itants. and their enterprise in using nine
ty'arc lights Is seldom shown in a city
used, and the additional advantages of an
economical system enable the local COM
pany u run the lights at a cost which does
not exceed IL cents per light per night.
This 49, or course, an exceptional instance,
but shows what can be done with electric
light under advantageous circumstances.
By all means let us have action and get
more light.
Mr.. Parnell probably receives the larg-
est mail and sends the fewest replies of
10 M Lad. a