The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1892-07-30
m A BLAZE OF o


Of Americz-SiX Miles OF Illuminated
Streets, and Illuminated Arches that
will Cost Thousands Of Doliars-A Dis.
play Never Before Equaled In the World.
ST. LOUIS, July 19.-St Louis will
have 9 miles of magniicently illumi.
mated streets during the autumnal fes-
t~ivities. There will be not less than
fifty arches, some Of which are to be
startling in their eorgeousness- There
will be over 49, 900 electric lamps and
gas-jets in each nights display. The
electric light companies of St Louis
have not enough power to stand this
strain in addition to the regular de-
mands on them, and are putting in
engines and dynamos especially for the
occasion. 1t is even possible that the
Fall Festivities association will be
obliged to build a plant in order to get
enough power. The illuminating ap-
paratus is already partly in position.
and this week work will be commenced
on the big arches on Twelfth street,
Broadway, Fourth street and Franklin
venue
About 100 plumbers have been at
work for the past three weeks putting
up the sidewalk arches on Olive and
Twelfth streets and Broadway. To-
day the force was increased to 200 men,
all of whom will be employed until the
last piece of the apparatus is in place.
The contract calls for the completion Of
all the arches by August Is, and every
thing will be ready.
At Twelfth and St. Charles streets
will be an illuminated design of the
new world, which will be 100 feet in
circumference. The center of the piece
will be so feet from the ground, while
at an elevation of 100 feet will be a star,
8 feet in diameter. This brilliant star
will represent st. Louis, and under it
in letters of fire, 4 feet high, will be the
name 'St. Louis" Below that will be
the date 1882" while under the design
of the New World will be the figures
''1492." This design will have movable
effects, and will not only be a beautiful
but a wonderful piece of work.
The next piece on Twelfth street will
be about the statue of Gen. Grant. At
a height of IS feet will be produced, by
electricity. the flags of the United
States and Spain, each % feet in length.
Electric lights and gas jets will be so
numerous at this point that it will seem
to he a perfect blaze of fire.
The statue of Liberty at Twelfth and
Pine streets will be the next piece of
the series. An artistic display of jets
will be made here, which from the torch
of Liberty will pour a continuous flame
4 feet high.
At Twelfth and Market streets will
he Columbus ship of discovery. the
Santa Maria. The ship will float appar-
emily in a sea of fire, and will make a
grand sight.
Olive street will have three large
arches. One will be at Seventeenth
street. and in the middle of it will be n
pyrotechnic tower 100 feet high. This
tower will have vanishing effects.
Great serpent-likc sheets of fire of vari-
GUS colors will twist their way to the
top and disappear. At some point on
Olive street, between Twelfth and Sew
e%ntcenth, will be placed n large arch,
in the center of which will be pictures
of Columbus and Washington, each five
feet in diameter. At Seventh street
will be n large gas arch, and at Ninth
street another one. These two arches
will contain 90 globes.
Washington avenues display will not
differ materially from last years, but,
as usual, it will attract attention be-
cause of its beauty and length.
1t is impossible to describe the figures
to be placed along Broadway in such a
I'M that an adequate idea of their
grandeur may be had. The street will
be resplendent with fire from Clark
avenue to Franklin avenue. An arch,
the center of which will be 60 feet high,
is to be erected between Pine and
Chestnut streets. This figure will be
known as the Presidential Arch. The
faces of all the presidents of the United
States will be shown in stained glass
en- both sides of the arch, and they will
look almost as well during the day as
at night.
At Broadway and Olive street will be
a revolving globe 100 feet in circumfer-
ence. 1t will represent the earth, and
will ~revolve at the same angle as the
earth. Over 5000 lights will be used in
this figure.
The intersection of Broadway and
Locust streets will be marked by anoth-
err big arch, with transparencies rep
resenting Columbus and his sailors and
Columbus before Queen Isabella.
Fourth street will have three large
arches and several blocks of sidewalk
arches and gas clusters. One arch will
be opposite the Fourth street entrance
to the merchants exchange, and the
others will be two blocks each side.
Franklin avenue will nave nearly two
miles of sidewalk illumination and a
number of display pieces. Just what
they are designed to be will be decided
this week.
This completes the general outline of
the illumination. Nothing one-half as
grand was ever attempted before any,
where. 1t is expected that this display
will be not less than ten times as
gorgeous a vas last years st. Louis
display. Those who saw the magnificent
spectacle of last fall may from this fact
form some idea of the startling and I'M
precedented blaze of light which will
September l flash into existence to
astonish the entire United States The
committeeman are growing more en-
thusiastic daily, and their patriotism is
noticeably contagious in the business
world.