Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-07
SENSIBLE SUGGESTIONS
The Superintendent of Lamps Wants the
Moon Schedule Abandoned.
He Recommends That All Electric,
Burn 3,s2S Hours a Year.

The annual report of the superintendent
of lamps was made public today Under
the head Of naphtka lighting. he says in
making contracts for this style of light
ing In the future no reduction should be
made in the number of hours. In alleys,
where it is always dark. whether the moon
is shining or not naphtha lamps are Of
great benefit, since. under the present Cir
cumstances, they can be burned longer
than gas, and every night as well. An in
crease in the number Of these lamps is
most urgently desired. Many of the alleys
In the city are without light All the prin-
cipal roads leading into Washington should
be lighted. and on these roads where there
are few lights the lighting should be ex-
tended to the District line. Many of the
suburbs have no lamps, notably Benning,
Langdon. Ivy City and Twfnfng City. All
these places should be lighted. An addition
Of $50 naphtha lamps would no more than
meet the present needs. This system of
lighting is now very satisfactory, and can
be advantageously extended.
Gas Lighting Changes Suggested.
IAN important change should be made in
the number of hours Of gas lighting, be-
ginning with the fiscal year 1897" says the
report. 1.-The present schedule of 5000
hours should be abandoned, and the moon
not be relied upon to furnish any portion
of the light for the city. The number Of
hours of total darkness during the year
from the beginning of twilight in the even-
ing to the beginning of twilight in the
morning is alone 3,116 AS all the lamps
should burn at least one hour each night
in addition, and as another hour each night
is allowed the gas companies for lighting,
making total of 3,S46 hours, an uncertain
twilight and an unreliable moon are called
Upon to furnish approximately $50 hours of
ffNh a ~ 90 n I. T11n ~
1t is a matter of the greatest difficulty to
SO use the moon that the 5000 hours re-
CURED by Congress may not be exceeded.
Even on the brightest moonlight nights
many of the streets are In absolute dark
resS the dense, heavy foliage of the trees
completely overshadowing the streets. In
the populous and dangerous alleys, too,
where gas lamps are used, and into which
the moon only shines when about on the
meridian, the darkness is intense. l would
recommend that a uniform schedule of
3,S2S hours per annum be adopted for all
kinds of lighting-naphtha, gas and cleo
trio. In many of the suburbs improve
ments are going on rapidly. but there are
not sufficient funds for establishing new
lights. A few will be put up during the
Bext fiscal year where they are absolutely
needed, but in order to do so the lights in
other parts of the city will have to be dis
continued. There are locations throughout
the city and in the suburbs where fully
$50 new gas lamps are absolutely needed"
Operations Intended for Next Year.
1t is intended to discontinue twenty-four
gas lamps on the north side of Pennsyl-
vania avenue between I'd and 18th streets
southeast, and one on 18th street near
Pennsylvania avenue. There are thirteen
electric lights on the south side of the
avenue between the streets named which
are sufficient to light up the avenue. To
make up the 1000 naphtha lamps, there be-
ing but S6S under the former contract, 1t
will be necessary to change at least 1872
gas lamps to naphtha. These lamps will
be taken from the Bladensburg road, from
the outlying sections of the city and from
the alleys. To meet the pressing demand
for lights in localities, every other naphtha
lamp on Benning road will be discontinued
and erected elsewhere as needed. Discon-
tinuing the aforementioned gas lamps on
Pennsylvania avenue will enable the de-
partInent to erect new gas lamps in few
sections where improvements are going on
rapidly and lights are necessary.