The San Francisco call., 1897-05-16

uperlnCenQenL Ming mas suOiuitteu VIC
following unication to the Mer-
chants Association on the subject of inn
proving the lighting of the streets by sub
stituting electric lights for gas lamps;
SAN FRANCISCO. Nav 4, 1897.
F. w. Dohrmann, President Merchants. MS Assq- A.; p
! the following report and plan for general
system of electric-lighting of this City, TO-
gether with map showing number anh ,h ioca, s :
ton of proposed electric lights ana the gas
lamps which would thereby be dispensed
with.
Map-The proposed electric lights are indi-
Gated by large red dots the gas lamps which
will be dispensed with by green crosses, the
gas lamps which will be retained on those
| streets by red crosses, and the electric lights
which the City has already installed on the
streets in question by large purple dots
Principle-The leading principle OF this sys-
tenn is that OF suspendng IN arc light in the
center of each crossing OF all the business
streets of the City, and dispensing with the
| adjacent gas lamps, which viii thereby be
rendered unnecessary.
Excepiions-The exceptions to this rule are
Market street, certain blocks south OF Market
street and a lew blocks in the wholesale dis
trict which will be referred 10 later on. Busi-
ness streets are considered TO be all those
streets throughout the City upon which a ma
jority of the frontage is occupied by business
houses which remain open during the even
ing.
ness streets it is also proposed TO place electric
lights at each crossing Golden Gate avenue,
from Market to Devisadero and on Folcom as
far out as Nineteen tn street. 1t seems very de-
srabie that the main thoroughfare to the
park should be Well lighted ard thus made
attractive 10 persons driving. and particularly
to those riding bicycles to the PARK at night.
In order that the Mission residents may be
equally we'll treated, their boulevard, Folsom
street, has been included in the same system,
highw way at night Tor the residents south of
Market street. In this connection, l would
call attention to the fact that Folsom street,
from Nineteent to Twenty-sixth, is at pres
ent lighted in this MANNER.
Gas lamps displaced-Upon all the streets
above mentioned, the blocks of which are 275
and 4121a feet in length, estimate that four
gas lamps will be dispensed with for every
electric light ins stalled. On those streets south
OF Market, where the blocks are $50 feet in
length, or double the length Of those blocks
north OF Market 1t seems Lnly right that, on
the main business streets, such as Third,
Fourth, Fifth, sixth. Ninth and Sixteenth, an
ditona al Zig hit should be placed in the middle
of each block, thus making these lights the
same distance apart as those north of Market.
The placing of these additional lights will,
however, dispense with only one additional
gas lamp in each block, but 1T will be necessary
to have them SO placed.
Chinatown-Dupont and other streets in
Chinatown are not included in this schedule
for the reason that on account OF the many
we'll distributed, and this can be done better
with gas lamps.
sion district north of California street and the
foundry district south of Market are not in
cluded in this schedule, as title, If any, bust
ness is done there at night That POI tion OF
the wholesale district bounded by Market,
California and SansOme, being Travelled by
many people going to and from the ferries,
will have electric lights on every other cross
ing aud gas lamps on the intermediate cross
1ngs.
Market street.-The lighting of Market street
has been carefully considered, and 1t is be-
foll x1I, LIT
best results: 1t is proposed to suspend over
the center OF the street an unbroken line of
lights reaching from the ferries to Valencia
street. The lights to be paced as follows:
From East to Second street, ihe blocks on the
south ide being 275 feet long, light will be
suspended opposite the intersection of each
of the streets south of Market. On the sue
ceeding blocks, which are s25 feet long, in
addition to the ones opposite the intersection,
there will be two additional lights at equal
distances between. On the 550-feet blocks
will be one light between the intersections.
This will require thirty-ive lights for the en-
tire length OF Market street. all about 300 feet
apart.
In order to do away with the uns:ghtly ap-
pearance OF the usual lot OF wires and ropes
required to haul the lamps to the side of the
street to be trimmed it is proposed 10 suspend
these lights from small wire cables sire tened
from the side of the street, and the wires con-
Quoting the electricity to be inclosed in
conduIts and fastened close against the cable.
All .opes will be dispensed with and the lamp
trimmed from the center of the street between
the tracks. By this method there will be seen
only a small wire caple crossing the treet,
which will be no more Objectionable than the
many similar cables now there. Upon con-
sultation with the electric-light company /
have been ass ured that this plan is entirely
feasible. 1t is proposed to suspend the lamps
in the center of the street rather than alter
nately on the sides for the following reasons:
Frst-To place them along the sides would
require much greater number, and from
Third to Seventh their effect would be CON-
pe:ely destroyed by the greater number of
arc lights in front of show-windows.
Second-Because the effect OF such long
string of electric lights. reaching from the
ferries to Valencia, a difference of nearly a
mile and half, will be very impressive,
particularly to visitors, as they come up from
the ferries.
.Cost-The cost of this system of lighting will