The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-05

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| public thoroughfares, and people natural
| ly were satisfied with a corresponding
amount of light on railway trains The
| development Of electric arc and incau-
| descent lamps opened peoples eyes to
| the fact that they might turn night into
day, and they Immediately began to de-
mand more and stronger lights in the
streets, public buildings, railway cars
| and all other public places. The best
| is always in demand, and when one party
! learns how to supply light and other
| by others, it becomes an immediate ne
I cessity for competitors to equal or exceed
the latest and best performance.
| Experiments carried on by the navy
| department of the United States, Ger
| many and the Netherlands, showed that
light of one candle is visible at dis
| lance Of one mile on a clear night
| when no other lights are to be SEEN Va
rlouS eXperimenters have shown that
! one light becomes invisible in the pres
| ence of another Ga to 1870 times az in
| tense, an example of which is the ia
| miliar fact that the stars are not seen in
! the day time, although they shine con-
! tinuously.
Closely allied to the above is the ne
cessity of keeping the light free from
| fluctuations. This is one of the great
| est objections to the use of candle and
open flame gas lights, as the continual
n1ckertng soon wearies the eye. and dim
| 1n1shes the amount of work that can be
accomplished with given amount of en-
ergy; For a similar reason the light
should be free from streaks, and it is
found that a ground glass or opal globe
makes the light more serviceable, al
though it cuts; off from 80 to 60 per cent
of the original amount of light.
The question of the amount and loca-
ton of the light depends upon the pur-
pose for which it is to be used and upon
the surroundings. For some purposes
it is desirable to have the lights them
selves conspicuous, giving what is some
times called illumination appearance
or "Scenic illumina TONS In which
q nDrf
In other cases the appearance of the
light Is not OF so much Importance as a
good illumination of other surfaces.
In many cases both illumination and
illumination appearance are desired. In
lighting a train according to modern
ideas and demands, it Is desirable not
only to have the cars so well lighted that
a passenger may read in any part of the
car about as we'll as he could by day
light, but it is also desirable to have
each car and the train as a whole pre-
sent an attractive appearance. The eff
feet upon the travelling public. IS marked
when they have to choose between we'll
lighted car and one poorly lighted. A
strong well distributed and well ar
ranged light pleases the average passen-
ger far more than miserable light. al
though the latter be accompanied by the
softest and most expensive upholstery
and trimmings. That the value of illu-
mination appearance is appreciated by
the powers that be, is well Illustrated by
the Illuminated tail pieces or transpa-
IeuClGS. THAT ueCOEdIG several Oh the even
ing trains leaving the Twin Cities, and
by the outside Vestibule lights that were
intended originally for use at stations
only, but which add so much to the gen
eral appearance of the train that their
advertising value was instantly recog-
nized, so that they. are kept lighted all
the time between stations. The lights
in a car should be placed so as not to
come within the field of vision of one
who IS reading. One car found TO have
a very excellent and uniform illunilna-
ton was seriously marred because the
side lights were too low. AT the same
time they should ordinarily be so placed
that passengers may see them and feast
the eyes OH a handsome arrangement of
not too brilliant lights in pleasing fix
lures and surroundings. One; or two
rows of lights heighten the effect of
roominess in a car This effect is well
recognized in display lighting of build
ings at exhibition and elsewhere, long
rows of lights lending an air of magniti-
cence that may be quite lacking by day
light
On a moving car there is sure to be
more or less vibration Of the book or
printed sheet. so that it is necessary to
have the light stronger than would be
tolerahle in a perfectlysaquiet.tp place
A number Of cars We're, found equipped
with both gas and electric lights. &c was
probably the idea Of the. car maker to
use one or the other, as circumstances
might require, but the practice Is gem
orally to use both illuminants while with
in the limits of the Twin Cities and then
gradually diminish the light after the
passengers and the rest of the public
have become fully impressed with the
magnificent lighting afforded patrons Of
the road. Right here lies a point worth
some attention If half of the lights are
turned off suddenly. the passengers nc
tice the difference at once and are liable
to feel that they and their friends have
been victims of a wicked delusiOn. since
nation promised them at first This feel
ing of disappointment and possible re-
sentiment may be avoided by a little
finesse on the Part of the train men, 1t
is we'll known that, While the eye is able
to detect sudden variations in the
strength of a light. it does not detect
slow variations or those of less than
l or 2 per cent, Electric and gas lights
have the marked advantage that all the
lamps in a car may. be controlled from
a single point. The astute porter or
brakeman might therefore be equipped
with a suitable device for turning out
part of the lights so gradually and slow
lY that no ordinary passenger would de-
tect the difference; unless the lights were
turned out too far so that the passenger
had difficulty in seeing well, he wGud
still cherish the idea that he had as fine
illumination as he had at the start, al
though 1t may not be one-haif as much
The comparative Illumination in the
electric street cars and that In the steam
cars was something Of a surprise. The
Harriet interurban street cars are look
ed upon as being brilliantly lighted, and,
indeed they do present a fine appearance
on the streets at night. They look bright
whether viewed from within or from
without. Yet the actual measurements
show that the cars on the limited trains
leaving the Twin Cities for Chicago every
evening on the roads studied have an il
Elimination several times as strong. TIE
apparent illumination of the Harriet
cars is enhanced by the large amount Of
window surface and by the prOportiOnally
large amount of polished woodwork in
side.