Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1902-10-17
NOVEL BRIDGE LIGHTS
Plan to illuminate New York's
New Structures.
BRILLIANT SPECTACLE PROPOSED
Thousands of Electric Lamps TO
Span the East River Bridge Like
Necklaces of PearIs-I.ights From
Towers to BE Used on the Black
wells Island Bridge.

Necklaces of PearIs-Lights From
Towers to BE Used on the Black
wells Island Bridge.
How to illuminate tastefully. bril-
hantly and effectively the three new
bridges that are TO span the East river
In a few years from now is New YOrk's
latest problem-the most difficult sort
OF nut to crack-for such bridge il
Elimination as this will be is altogether
q new Idea and quite without prece-
dent. says the New York Times.
The problem is being worked out
high up in building in the financial
district, the quaint architects rookery
where Henry Y. Hornbostel, consult
Ing architect of the bridge depart
ment, has his quarters. BY the mid
die of December Mr.. Hornbostel will
have his plans IN shape for submission
to the municipal art commission in a
series of pictures that In colors will
show how each bridge will look framed
In by citys and a rivers night light
ed as no bridge ever has been.
All this is most interesting, for as 1t
stands today and has stood for years
the old Brooklyn bridge. as soon as
darkness settles down, Is one of the
most often quoted and impressive
sights of the United States the great
structure over the river. almost fairy
like with It's lights. being the finest
spectacle of the water front.
The Worlds fair at Chicago gave
Mr.. Hornbostel his Idea of lighting the
three bridges. The buildings were lit
by myriads OF electric bulbs. Some
thing not far from this plan is being
worked out for the Williamsburg
bridge, which now is far advanced in
construction.
81 said in print some time ago." said
Mr.. Hornbostel, something like this,
and 1t is the basis of my idea for this
bridge, which is first to be lighted,
The Brooklyn bridge lights at night
have often been compared to neck
lace of diamonds; will make the new
A-hSN Dil lb6N hNNhiaNt va
pearls"
The pearls" will be made very sim
ply and the phrase is quite accurate.
The new East river bridge will have
ropes of incandescent lamps that will
outline the floor of the bridge, n splen-
did line. But more than this bare out
line seems 10 imply will be done. The
ropes of pearls" crossing the river, ex-
tending to the approaches on either
side, will also be carried up the high
towers, outlining them and throwing
all the essential parts of spans, abut-
trusses into view, making up a night
picture that New Workers will wonder
at once it is completed.
This basic idea Mr.. Hornbostel has
well in hand and all that remains now
is to work out his sketch in colors for
the municipal art commission and to
plan just how the lights shall be ar
ranged.
The general plan is simple. These
incandescent lights will be set about
foot apart and will be easy to renew
when lamp burns out.
The plan given above is for the East
river bridge alone. For the Manhattan
bridge, that for which the caissons are
now being sunk, unnoticed by the pub
lie, to span the river from the Bowery
at Canal street to Fulton and De Kalb
avenues, Brooklyn. Bridge No. 3" Of
ficially, and for the Blackwelrs island
bridge, the piers Of which are now
rising, he is working on yet more COM
plete and modern systems Of lighting.
For the latter Mr.. Hornbostel pro-
poses to have no string of lights, no
single lamps, no electroliers or candle
labra-nothing hitherto associated with
the science of lighting bridges. In
stead Of these he will light the entire
structure from one end to the other by
lights from his towers alone.
Each tower will have at its top eight
lights each pair illuminating the road
way just below it on either side. A
roadway Of light will thus correspond
with the roadway actual and, arranged
with precision, will become part of it.
The concentration Of such broad beams
of illumination will be no more un-
pleasant, Mr. Hornbostel says, than If
the sun at midday is looked straight
at and will not be open even to that
objection unless the lights are stared
directly at by design.
There will not be shadow on this
bridge lighted solely from the towers.
OF this Mr. Hornbostel is assured. The
scientific value of this new plan is ap-
parent. 1t will throw the lights just
where they are wanted. A man on
each tower can always keep them in
perfect order. And from the river and
from all the three boroughs of Man
haitian, the Bronx and Brooklyn the
bridge that is lighted in this way will
ST. nd ont ora ndly against night sky.