The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-03-07
ENCLOSED LIGHTS
Some of the New Style Arcs in
MankatO.
Local Company Proposes to Use Them
Exclusively if Its Lighting Con-
tract is Renewed.

some OF Cn0 new KIM OF arc llSuIs,
the kind enclosed with opalescent
globes that diffuse the light SO as to
illuminate a greater area, can be seen
in the city. These are the lights ad-
vocated by Prof. Flather in his re-
port to the council.
The Saulpaugh has five of these arcs
in the rotunda and four in the dining
room. Fred Kron has three on the
outside of his store, and 81. E. Hance
has placed two outside of his store.
There is one at the corner of Clark
and Locke streets, and one on North
Broad street near the Franklin school,
and one is being put in at the union
depot, to be turned on tomorrow night
to light up the tracks.
Persons in looking at these lights
at first will gain the idea that they
are not as strong as the old style lights,
but the same current runs through
them as through the regular street
lights. While they are not as blind
ing, it is a fact that they cast better
light for longer distance. They do
not require to be trimmed as often as
the old style open lamps, and are not
so apt to go out,
To an inquiry by Free Press re-
porter, President II. A. Patterson of
the Mankato Gas and Electric Light
Co. stated today that his company
expects to furnish the same kind
enclosed arc lights as advocated by
Prof Father if it secures the contract
again for lighting the streets. AS the
change will necessitate an expenditure
of 81, 600 the company does not feel
justified in putting in the new lamps
throughout until it is assured that its
contract with the city will be renewed.
Regarding the statement made at
the last meeting of the Merchants
Protective association, that the COM
mercial lighting furnished by the COM
pany amounts to ten times as much as
its street lighting contract Mr.. Pat
terson stated that this is incorrect.
He said that the receipts from the
street lighting contract with the city
amount to nearly one-half of the total
receipts of the company from its cleo
trio lighting service-city and COM
mercial He stated that the company
would be willing to open its books to
prove that this is So This statement,
of course, does not include the receipts
from gas There seems to be mis-
taken idea as to the amount of COM
mercial business done by the local
company, but the company expects
to reduce the price of commercial
lighting if it is not deferred by the
cutting off of it's street lighing con-
tract, and it proposes to reduce its
figure on street lighting, also.
The lighting plant is working salts
factorily, now. The lights were all
burning brightly last night, because
the plant was able to furnish increased
power to offset the increased loss of
current due to the dampness in the
atmosphere. Heretofore, before the
new engines were installed, the lights
worked most enthusiastically or went
out entirely on bad, wet nights, which
gave just cause for complaint. Mr..
Patterson explains that this was due to
the fact that the old plant was unable
to supply enough electricity to offset
the increased loss of current on such
nights.
Mr.. Patterson states that the absence
of insulation on the wires does not
increase the loss of current, unless
the wires get crossed, as is shown in
the east, where the wires are not COW
cred with insulation in some cases.
The fact that insulation hangs in tat
tiers from some of the wires does not
show that they are giving any poorer
service.