The Minneapolis journal., 1906-04-13
CITY WILL BLAZE
LIKE FAlRYLAND|
MINNEAPOLIS TO BIZ BEST LIGHT.
ED CITY ON EARTH.
Plans for Electric Street Lights and
Decorations for Grand Army Encamp-
ment Mature. Into Comprehensive
Scheme for Permanent illumination
Get-Together Idea Crystalliizes.

I sE y <
While other cities are talking Of nov
Ell and brilliant business street illumi-
nation plans, Minneapolis is carrying
out one that is bigger, better and more
comprehensive than all. Other cities
are planning and few already have
single street illuminations with lights
| from twenty to one hundred feet apart.
minneapolis there are three to five
miles Of lights from fifty to sixty feet
apart.
A few merchants have maintained an
| front of their places for some time. In
planning for an effective street illumin-
alton for the business streets during
| encampment week next August, the
] committee in charge adopted the idea
| and perfected it. The value of the
| plan as civic Improvement was so for
chilly manifest that the committee de-
| clded that whatever was done must be
permanent. The plan was proposed to
merchants and business men and it took
at once. What was at first suggested
for temporary affair for the encamp-
ment has outgrown the temporary fea-
ture and Is already undertaken with a
spirit that assures its permanency.
Complete Illumination.
The plan for which the committee
will work will be the complete illumina-
tion Of the central retail business dis
| tricts every night of the year, the
business men Of the district uniting for
the Improvement of their own property,
their streets and the city generally.
When perfected, there must be uni
form type Of pole, and all must be uni
| formly spaced.
poles, all Of which are in use, or will
be soon. Type No: l, known as the
gooseneck, has already been extensively
installed. Pole No. ] will be installed
by either company for $40 The cost
of maintenance is So month, includ-
ing all service and repairs. Pole No. 2,
shown in an accompanying cut, is far
I electricity or gas, and will be installed
Guiding everything, is SO month. Pole
No. 8, which is far more elaborate and
magnificent than anything in use or
proposed elsewhere, will cost from
$100 to $125 to install and Sc month
to maintain.
The rates for service are for use from
dusk to II pm, but the lighting COM
panies have generously come to the
front with an offer to extend the time
of service on all special occasions, such
as the coming Of the Grand Army en-
campment, conventions and large gath
erings, free Of charge for two hours
each night. This offer may be still
better and may be extended to cover
an all-night service at times when there
are many visitors in the city: or for
special local affairs. s."
The Streets to Be Covered
For the present the district to be
covered by this plan Of illumination is
as follows:
Hennepin avenue, from Bridge square
to Tenth street; Nicollet avenue from
T Washington avenue from Third avenue
s to Third avenue N; First, Second and
Third avenues s from Washington to
Seventh street; and the cross streets
from Washington to Seventh, from Hen
nepin to Third avenue s..
This covers the principal retail dis
tricts Of the West Side and the main
railway stations and entrances to- the
city. East Side merchants are not be.
hind and are planning to do some ef.
fective work on Central avenue and
across the steel arch bridge, which is
already equipped with massive electro
iers that for the present are not
equipped.
| In addition to this permanent illumi
with special illuminations for the Grand
l Army visitors during encampment week
+ At the principal railway stations effec
tive Illuminating schemes and decora
tions will be carried out. It is planned
to make these more elaborate than any
thing ever attempted. Over the gates
from the trainsheds to the waiting
rooms will be designs in lights Of the
g.. A. R. emblems and badges. The
buildings will be covered with lights
| inside and out and everything will be-
speak thoughtful welcome.
-: Like Fairy Land.
/ The courthouse and city hall build
ing, other public buildings, office build
: ings will be brilliantly decorated fol
!. both day and night. At night the city
4 will be a fairy land with millions Of
lights and Illuminated designs. In. ad
dition many merchants are planning
elaborate individual decorations.
The committee in charge ofethe work
is: A. B. Chamberlin, chairman, j. A
Fillmore, Wendell Hertig, III. j. Saun
ders, w. K. Morrison, R. Munzer, Stew
art Gamble, A. L. Hazer, Charles L
Wilkins.
j G11nronp Court