The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-09-16
THE PROBLEM OF
LIGHTING A CITY
How St. Joe Business Men
Have Beautiied a Bust
ness Street.
From the Kansas CITY star.

From the Kansas City Star.
OF curse they call it The Great
White Way" Whenever an American
city, these days, has a thoroughfare
that is particularly noticeable for It's
effective lighting by night. that thor
oughfare is certain to be known as
The Great White Way"
This particular white way is in st.
Joseph, Mo-, and while it is only three
blocks in length, it is a striking ex-
ample of III may be done by enter
priaing citizens in the way of making
a town attractive. Furthermore. 1t IN
the first step toward h installation OF
a system that promises to make st.
Joseph one Of the best lighted cities II
the west.
ly due the credit of turning on more
light along one of st. Joseph's none too
welt lighted streets. This ma rs sam
uel Stone. He conceived the idea that
gave the own an experimental three
blocks of artistic illumination, soon to
be added to by 80 blocks more similarly
lighted. 4
What is known as the Felix Street
Improvement association, was formed.
by property owners and tenants on
Felix street.-the main thoroughfare-
from Third street to Sixth street. These
property owners agreed to an assess.
ment of $1.50 a front foot, creating q.
fund to install and equip posts md.
lights in fronto of their property.
Another assessment of $3.50 a front
tenants in these three blocks. This
fund is to be known as the mafnten-
nance fund and out Of it is paid the
operating expenses Of the lights.
The only expense the city at large
was called upon to meet was an arprO-
priation by the city council Of 81. 500 for
building conduits and laying electric
cables on ach side of the street.
The money raised by the property
owners and tenants was placed in the
hands of a trustee. The trustee. which
attends to all business of the associa-
Joseph.
A contract was made with the St.
Joseph Street Railway company for
electricity on a fiat rate that leaves q.
small margin annually from the $3.50
assessment against the tenants. The
vacancies occurring during the life Of
the contract, which is for three years.
The city's part-building conduits and
laying cables-was about 5000 a block
The cost to the property owners was
are 500 feet long.
The post used to carry these lights In
q combination of the designs used in
st. Paul. Mimi, and Los Angeles, Cal.
1t was designed by Samuel Stone and
manufactured i'll st. Joseph by the
Berry Foundry company. The posts
cost $40 each. They are IA feet I'm
height and are equipped with one large
globe on the top and four pendant
globes. h large globe contains one
incandescent light of fifty candle pow
er and five small mes of 10 candle pow
err each clustered about it.. The pen
dant globes are of SO candle power
each.
A sunset to sunrise schedule is a
tanned on the large globes and a sunset
to midnight schedule on the pendant
globes.
The effect from the lights at night
is not SO much q brilliant glare az q
soft radiance diffused over the entire
street. The posts and lights are highly
ornamental. The posts are set four 10
q block on each side of the street ana
are imbedded in concrete.