Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-20
FOR LIGHTED CAPITAL.
Comprehensive Plan OF I'M
provement Is Suggested.
Mr.. MCFARLAND FAV0RS IT
Spbmits His Proposal With Electro
cal Engineers Report.
TO VIE WITH OTHER CITIES
Would Discuss With Colleagues
Scheme for ''Aisles of Safety"
on Avenue.
TO VIE WITH OTHER CITIES

1.-THE time is certainly ripe when the
National capital should be lighted as
well as foreign capitals and the large
cities OF our country" says Commas
sioner H. T. F. mcfarland in state
ment submitting to his colleagues a re-
port of the electrical engineer on the
Improvement of street lighting IN wash
ington city proper.
As to the recommendation of Electrical
Engineer Allen that "aisles of SAFETY
be established in the middle of Pennsyl-
vania avenue alongside the car tracks,
to be lighted with powerful new arc
lights Commissioner mcfarland ex-
presses no definite opinion. However,
he does urge his colleagues to consider
a comprehensive plan for improving the
street lighting in the heart of the city,
and particularly Of Pennsylvania avenue.
Statement to Colleagues.
Commissioner Macfarlands statement
to his collea CUES is as follows:
Now that the streets outside of the
city of Washington, including George
town and the principal suburban roads,
including the main-traveled thorough
fares to the District line. have been
provided with systems of lighting. 1t
seems practicable to consider a COM
prehenSive improvement of the nght-
ing of streets and avenues within the
city of Washington.
Il therefore requested the electrical
engineer to make a careful study and
report upon this subject. After months
of examination, including considera-
ton of the best street lighting systems
elsewhere in this country and abroad.
ne has submitted the accompanying re-
port, which 1 have been carefully con-
sidering.
The electrical engineer states that
in the eleven years from July /, 1897.
10 June 80, 1908, the several street
lighting systems have been extended
by the addition of 1868 lamps of which
4,747, or over 81 per cent, have been
erected in that portion of the District
of Columbia outside of the city of
Washington.
This, of course, made it impossible to
improve the service inside of the city
limits, as ought to have been done, al
though in the period mentioned 2,S21
lamps were added within the city limits
and great improvement obtained by con-
verting the old f1at-hame gas lamps of
twenty-five candle power into incandes-
cent gas lamps of sixty candle power, and
a similar conversion of the naphtha light
ing into the incandescent type.
No General Improvement.
In general, the electrical engineer
states, the majority of the resident streets
inside of the city are in the same condi-
ton as to lamps as they were years ago.
except as the Introduction of electric arc
lamps has improved their condition.
The electrical engineer gives an inter-
esting comparison of the price per foot of
street lighting, which shows that in view
of the different types of lighting and the
closer spacing of the city limits the Dis
trict is paying in some cases more per
foot of Street outside the city of Wash
ington. as. for example, in Georgia ave-
nue.. four miles from the heart of the city,
than for the average street at the heart of
the city.
II believe that the Commissioners should
now consider and recommend to Con-
gress the gradual Improvement OF the
lighting of the city proper, upon a COM
prehensive plan. beginning with the con-
sideratlon of Pennsylvania avenue and
other important business thoroughfares.
TO be followed speedily by residence
streets. after the conclusion of the ex-
periments now being made by the cleo
trical engineer to determine the value of
ircandescent electric lamps for city resi-
dence districts. such lamps having hith-
erto been used chiefly for suburban dis
tricts. The temporary incandescent cleo
trio lamps on Massachusetts avenue be-
tween 18th and 18th streets illustrate
what may be done with the new type of
lamp perfected within the last year or
TWO.
Would Consult Colleagues.
Il therefore ask the Commissioners to
consider the accompanying report of the
electrical engineer, the first of a series
dealing with the subject. and which, in
general, l am prepared to indorse. Two
of his suggestions-first, that for pro-
viding aisles of safety, so-calied. in the
middle of Pennsylvania avenue, so as to
avoid the shadows of the trees. and pro-
viding a better diffused lighting of that
nt oh md
second, that the additional lamps recon-
mended should burn only until midnight