Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-09-10


chanting this verse.
| 1t is beyond our comprehension and
IMAGINATION, in these days Of flaming
arc lights and brilliantly lighted
streets, to picture the streets of Lon
don in that lawless age when only a
! candle with a cotton wick was hung
out here and there on dark nights
It was an age of lanthorns, of fam
beaux and linkboys, when everyone
made his will and prepared for death
| when he ventured out at night. 1t Is
SO written that it was a common prac
tice in that city for company of a
hundred or more to make nightly In.
vasions upon houses of the wealthy,
to kill and rob, and it Is recorded
'that when night was come no man
burst venture to walk in the streets y
The first attempt to light the
streets of London was made in 1415
when the mayor, Sir Henry Burton,
ordered householders to hang out
lanthorns in the winter holiday sea-
son. During the next three hundred
years the city ordinances and general
laws are full of items reminding the
citizens ION pains and penalties, to
hang out their lanthorns at the ap-
pointed time" In 1868 all the inhabi-
tants of London were ordered, "for
the safety and peace of the city, to
hang out candles duly to the accus'
toned hour" In 1890, when nights
darkened the streets then wandered
forth the sons Of Belial, flown with
insolence and wine," every housekeep-
er had to hang out candle or light
on moonless nights.
About this time an ingenious citi-
zen named Edward Heming obtained
the exclusive right to light the streets
OF London. For a moderate consider
alton he was to place light before
every tenth door from Michaelmas to
Lady Day, from six to, twelve o'clock.
Heming's lanthorns gave but feeble
glow but nevertheless he did much
for the illumination and safety of the
city. But he was severely criticized
and in 1716 his license was with
drawn. =.
The city had again many districts
where no light was to be seen. In
1915 every housekeeper whose house
ironted any street or lane and was
rented at 10 pounds and the limited
period of time during which the
streets were lighted was found to ex-
pose the citizens to the depredations
Of street robbers and housebreakers.
After the clock struck II o'clock the
city was practically in total darkness
The shops. which were kept open till
8 or 9 o'clock in the evening, alone
made the streets agreeable for these
few hours, so that Defoe in 1929 pub
lished phamplet wherein he demon.
strated his plan, according to which
"our streets were to be so strongly
guarded and SO gloriously illuminated
that any part Of London would be as
safe and pleasant at midnight as at
aoorday. and burglary totally unprac.
ticab1e." .. .:;4ss<.A.' .,....,. -. +.
Up to 1875 the lighting was done
by contract, and the contractors, by
a singular arrangement, agreed to
pay the city 600 pounds a year for
this monopoly. In return for this
they were empowered to levy rate
of 6 shillings q year upon all house
keepers who paid poor rates, and a
larger rate from all who had houses
OF over 10 pounds per annum unless
they hung out a lanthorn or candle
before their doors. g., ~ s@ r.. 3 .::>
AS this private undertaking became
"a good job for the contractors, and
the robberies increased In 1885,. it
was thought needful to apply to Par
lament for powers to light the
streets in a more effectual manner:
and to take the lighting of the city
out Of private hands. An act was ac-
cordingly passed, BY which the city
was empowered to put up lamps
where they might think It. to burn
from sunset to sunrise. Instead,
.. - q a. J -
therefore, Of q thousand lamps, the
number was now increased to 4.879;
but as these were not sufficient sew
eral OF the wards made d consider.
able increase, so that the whole
could amount to no less than 5000.
\ This. however. was only the amount
in the "City and Liberties" and does
not include the suburbs. In 1898 1t
was estimated that the whole number
Of lamps was about 5000. The time
OF lighting also, which before has
49, ~.