The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-11-21
MORE STREET LIGHTS NEEDED
Engineer Allen Suggests Improve
ment on the Avenue.
Called to Deficiencies of
System on Much trnveIed Thor
OUghfAres I'm Annual Report.

To afford safety to pedestrians and
drivers of vehicles in Pennsylvania ave
nue. after nightfaIl. an improvement in
the lighting system Is recommended In
the annual report Of the electrical engl-
neer. Walter c. Allen. for the year ended
June 80. 1909
The report says:
There are number OF important
downtown thoroughfares that are now
poorly lighted. Some with gas lamps,
others with electric arcs. where the
amount OF travel at night demands an
Improvement First In order should be
mentioned Pennsylvania avenue from the
Peace Monument to the Treasury. In
stead OF the eighty-one arcs at present
used. recomm nd that 137 arc lights.
ranging in cost from $25 to $50. be in
stalled The annual cost Of THIS pro-
posed system would be $500. an Increase
Of $500 1t is proposed TO extinguish
forty-fve Of the 137 arc lights at mid
night, and allow the rest TO burn until
the customary time before sunrise"
An increase in the number Of arc lights
IS recommended In Fifteenth street from
Pennsylvania avenue 10 I street north
west, and in Seventh street from Penn
sylvania avenue to New York avenue
northwest Among the other sections
mentioned is Maryland avenue from First
TO Fifteenth streets northeast
Mr. Allen urges special attention 10
Pennsylvania avenue from Fifteenth TO
Seventeenth street, I'm front OF the White
House Treasury. and the State. War
and Navy Building where he believes
arc lights should be installed especially
on unused lamp posts.
ION Sixteenth street. from Fl north
ward to the Piney Branch Bridge, il is
not feasible TO place lamps In the center
of the roadway" continues the report
The treatment I'm this street should
therefore be by means OF incandescent
electric lights. placed close together at
the curbs. This street. particularly that
portion south Of Scott Circle. is one OF
the most poorly lighted thoroughfares in
the city. The gas lamps are greatly OBJ
secured by the foliage and at great dis
tances apart. The proposed scheme In
wolves the erection OF 23S incandesCent
electric lamps at an annual cost or
10000"
There are at present IN operation in
Washington 1922 street lamps Of all
kinds, an increase Of fOrty-seven as COM
pared with those I'm operation during 1905.
The majority of these lamps are Of the
mantle gas variety.
Eleven OF the old booth pattern patrol
boxes in use by the police department
should be supplanted by new boxes OF a
more modern pattern, the report states
According TO the report. there were 3O6
patrol boxes in operation on July !, 1909.
113 Of which were OF the latest improved
pattern. known as the Dawson box.
Fourteen new fire alarm boxes were
placed in service during the year. There
were a total of 1920 fire alarms received,
and the false alarms numbered fifty
three
Gratifying progress is being made In
the work Of removing poles and wires
from the streets, according 20 the report.
and in extending the system oF under
ground condults. The total number Of
poles in service IN the District at present
is 1856
According to the report. there were 2.131
permits for electrical work issued, 12.273
Inspections made, and 70 cases Of defec-
tive wiring taken to the Police Court
The receipts as shown by the report
during the year were S272,7lSS1 and the
expenditures $40, 9lO39