New-York tribune., 1910-06-21
MODERN CAR LIGHTING
Big Factor In Safety and Comfort
of Passengers.

IoaI CiileI eicIeTtS Ia modern passenger trayei
Even where the first three of these conditions
may be met, their value would be infinitely less
without providing a high degree of comfort for
the passengers
Among the greatest Of the items that go to
make up the sum total Of content and satisfac-
ton in modern travelling is an adequate system
OF lighting railroad cars. Less than century
ago travel at night or in cold or stormy weather
was out of the question except in matters OF
lite and death or OF the utmost business I'M
poTtance
To-day the fact that railway cars are gener-
ally lighted with brilliant. soft-rayed lamps has
changed the situation almost as completely as
have the radical developments iii transporta
ton itself
From the first ta1Iow candle that shed its
feeble rays on the shivering occupants of the
pioneer railway car to the limited train of to-
day, lighted with steady glow of practically
the same intensity and potency of sunlight, is a
tar cry 1t has come about gradually, and
while the various steps forward have been
conlphshed IN series, the changes from to
another do not seem quite as startling as they
might by comparison of ancient with modern
conditions.
Because of the fact that car lighting has al
ways been extraordinary expense, in that it
made no direct returns to the transportation
companies 1t has always been viewed with spe-
cIai scrutiny by those who had to pay for it
The cost of the candles was an expense that
had no direct echo in the cash box OF the first
railway company, despite the fact that without
lights travel at night was without any redeem
ing features save that the passengers eventual
fy reached their destinations trihe earlier than
they would have if they had waited for day
light trains.
But to-day, If railway company announced
that It's cars would discontinue the lighting ser
vice with which they had been equipped and in
future night travel would not be aEne1iorated
by the usual lights. the effect upon travel could
be better imagined than described.
Such a condition is untflini1able. No railroad
company would consider such thing for
second, but the very fact that car lighting Is SO
firmly founded essential OF transportation
in the minds of administrative officers OF rail-
road companies is the best proof OF its fndiS-
pcnsable characteristics from the viewpoint OF
the public.
The proof of the pudding lies in its edible
qualities, according to proverb, and the most
generally used system of car lighting through
out the world IS that of the Pintsch Light
While the system is world wide If found more
fertile field at the start IN Europe, but its in
verted mantle lamp is IN use on 500 cars
in North America. The Safety Car Heating
and Lighting Company, controlling the P1ntSch
Light here and elsewhere, is the moving torce
behind the great adyancements that have been
made in the field.
The system of car lighting, as represented by
the Pintsch Light, is wellnigh universal At
the present time there over 6OOOU OF the IN
North American railway coaches, while III
England the total reaches nearly IO,OOO and IN
France over 100000. In Germany, where the
movement toward public comfort for travellers
IS specially developed, the total number OF IN
verified mantle lamps has reached the enormous
figure of 202, 900.
Since October l, 1909, something more than
$4,000 of this pattern of car lamps nave been
installed all over the world.
The figures simply mean that the inverted
mantle lamp Of the Pintsch Light concern IS
standard and that the of this device is
growing rapidly in popularity with the man
agcments of the most progressive ralIroadS
throughout the world.
The chief advantages claimed tor the ihVe[t-
ed mantle Pintsch gas lamp may be bTiehy
summed I'D as these: First, brilliant iliunlir
,3tion of practically three times the power ol
ff1e tvDe Of lamp in general use before the ao,
vent of the inverted mantle and iesseneo
cost Of fully 10 per cent in gas consumption,
and another big saving through the single 1aGt I
tbat ae less gas is required TO produce vastly
r1o-e Iiobt the tanks with which the cars are
eor;ooed that use the system are capAoie Vi
carving A much larger supply OF gas, Dco""'N
&c rafe of consumption IS SO much sni2iiei.
l. has beeu demonstrated time and dg dih tli'
.f,e rosf of operating a lamp for an hour ave.
aagee one cent, and the lighting energy ol S"O'
= Iamn IS full 100 candlepower. f
one of the reasons for the rapld grown %
the ,-se Of the inverted mantle lamp IS inc a.
IT. = NAV be adapted with readiness 20 l''o
tItN-N ,.,hJCn gencfdlly q