The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-06-28
Declare 1t Is Too Expensive For
City at This Time.
MANY WOULD HELP.
Business Men and Property
Owners to Buy Poles.
Elaborate Plan to Place 1,SOO
Lights on Kansas Avenue.

II looks as though topeka dream or
five years for a Great White Way"
is doomed. If the same sentiment is
held by the city officials as displayed
today the elaborate plans for brilliant
ly lighted streets will have to be aban
doned until there are city officials who
believe in the push spirit of the city.
After the Topeka Commercial club
was on the verge of realizing the adop
ton of the plans they have been work
ing on for so long and after a large
number Of the property owners on
Kansas avenue from Twelfth to Cor
don street ha1 practically agreed to
stand a better part of the expense of
lighting Kansas avenue with brilliant
clusters, the city commissioners frOWn-
ed on he idea and with a noticeable
lack of enthusiasm they have referred
the matter to commissioner of electric
lights and waterworks with Instructions
to "go easy"
1t was this way. The Topeka better
city enthusiasts have been trying for
years to light up Kansas avenue, the
main business street in this city. a
general plan could never be decided
upon and finally a number of business
men along the east side of Kansas ave-
nue. from Sixth to Eighth avenues took
it upon themselves to light up their
fronts and a string of large arc lights
was strung along every 80 feet i'll
front of their business houses.
This was the signal for more light
ing. The effect of this lighting system
was detected at once. Within one year
at least Is new store fronts, three new
buildings, and any number of remodel
ing constructions took place. The mer-
chants and business men all agreed that
all of this work was due directly to the
lighting of the street.
last 1S months the JOpeka
Commercial club has tried to make this
lighting system general and make Kan
Sas avenue Great White Way" Plan
after plan has been suggested and ex-
rrerts have been consulted. A number
of the members of the club have taken
trips 20 other cities and finally the
Des Moines plan was decided upon.
This plan includes an adorned iron
pole every so feet on Kansas avenue
from Twelfth to Gordon streets or
distance of about % blocks-two miles.
On these poles would be a decorated
cluster of three arc lights. This would
give about 600 POLES of lights on Kan
sas avenue and would make it one of
the pre-tios st streets in the United
States on account Of the width of the
avenue and the long scope of view.
1t was finally decided at the Com
mercial club to Leave the matter with
the Real Estate Dealers assoclatlon
and finally this live -wire bunch os busi-
LESS men planned the above mentioned
plan of lighting Kansas avenue.
1t has been submitted to the city board
of commissioners The plan was for
the business men and property owners
to furnish the expensive poles and the
city the juice OF the electricity. From
the attitude taken by the city commits
sioners the city will not furnish the
.lectricity-fnr the present at least.
It is claimed that the electric light
plant is under too heavy an expense
to furnish lighting of this kind. How
ever the plant has just installed ap-
1aratus and machinery that will &C
commodate all of the lights the city
could crowd or Kansas avenue.
''It would cost a lot Of money to do
n thing like this" said Commissioner
Miller In speaking of the plan today.
ITO do the wiring we would of course
put all wires in conduits underground.
To take up the sidewalk all along Kan
sas avenue from Twelfth to Gordon
streets would be an expense that we
do not feel as though we can handle
at this time
With the exception of Commissioner
Bcne the commission agreed with Mr..
Miller thai a proposition Of this kind
would draw too heavily on the city
funds
Commissioner Bone is enthusiastic
town and give a view along Kansas
avenue for the visitors in Topeka would
be enc of the greatest advertisements
in behalf of the city, he said. "Other
cities are doing i: and they do not
have the advantages we do Of a uni
form street like Kansas avenue"
But the matter is lying injured after
its healthy birth from the Commercial
club and there is very little hope of 1t