The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-12-16
A BLAZE OF LIGHT
&Opeka's Great White Way Is a
Decided Success.
History of the Enterprise Told
by w. w. Webb.
"LIGHTING is GREAT
So Says DR.. C. A. Barbour OF
New York City.
Merchants Along Great White
Way Enterprising Citizens
LIGHTING is GREAT

rrone1-a-s Great White way on
Kansas avenue is a feature for taNol-
s1,ie comment ca the part OF Vlsllois
10 the city. and in Instances those WnO
have travelled widely have gone SO Tar
70 say that nothing in the country
that they have seen IN the Was
street illumination makes snow ING a.
attractive The picture tha1 i IL
PRESSED roon the mind Of the slrdIlsSt
- - 15avrs the. double blaze OF Aghl
along the broad main tnorousHAai u
+hr CITY is one that Is not soon ~
gotten. 1t is indicative OF thrllt AiIN
-. ..,,.ritv. and tht White Way IS IN
AZ s,ar1-l.,.- as Cae of the best
advertising mediums that cOuAu
adopted by the merchants.
The merchants from FIRST dNSH Ss.
J. -rsn+f, street are deserving OF creult
for the establishment or the " ~
We and especially the men OF the
.-.-,,-oercisi club. who, under W. W.
webb Cs.White Way" Webo0 WORKED
,freIesslv in pushing the enterprise 10
a finish.
They Worked a Year.
..Tt took nearly year from 1he
time agitation was first started 70 com
-. 10 White way said w w
webb. in looking back to the time
when in October. 1910, few business
men seated around a table at the COM
rnercfaI club decided that topeka
should get in line with the most enter
prising cities of the country IN respece
10 street illumination
$50 much interest was taken in the
Droposition it was decided to organize
a lighting committee and the men
hers of It went TO work with zeal
Continued Mr. Webb
The first so days were spent in test
ing different lights, including gasoline
arc the flaming arc, clusters OF snall
lamps. etc Electric experts from the
General Electric company, located al
NSeheuectady. n, Y. were brought here
oonsiderable expense to give the
committee the benefit of their expert
ence concerning street lighting. and
after a fun discussion OF the dimerent
1fehtine systems with q test made OF
The lamps, It was the unanimous opln-
ion of the committee that the system
row in use be selected
The lighting committee then pre-
seuted a proposition to the mayor ana
commissioners 10 install white way
on Kansas avenue. only TO nnd upon
investigation the commissioners did
not have the authority or legal right
TO do any such thing, thus making It
necessary to have the legislature enact
q law permitting cities of the first
class in Kansas to have such an i'm
movement by securing the backing OF
q majority of the resident property
owners in each block abutting on the
street to be Illuminated
LEGISLATION was Required
ssThe bill met with considerable OPP
position in the senate, but was finally
s assed near the close of the session
Immediately after its publication in
the official state paper making it a
law. a committee of three was ap-
pointed in each block to secure the re
CURED number of signatures to the pc
tition.
"A safe majority was obtained be
tween First and Tenth streets. and To-
pela. with its $4,000 citizens, enjoys
today this beautiful illumination. to
say nothing of the extensive advertis-
ing the city derives from it
1.-The cost of installing this plant for
a distance of nine blocks. using the
hest equipment. was $3.50 per 25-
foot lot. 2 posts to the block and five
lamps to the post. set 90 feet apart.
The cost of maintenance is less than
$500 per month which is much below
the estimated cost. and is considered
by the business men to be the best in
vestme nt the city has ever made. The
five lamps burn from dusk until mid
night then the four lower lamps are
extinguished and the top light burns
al night
Visitors say this is the best lighted
street of any they have seen not ex-
cepting those of the larger cities, and