The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-03-24
STREET LIGHTS
ARE POPULAR
UnsightIy Lamps and Poles Being Dis
placed With Decorative Light
Ing Standards Which Are
an Improvement.
MORE LIGHT, LESS MONEY
Subject Of Ornamental Street Light
Ing Is Rather Recent But is
Now Being Seriously
Considered.

In the good old days before the H.
Eliminating engineer was with us the
street was lighted by the hit.and-miss
method. The poles were set up where
most convenient and the lamps In
stalled in the easiest way. regardless
of how they looked, or how 1t affected
the efficiency of the illumination
Many and many street is made hid
eous by long rows of unsightly wood
en- poles, by dropping arc lamps sag
ging from a network of overhead
wires, by strings Of unsightly mean
descent lamps.
1t was not until very recently that
this subject of ornamental street
lighting was seriously considered.
Then it was speedily demonstrated
that lighting system in any city or
village could be made an ornament
to the place in daylight hours as we'll
as at night. Down came the insight
ly poles and the cobwebby wires.
Ornamental standards classic Of de-
sign and beautiful in appearance,
were set up at regular intervals along
the curb The wires were all put un-
der ground, where they belong. and Ut
once the street was transformed.
Two methods Of street lighting are
now In vogue and either one lends it.
self easily to great variety of artis-
tic effects. Where the incandescent
system is used the new filament
Mazda lamps are now used. With
these lamps the light is softer and
three times the illumination can be
secured for the same cost of current
as with the old lamps Incandescent
lamps are generally installed In clus
tiers rather than in strings OF lamps
These clusters of three, five, or ever
more lamps are artistically groupe,
on a cast iron standard with the wir
ing all concealed within the pole and
in conduits under the ground. The
lamps are shaded with white alabas
ter of ground glass globes So there
are no dazzling points Of light and
the illumination is evenly distributed
about the street.
Many of the old installations Of
hanging arc lamps are even uglier
than the incandescen.s. These old
arcs are usually suspended above the
street on a tangle OF wires and cables
where they glare and sputter the long
night through. But modern engineer
ing and modern love of the beautiful,
as we'll as the utility of lighting
system. have changed all this. The
new systems of arc lighting are moth
ing like the old. The lamps are not
hung above the street but crown the
tops Of ornamental standards placed
There are no hanging wires in sight,
no sharp points of light to dazzle the
eyes, no flicker and sputter. Instead
of sharp. penetrating rays OF blush
high. the new luminous arc lamps give
flood of soft, white light which Is
many times more efficient and more
economical than the light from the old
lamps The wire and cables are all
underground where they are safe and
do not mar the natural beauty of the
street. Shade trees do not have to be
cut down or trimmed until they die.
1t is an interesting feature OF orna-
mental lamp-posts that they seem to
be as popular and effective for use In
private installations for hotels, clubs
and department stores as in the light
ing Of parks and city streets. And the
same principle applies to the large
store, the restaurant, or wherever
prosperity depends on popular favor.