The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-07-18

DQL ne aQmlIC0u C1dC ali were III
favor Of an improvement. I'VE want
the best there is" said Mr.. Currier,
land there are new inventions
springing up all the time, and we
should be well posted to see what
kind of a new system the city should
install. Perhaps Owatonna has the
newest invention, the luminous arc
light, but / think that committee
should be appointed to investigate
: matters. What is of more impor-
lance / think is the rates to the pri-
vate consumers. The large share of
Consumers Power company from the
private consumer and not from the
city. / think that the committee
should take up this matter. We pay
too much for light and gas. | think
that the committee should take this
matter up with the Consumers Power
company, and then if reasonable
rate cannot be secured, / think We
ought to take steps toward a munich
pal lighting plant. The city can is
sue bonds for this purpose, but it
should be done only as a last resort"
Discussed Luminous Arc.
George Fiske, who is connected with
the General Electric company of Sche-
nectady, N. Y, discussed for some
time on the merits of the luminous
arc, or magnetic light, which is
used in Owatonna and CrOokston.
He began by giving the origin of the
white way" idea. st was origin
ated,' he said about eight years
ago in the west, and at first only
carbon lights were used, set in clus
tiers on poles. Then the tungsten
lights were invented and they gave
better service, but not good enough.
The white way" in New York City
began to be spoken of as the milky
way" and people said that it was
watered milk at that. Then the
luminous arc was invented to fill
this want. Efforts were made to
standardize the style of post, and
through experiments made in several
countries, it was discovered that the
single light post was the most salts
factory. A white way" of this kind
gives about fourteen times as much
light as the other style, which has
three or five lights to a post, on an
equal amount of electricity. New
Haven, Conn.,, was the first city to
adopt the new system, and after the
installation of the new lights, eight
men were kept busy for some time
answering inquiries about it. Ten
blocks lighted with five lights to
block costs from $1,000 to $4,000 less
to install than the other white way"
system. The lights are set three on
one side of the street and two on
the other, and the schedule alter
mated in each block. Ten blocks
complete, all labor, material, lights,
posts, etc., will cost about $3.50 per
block, or $26 per lot if there are %
foot lots in the block. The cost to
operate it at the present rate here
would be about twenty cents per
light for eight hours a night, or $3.50
per block per year, or $72 per lamp
per year."
Cost OF cluster Lights.
Frank Busch asked how much it
, costs to furnish "juice" for the lights
, on South Front street at the Kruse
building, but did not receive an
, answer. However P. C. Morrell of
the New York and 10 cent store,
said that it costs in the neighbor-
hood of sos per year to run the
light in front of his store.
, Amos H. Messer asked what was
the cost of the arches across the
streets which were formerly in use
here, but did not receive an answer.
J Mayor Meyer could not give the in
{ formation. Mr.. Morrell thought that
: the question of what kind of white
way" should be left to a committee.
! At this point John Richards
, brought up the question of "$1 so
: gas" but discussion of the question
was postponed.
, Mr.. Messer was in favor of the
= arch system across the streets. DR..
> j. w. Andrews said that the white
[ way" question had been discussed
dI loHStH lOI lOHS tlllc, dllu tndI
/ no action had been taken on it. He
: proposed to start things by moving
3 that it was the sense of the meeting
i that white. way" be installed by
, the city at its earliest convenience,
3 but that the kind of white way" Sc
: lected be left to a committee of citi-
: zens working with the council.
= Wanted Something Started,
> Before the motion was put, Judge
4 Cray advised the people to think
| about the cost of such a system as
Y this before it was definitely decided
e to put in white way" Dr. An
? drews said that his motion did not
i bind the council to install any speci-
D fed amount of white way" and that
e his motion was made merely with
t the idea of starting some action in
. the right direction. He said that the
council could put in only one light
: at present, just so some action was
i taken. Alexander. Bashaw, put the
) question, WHO pays?" He did not
: think that the people living on the
y outskirts of the city should be forced
:. to pay for light for the uptown dis
r trict.
g AS this question was preached
:, Mrs. P. c. Morrell, one the few
;, ladies in the audiencp mt i'm +,