The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-18
PIONEER "WHITEWAY"
WAS ON THIRD AVENUE
Made In Alabama Was Slogan of Union Foundry Company
and Adopted BY the Progressive Merchants Along
This Thoroughfare

Within the past few years every city
and town of Importance in the United
States has either installed great white
way system or is now making prepara
tions which will lead to general light
ing arrangement of this character.
Broadways great white way was prob
ably the pioneer of the movement. but
to Birmingham belongs the honor of in
Producing the system in the south. A
number OF years ago Third avenue was on
the edge of the retail district of the
city, and in order to attract more at
tention to that section, merchants of the
street made up q fund.- to install Bir-
mingham's first white way. This was a
crude affair." consisting of a number of
strings OF incandescent lights across tho
thoroughfare, but it resulted in the pres
ent fine system of lighting which is one
OF Birmingham's real attractions at
night
The experiment of the Third avenue
merchants proved to be very profitable.
for in an increditaby short time hun
dreds of shoppers were attracted to the
display windows along that street at
night, and they generally came back the
next day to make purchases. The results
on Third avenue were eagerly awaited
not only by merchants in other sections of
this city. but by business men generally
throughout the south. Up to this time
no other city in the south has evolved the
plan to light the business district at nigh.
with an idea OF securing more business
Birmingham newspapers gave much space
to the effect of the experiment, and it
was not long until business men In At
lanta, Chattanooga. Memphis and other
southern cities began to get busy.
1t was agreed from the very first that
in addition to the direct returns secured
by retail merchants, that such system
added greatly to the attractiveness of a
town, and many advantages were pointed
out in favor of great white ways
The seed planted by the Third avenue
merchants bore fruit not only in Bir-
mingham but in many other cities. And
the results were not confined to the cities
alone. for practically every town that
boasts main business street became in
terested. Practically all OF them have
adopted-some system of intensified street
lighting.
The main idea of the white way is TO
get away from the old system Some
sort of street lighting has been in use
since time immemorial. 1t was common
practice in the days of Shakespeare, and
probably long before A familiar char
acter In the works of Charles Dickens is
the street lamp lighter. Many residents
or birmingham can remember the time
when this city was lighted, but very poorly
so, by gasoline lights stationed on posts
at the corner of every block
When the electric light first came into
M la liol,t
placed at the street corners instead of
the rold-fashioned gas lights. but these
soon gave way in favor of the arc lights
which were swung high over the streets
at more or less frequent intervals Arc
lights have proved the most popular of
any system yet devised for all general
purposes, but even they have been sup
plemented by the white way systems
where intensified lights were desired
The originators of the scheme for light
ing Third avenue probably got their idea
from Second avenue. Ten or Y years ago
Second avenue was considered the bright
est street in the south. Electric signs
We're then being introduced in Birmng
ham, and many merchants along that
street had provided clever signs which
not only attracted attention themselves
but also helped to light the street. The
shop windows were also well lighted, and
altogether the street presented a fine APP
many home folks, too. delighted to spend
their evenings on Second avenue, and 1t
was the boast of many public spirited
men that this street was as bright by
night as it was by day.
1t was then that the Third avenuers
got busy. A good natured rivalry sprung
up. They realized that Second avenue
merchants got the cream of the trade by
day because 1t was real attraction by
night. They wanted q bright street, but
they desired something more original than
electric signs. After a number of con-
ferences leaders on the avenue deter
mined to decorate the street overhead
with incandescent lights during the Ala
bama State Fair. At considerable ex-
pense they fitted up a crude, but rather
satisfactory system, extending for two
blocks. Then they awaited results.
The daily papers praised the enterprise
of the merchants and everybody in Bir-
mingham as we'll as all Of the visitors
to the fair wanted to see the great white
way 1t was a success from the first
night. Every merchant who had contrib
uted to the movement received the ap.
proval of his friends and they began to
see signs OF substantial results. At the
close of the fair It vas determined that
the lights should be allowed to remain
in place for 30 days on additional trial.
and by the end of that month they were
established as a permanent feature. They
paved the way for Birmngham's present
system OF lighting. and had great NOR
al influence in the installation OF SINH
lar enterprises throughout the country.
When intensified lighting was proven to
be a profitable Investment there were
many experiments In equipment. sys-
TEN whereby five large lights are placed
on an ornamental iron post about ten or
twelve feet In height, and at intervals of
rs feet or more. has proven the most
popular. 1t has fallen to an Alabama
company to take the lead in this work
of supplying the different cities One plant
in this state employs more than 400 men,
all of whom are engaged in the manu-
facture Of these ornamental light posts.
White ways have given Alabama a big in
dustry.