Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1914-06-07
new SYSTEM OF
LIGHTING Will
PROVE SURPRISE
HI. "A. Lawson Tells Of SINH
lar System at Owatonna
Minn.-People Are Great
ly Pleased.


That there is an agreeable surprise
In store for residents of Boise when
the new luminous arc lighting system
now being Installed in this city is
completed and the powerful lights
turned on is evident from the inter-
esting information received here from
I'll. A. Lawson, member of the Capt.
tai News staff, now in the east, who
has just completed inspecting SINH
lar lighting system-one of three the
state of Minnesota boasts of-at Owa-
tonna. There the luminous arc system
Is considered by experts far superior
to the cluster lighting system, The
single light and the high posts on
which the arcs are placed illuminate
the streets much better than the clus-
ter lights. Mr. Lawson writes that
If the same power arc light is used
in the Boise system as in the Owa-
tonna, there will not only be great
deal Of satisfaction here over the new
system, but this city will probably be
the best lighted of any to be found
In the northwest
There was the same complaint at
Owatonna over the high lamp post sys-
the time the lights were turned on
that there has been in Boise. The
posts We're considered too high and the
single lamp too small for either serv-
Ice or attractiveness. That criticism
entirely disappeared after the Owa-
tonna system was turned on. No one
there would change the luminous arcs
for the cluster lights. Business men
there there is absolutely =
parison to the two systems, owing to
the superiority of the luminous arcs.
"owatonna is a city of but 1000 inv
habitants and Its business section is,
of course, much smaller than that of
Boise writes Mr. Lawson. Its light
ing system consists of 80 arc lamps,
three TO the block on each side of the
street, and the power of the arcs
makes each thoroughfare as light al
most as day. The blocks here are
longer than the blocks in Boise and
the lights are farther apart in the
Owatonna system than they are in
the Boise. For miles around Owa-
tonna the lights attract unusual at
tention due to their reflection. Many
delegations of business men from other
cues IN minnesota and many other
states. having heard of the Owatonna
system, have visited that city to in
soect the lights and all of them are
high IN their praise or the luminous
arc as superior to the cluster light
Cost OF installation
IN order TO secure some or the de-
tHled facts in connection with the
cost of installation and operation of
the owatonna system, Mr.. Lawson in
tervieWed the city engineer, Harvey s.
Dart. who supplied him with the fol-
lowing data that will be of interest to
Boise residents:
The system was installed by the
city on day labor. The lamps and
cutouts We're purchased from and are
turned out by the General Electric COM
pany. At $50 each the lambs for the
system cost $3.50. The SO cutous and
lightning arresters, $231.50; so cast iron
standards weighing 500 pounds each,
S1250; cost OF rectifier $1,000. The to-
tai cost of installation, including ma
terial and labor for the entire sys-
ter was SS,52792. total Of 29,1S4
yards of pavement is illuminated by
this system.
The arcs are SIS ampere and are
lighted at cost of cents per kilo-
watt. The light is the bright white
that only the powerful arc can give.
The system has been in operation for
year. The average cost per month
has been 1922 and the average month
, ly consumption 1912 watts. The lights
are turned on at dusk and the current
Is cut off between 10 and II O'clock