Evening star., 1923-01-07
DIM D. c. STREETS
MENACE TRAFFIC
Absence of Lighting in Sec
! ton of Northwest Causes
| Many Hazards.
GAS LAMPS OF LITTLE USE
Auto Drivers Forced to Put on
Glaring Lights in Some
Thoroughfares.
GAS LAMPS OF LITTLE USE

Driving through that section OF
The northwest between 10th and "a
streets and pennsylvania. MaSSa-
chusetts and Florida avenues re-
uuircS great caution at night to avoid
accidents, for the street lighting Is
Of little aid in seeing ones way
clearly. In many places where the
lamps are SO far apart that thelT
rays cannot reach the area they are
intended to cover 1T is particularly
dangerous, and last night automobile
drivers were observed using their
bright headlights and pedestrians
paused on the curb to give their eyes
an opportunity to pierce the darh
ness before venturing INTO the nigh
way.
Massachusetts avenue, NJ street,
Connecticut avenue and pennsylvania Ia
evenuc are well lighted, but Wnell
one attempts to turn from them iICo
Ruy of tho other streets IN lhlS
general vicinity it is like entering
Tnlia.htcd caves. The archaic gas
lamps. casting their deep shadows,
seem to aggravate rather than heIp
a She situation, The new lights on +
street are fine from an artistic point
of view, but it seems to emo there'
FOR the rays get very little distance
outside the globe, and many OF the
SaIs are stopped by the IRON sup
DimIy Lighted Avenue.
II0TlOa
streets, n much-used thoroughtare, Is
simly lighted, necesSitatlng the Ut
iuoSt caution TO prevent accidents. a
ono point between II ana > streetS
there is a place so dark that opJectS
cannot be distinguished a lew rect
ahead by one with normal eyeslght.
I;unuinG from Florida avenue INTO
f2d street and down that thoFoush-
aare TO Pennsylvania avenue, Inc
Stars representative found 1t neceS-
Gl one
step off the curb at d street corner
or an automobile run out or AN inter
tspcting street and cause trouble; Only
at " street where the high arc lights
cirfuSed their white rays over a large
area, was it deemed deslraple 10 pro-
Cced at usual speed.
At 2cd and New Hampshire avenue
there is u particularly dark spot
" hich is dangerous because or the
fact that it is an intersection point
for three streets.
Twcutv-tirst street Is gas-lighted.
with many of the lamps located close
40 large trees, which restrict the area
over which they can throw their rays
and Goth street furnishes much the
same problem.
At the intersection of New IIamp-
shire avenue and 10th street last
1light was found particularly DAN
Scrous iutersccting point.
There last night stood a trouble
wagon of tho water department which
could hardly be made out, and the
small torches used by the workmen
in digging furnished small aid to
1ito ineffective street lamps set FAR
iapart, their rays stopped by large
trees. Many automobilistS were OBJ
served running along these streets
last night with their bright lights to
Gid them in travelling and preventing
accidents ss--a-
Nfneteenth street was but little
bctt~r than a village from public
lighting standpoint the old gas
lights furnishing poor illumination
and dangerous travelling for vehicles
and pedestrians alike.
Along 18th street there were found
tlany dark corners, where it was
deemed wise to slow down and at
tempt to pierce the darkness with
headlights TO make sure that some
unwary pedestrian was not about TO
step from the curb.
Seventeenth street, all the way to
FLORIDA avenue on the north, neces-
state slow speed, for its dark corners
Furnished great possibilities for land
ing one before q coroner'S jury, be-
cause a Congress and city failed TO
light the way, and at the same time
prohibited bright lights. Many of
fhe automobilists were observed last
might choosing the lesser of two evils
that of using bright lights.
What is said of the north and south
numbered streets can be said also of
the east and west lettered streets,
for along their courses many dark
spots were observed. Lamps in many
Instances were too far apart, and an
practically every instance they were
TOO dim to be of, any use, except IN
4h., Spot where they were located.