The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-07-05
-Dietz on Science
CHICACO'S FAIR
is TRIUMPH FOR
LIGHT INDUSTRY
Spectacular Night Display
Represents Peak Of
Engineering.
BY DAVID DIETZ
scripps Howard Science Editor

Chicago's Century of Progress
is best seen at night. The daytime
effect is strange and startling. Il
is as though one had suddenly
dropped in on another planet.
At night, the fair comes into its
own. When the lights come on, il
diSsolves into a fairyland Of invit-
ing colors, a gorgeous spectacle OF
glowing wonder, three and a hall
miles Of cleaning delight.
The keynote of the fair is science
and its central building is the Hall
of Science. Within it are on dis
play the wonders of modern science
But nothing speaks so spectacularly
of the advance Of modern science
as this view of the whole fan
grounds at night. 1t is the triumph
Of the electric lighting industry. 1t
is a miracle of light
Upon the lagoon, great fountains
of water are turned into fountains
of ever-changing light, now pale
green, now deep rose, now soft law
ender. Along the grassy walks
shine mushrooms Of light, fixtures
shaped like huge toadstoolS anc
colored with every color of the
rainbow.
Buildings Alive With Light
The walls of the buildings nov
are alive with light. Those flat
surfaces of blue and green and
orange that looked so harsh anC
garish in the hot sun, are now liV-
ing walls of light, delighting the
eye and stimulating the magma
ton. No oriental potentate ever
dreamed a scene more beautiful or
magnificent.
This miracle of light, as I have
said, is the triumph of the electric
Lighting industry. AS I write this
l have on my desk a peculiar-lOok-
ing pear-shaped electric light bulb
set in a wood base. The fllament
is a Topped stand of carbon. 1t is
a carbon-filament lamp, a replica
of the original lamps made by
George Westinghouse to light the
Chicago world fair of forty years
ago, the Columbian Exposition
That fair, vastly important be-
cause it set the vogue for classical
architecture in public buildings
which has endured in America from
that day to this. and because it
laid the foundations for city plan
ming in America, was lit Uy $4,000
of these carbon-filameu lamps
supplemented by 1000 arc lamps.
Bulbs of Special Design
Only the yellowish glow of these
"feeble, pioneer electric bulbs, andeC
blythe harsh glare of arc lights. lii
the World fair If 1893.
About $4,000 incandscent bulbs
many of them of special tubular de-
sign, were used in the exterior light
ing of the fair, and many times that
number were used in the interior
of the building. Nobody seems will
ing to even hazard a guess on the
total number.
Arc lights, too are used to illum-
mate the present fair, although not
in the way they were used in 1898
These arc lights, more powerful.
than any known then, are concen-
trated in batteries of ScarchlightS
which turn the sky over the fail
into a living, moving canopy OF
exotic colors. One battery Ct search
lights, for example, consists Of
twenty-four arc lights with a com
bined output of light of 1920,OOO,-
000-candle power.
Is Miles of Tube Used
Most important in the lighting
scheme of the fair, however, are the
use of the gaseous discharge tubes
The most familiar one of this sort
is the neon tube. which gloWS red
This now is in use all ever the
United States in countless advertis.
ing signs. At the fair, the neon rec
tube is supplemented with similar
tubes using other gases which glow
with various colorS.
Blue is obtained by the use of tubes
which contain mercury vapor. Greer
is obtained by using mercury vapol
also but in a tube made of yellow
gas yellow is obtained by using
helium in tubes of yellow glass
Fifteen miles Of these tubes have
been used in the lighting scheme o
the fair. Many Of the buildings anC
towers are fairly covered with thest
tubes of glowing light.