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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (May 2, 1909)
unday ' Bee PART THREE HALF-TONE PACES 1 TO A. A PAPER TOR THE HOME OMAHA BEE TOUR MONEY S WORTH VOL. XXXVIII NO. 4G. omaha, Sunday morning, may 2, 1900. SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS. The Omaha MIRACLE OF BANISHING DARKNESS FROM MODERN; CITY How Man Has Adapted One of Nature's Great Forces to His Needs and Turns the God of Night to Flight Before the Glowing Filament of the Incandescent tamp. , Bitting in the theater, the observer ot the stage for whom "the ness places of his neighbor. He is lavish in his expenditure for lights IT is not set down in the bill of particulars whether old man Diogenes went out with his ancient lantern in the daytime or in the night hours. Neither is the conclusion of his search for an honest man recorded; but it seems certain that if the old Athenian codger had been provided with a portable light in a small glass bulb he would at least have been saved considerable trouble and weariness of soul. Given the lighting conditions existing today, Dlog. would have been able to find many an honest man In Omaha, at least. This is said advisedly; for, if we cut out the rich man who can't get into heaven any easier than a clumsy camel can g't through the eye of a needle, we still have the work ers, bustling home-makers, too busy making a living to have any time for cmMi tricks, too tired by hcnrrt lahoi to give rascality a thcusbt. " If it is trjc that, treason and evil thrive bast in darkness, Omafca ougtt to be, as It Is, as free as any man's town from the blights that thrive in the dark. The city is well lighted, except, pcsslbly, in far outlying districts. Street, store, basement, humble home, palace, front, cornice and dome the witchery of Edison's puzzle and plaything Is over all and brightening life immensely. It 'has become, in an especially large sense, the handmaid of mod ern business; and art, aloof and dfgnl fled, scorns not its illumi nating aid. ; As an arc light is to a tallow dip, so is the store lighting of to day compared to the store lighting of twenty-five, or even twenty, years ago. And as the boy's bon fire is to a skyscraplng conflagra tion, so was the ornamental light ing of that day compared to what is accomplls'iiec now without at tracting any attention to speak of. Village street lamps today give a true picture of what illumination of the highways amounted to in tho days of our fathers; and what a contrast are the elevated gleams that fling their effulgence for two blocks in either direction. Utility Is the first consideration that attaches to lights. - Ar tistic use of lights for ornamentation was, ot course, practiced to some extent from the earliest ages, in a way that satisfied the very slightly developed wants in that direction of the rushlight generations. Today .we find architects giving evidence of their beauty-Imbued souls by the cleverest use of lights to bring out wall and ceiling tones, or to make a pilaster or an esthetic cfanny give the effect it was planned to have. So, in most mod ern buildings we find utility possibly secondary to ornamenta tion; and architectural illumination holding the admiring mind, while we. momentarily forget., tat .there are any merely utili tarian reasons for so much light. -"'-. ' Animated lights, too- revolving, alternating, playing a dozen tricks with the eye have become so, common that we are halt the time unconscious of them, though gazing on them nightly. It is Conservatively estimated that something in the neighborhood ot 40,000 electric lights are used in Omaha street signs, as decorations (or buildings, and for what may be called purely advertising pur poses. Shortly there will be added several thousand more, because as the time for various conventions comes this class ot lighting will be enlarged. For Interior lighting of Omaha business places of all kinds the number ot arcs and incandescents run over 210,000, with more being added every day in new stores and factories, and in rebuilt tnd enlarged buildings. Only one large store in Omaha makes its own electric light. Theaters and louges, saloons, ball rooms, hotel lobbies these and other similar places where folk gather In large Cumbers, or where custom is attracted by light and Its reflected fclorles. are ever adding something to their lighting bill. Emula tion of fetching effects, competition for public attention, are the Impelling causes; and the general community gets in on the bene fit and the beauty, while the proprietors gain in their feeling of personal satisfaction, and the electric light company has more business. . ' Speaking ot the electric light company, it has grown with the City perhaps more evenly han any other quasi-public concern. One man connected with the company said: "The whole institution could have been put in a mighty small space when we started. At (bat time we ran along very acceptably with about 1,700-horse power, while today we have to use continually over 9,000-horse power to keep up with the demand.' The same man pointed out that in twenty years there has been brought about a reduction in cost of electricity of probably better than 60 per cent. This reduction in cost largely accounts for the vastly Increased utilization of the commodity the company sells. Stretched out as it is, the copper cable and wire used to carry current and hold lights in Omaha covers a great many hundred miles. It carries death in every foot of its length daily and hourly, yet is one of man's greatest servants night and day. Dy a twist of a button, or a push ot the finger, presto! there is light, power, heat, lifting Impulse; dead things throb and jump. Mysterious, puzzling, undefined, the genii of the electric bulb is the most power ful, yet the tamest, of modern mechanical aids to life and comfort. Spectacular street lighting, as distinguished from street signs, is about to make its debut in Omaha. It will be seen first, prob ably, on the "600 Ginger block," between Howard and Jackson streets. It is a plan that has become very popular In St. Paul, Min neapolis and some other cities, and will very likely be as popular in Omaha as it has proved elsewhere. This plan contemplates or namental Iron poles with clusters of large lights on top, three or four to a block. When first brought into use, something like a Quarter ot a cen tury ago, the incandescent globe contained a bamboo stick, very highly carbonized. That was the first carbon filament. In the tungsten light of today, as seen In many places in Omaha, the fila ment is a very decided contrast to this first material. It Is a metal- play's the thing," relapses into forgetfulness of the finicky, flowing, potent fluid that Is contributing so greatly to present enjoyment, and lending fairylike effect to combinations of the commonest materials. It "hills are green far away," no less is a stage a glittering picture of throbbing beauty when it is alive with the life and radiating the spirit of electricity, which even Menlo's master is not able to define. In the theaters ot Omaha, out front and in behind, under the stage and aloft in the flies and bridges, are approximately 6,000 lights. Many are concealed from sight, merely hinting their pres ence by a softened glow that does Lot obtrude enough to excite curi osity as to its source; others are shaded; more are loose, on exten- It 'A . i I . " . ..1-.. . ... v.i-v : . - ' "?."" IE i hi -rmj$m&d , -j T'!6.,."!!.'f''"") fl" ONE OF BRANDEI3 SHOW WINDOWS. Photographed by Its Own Light. Used . filament, the very highest type of the electrician's product The tungsten filament is made by mixing tungsten, a mineral sub stance, with something else, and beating the mixture until it be comes a sort of muuh. ' This metallic mush is then forced through a diamond die, a process that Is not very old, and comes out a 'hair like thread. Under the . microscope this almost Invisible thread looks like a saw blade, and until a more perfect process is developed the -tungsten wire will remain somewhat brit tle when not lighted, but in action it consti tutes the nearest ap proach to daylight yet discovered. It is claimed for this light that under its white glow colors can be matched, thus making it In demand in dry goods stores and other places where a true light must be had. Whereas the older style filament used 3.6 watts, the tungsten uses only 1 Vi watts. It Is 06 per cent more efficient, and when the first cost of tungsten bulbs is brought down to nearly the cost of the old style it must come into general use. ing with that end in view I IV LOOKING WEST ON FARNAM STREET FROM SEVENTEENTH. 'i i:. ! ail m 1 mi mm A i r i , &7 1 41 It! O.NB OF MILLER; STEWART ft BEATON'S WINDOWS. Photographed by Its Own Light. Its inventors and owners are work At present the filament in a tungsten light is anchored at both ends, in hairpin shape. Three large tung stens are considered better than one arc, and they use only 300 watts, against 460 for the arc, representing a saving of 33 1-3 per cent. Visitors from all sections of the country who have tarried in Omaha during the fall festivities attending the annual advent ot Ak-Sar-Uen have been free in giving expression to their belief that a more beautiful or better arranged illumination of the streets does not occur anywhere in the country. For the strings and festoons ot lights, and for tho arches over the street intersections, between 6,000 and 10.000 lights are used. They are of varying sizes and colors, and generously disposed In every possible place designed to aid in magnifying the general glorious effect. From the tip ot the court house dome and the top of the city hall tower to the cornice of the lowly ancient landmark, the electricians reach and utilize about everything that can be made to carry a light and hold a wiie. During this Joyous harvest festival of the capital of Qui veia's king electricity is as un conflned in its rambllngs through the upper atmosphere as is Joy on terra firraa; unconflned. yet thoroughly under control from below. From a million angles the lights of Ak-Sar-Ben time throw their effulgence over the thronging multitudes and shoot their gleams with persistent daz zle into eyes that reflect back the glamour of their radiance. These later day generations pass along almost unheeding of the delecta ble spread that sways, weaves and scintillates overhead and on a'l sides. Tbey walk over rails that rumble loudly in answer to th ewhir of the dynamos far away; the dodge trams and mo biles propelled by the same un seen, never ceasing force; they prance along under wires charged with death, and for hours on hours they revel back and forth amid the mysterious waves of the most terrible thing that ever has been used under man's mastery to contribute to his sport aa well as his need. K (I til i. I ft tUL it , .- a - h ru W'iiiihsmx ' V 1 ANOTHER OF THE BRANDEIS SHOW WINDOWS. slon cords; but in their thousands thty have become so much a part of theaters, scenery and stages that we wonder how our forbears ever got along without them. Away up in the fanlight electricity makes play that enhances the real play, and along the wall and around the galleries it skips and throbs and bursts in brilliance. v Moving pictures, speaking figures that one could swear are talking bard and fast, In a misty language unheard by any but the fairies of the queen of light these marvelous contrivances are re sponding to the com mand of the switch or button that flipped over, pressed or re leased, with instant re sult. Outside the same power thrills through wires and bulbs ex posed to rain, snow, cold and heat with an impunity not to be at tempted by any other agency we wot of. The street Is electricity's playground for large frolics; the theater is chosen setting for es thetic demonstration of artists' dreams. There are a hundred and one schemes or methods used in pro ducing ornamental advertising and reflector lighting. When one looks at a bunch of snakes chasing each other through the face of a street sign, the' flashing reptiles aie not moving at all. The ef fect is produced by stationary lamps and a high speed flasher, by making and breaking contact very rapidly. There is but one really revolving sign on the streets of Omaha, all others only appearing to revolve; but the cleverness of trained electricians must be cred ited with results Just the same. The single revolving sign Is an experiment tried by some ambitious electrician, but the approved method now is the broken contact. The number of electric street signs in Omaha is about 170, large and small. Some ot them are huge affairs, many giving a pictorial effect, while others are confined to but a halt dozen or so lights. To say 170 doesn't sound very big, but when the por tion of that number on Farnam street alone are in operation the effect is quite gorgeous. This cuBtoni has transformed acres ot gloomy shadow into glowing lanes of light. It has switched the scintillating brilliance of sun light Into hitherto hidden holes, crannies and corners and is the means of giving a most pleasura ble sensation to the eye from every point of the compass. How great an attraction and wonder the electric street lights really are can only be realised when a ruralist who- has never seen them is brought under their spell. Tbey pre a never falling source of wonder to them, until the novelty wears oft. A local policeman tells ot one man from the country who had held a so cial session with friends in the afternon, having disposed of his business in the morning. When ie went on the street and butted f is eye agalst a gyrating group ot what were apparently snakes In an elevated lighted box, he viewed them seriously for a tew moments, then said abruptly, "I'm going home!" And he want home in some doubt about bis heretofore approved capacity as an occasional practitioner at the oar. There Is in Omaha a merchant of very particular taste, who alms to have his store Just a lit tle better lighted than the busl- and appears to be satisfied with results. L.ignt is cneermg nnu warming," snys this merchant, "and that there Is a psychological Influence in its radiance I am well convinced." " "Does it have the effect of making people spend Iheir money more freely than they otherwise would?" "I incline very much to the notion that It does. Compare the trade and the growth of the well-lighted, cheerful store with the lack of business and the standstill character ot the place lighted by lamps, for instance. One is alive; the other is dead." In the lsrgest department stores of Omaha the yearly expense tor light will run up to probably $15,000 or more; still there Is no thought of cutting down. In stead, there is a progressive de velopment of the lighting feature, not only in signs, but In purely artistic effects. An architect plans a central feature, let us say, picked out In white and gold, with oceans of chance for decoration. During the brightness of un dimmed daylight each little beauty si ot can be seen and will call out the admiration it was designed to tempt. But as twlllgh draws near, or on a dark, dreary "day, the lighting switches are all on, and cneery, bouiiui iiuunpiieiu io m once created. Such a sreno Is not likely to be quitted very quickly for a muddy, misty outdoors. Verily, light shining on beautiful, shimmering goods In a big store Anon tioln nnnriorfnll v In Htrpnirth- enlng trade. Still, it would be un fair to speak of the generousness of store lighting plans as having no greater basis than momentary elation of the customer. There Is a rivalry among great mer chants to have a handsome com mercial home that it costs many thousands of dollars to gratify. Street, sign and store lighting, r illumination of dwellings, does ot by any means comprise all the practical uses to which electricity Is put, merely for furnishing light. In church, chancels the candle, long honored, has given way to electric duids cieveriy piacea, in circles, rows and clusters, in crosses and stars, and in reflectors. At the office of the electric company are bulbs con taining old-fashioned filaments, some of which were used for many, years. 1 ' "Here is a bulb," said an employe, "that was in use for a dozen years or more." "Where?" was the question, for the thing seemed Impossible. "In a chapel, where it was used for perhaps half an hour or to, now and again. Under such circumstances, there is no good reason why a bulb containing the most recent filament should not last for fifty years." - It was said of some man that he could "illuminate the highest, pinnacle of fame." This was spoken in the metaphorical sense; but there are men working quietly every day in Omaha who .can. illuminate me topmost tip or any oiu pinnacle witn no trouoie- wii'ili mnntlnnlntr WhAraunr a vlra ran 1ia thrnwn stirl faatatiAil light can be turned in any volume desired; in strings or small clus ters of 48, the very littlest bulbs, or 10s, 16s, 32s or the sunlike 80s, three of which surpass an arc light. Electricians can wreath a dome in splendor almost as easily as they produce the half-concealed,, soft, reflected and widely diffused light that is often noted in large dining rooms and otner vaulted spaces, ur, it you do not want V o 1 , irVt t ty r hi a t t M-st fwr-tm r V r 4Via itlitfait Alni4 ilna1 ) nnl n n ah will arrange his plan so that your lights 'will 'be dropped in a sort of reversed dome and reflected back against a white celling. Many a handsome banquet or ball room is lighted in this fashion, most artistically, and with the flueBt effect as to color scheme develop ment. Dome lamps are having a large vogue, in some lines of busi ness, as well as in homes. And portable lamps, with all sorts of art glass fixings, are brought into dally and nightly use by Jewelers, art dealers and others who seek to have their patrons educated to appreciate the really meritorious points of their merchandise, often overlooked. ,,. , . It may .Interest some to know that probably 1,500 electric flatlrons are being used In Omaha; not all In laundries, either. Not only is machinery driven by electricity, and its parts clearly dis played to the operator, but cutting knives in factories are pushed along by the same hidden force; washing machines are operated by small motors, by attaching a bulb to the electric light fixture; and some men of the right turn of mind having complete cooking outfits installed. These are a rarity as yet, however. Cellar and basement lighting has come to that pass where to work underground Is no hardship, on the eyes at least; and tun nels, storerooms, even sewers, are made as light as day. It Erebus were located in Omaha, a man could step in with an electric bulb on an extension cord and make the region like unto the day for the most groping soul. At the Omaha Electrical show which opens on next Wednesday all the wonders of the science will be shown to visitors by experts who know the inside workings of the modern miracle that is transforming life in all Its aspects and the magic of its application to man's daily needs. I-J - ' 4; k.: . . ; ,,., . ' ; ;, -.1 f.,..-,v. A " ,V W . . , ,' It',., . ,. f .. 1 .as . .. ' ' 'v ' 1- - . LOOKING EAST ON FARNAM STREET FROM 8EVENTEENTH EFFECT ON THE PLATE. -THE ARC LIGHTS SPOIL THE