Till) OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: OCTOBER 1, 1011.
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Night Retreats and Darkness Flees From the King's City
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1TH tho limited amount of money
available for illuminating the streets
of the city during the Ak-Sar-Ben sea
son, the city has each year managed to
present a very creditable appearance
at night, in the opening of the Knights
of Quivera, though they realize the
for greater accomplishments in this
, possibilities
lllne If there were more money to spend
The streets
of the city are annually in actual blaze of light by
night, red, yellow and green lights the colors of
i!Ak-Sar-Ben in lines paralleling the streets and in
festoons over the streets, thoroughly impressing the
'visitor with the carnival spirit of the people. The
Impression Is deepened by the brilliant Illumination
i of the city ball, court house, Bee building and other
! large structures.
The city council appropriates annually $2,500
' for the special lighting of th city during the car
nival period. Naturally, It Is less expense to do the
same things every year, or in other words, 12,500
will do more when spent according to the plan used
iin former years thin it will if- a new scheme of
I lighting is evolved each year. Consequently, the Il
lumination of the streets has been, much the mum
each year and Is this year Just like it has been for
the last four years, except that there possibly is a
i slight different arrangement of lights on the public
I buildings and the large buildings which are decor
ated individually by their owners, and that tho
lighting is extended on Farnam to Twenty-fourth,
street.
For 4 description of the present system of
lllgbtlng, that printed in The Dee on the day of the
.king's advent in a former carnival season, fits
pretty accurately. It runs:
"Out of the hills across the river the moon
rose last night, dim through the Intervening haze,
ibut round and rich red, looking wonderfully like
a glowing bail suspended Across the street by the
hand of man in honor of the king. It hastened
to climb upward, for through the lower atmobphere
it could not begin to outshine the electrical splendor
which illuminated the highways of the chief of the
Beven Cities of Cibola.
"The whole city was ablaze along the sides of
ihe streets and festoons of lights hung across the
roe t s from the poles of the street lamps, hung over
windows and on signs and In every
conceivable place where lights could
be bung, made the whole range of
Vision one sea of glory.
. "By far the taogt beautiful place
was the hill In the middle of the city,
Where the people gather each year
to, view the noble pageant of their
king on his triumphal entry Into his
capital. Resplendent above all the
buildings of his capital were the city
hall and court house, between Which
King Ak-Sar-Ben passed in glory.
"A big, fiery horsesnoe crowned
the high dome of the court house,
while down the sides of the dome
and tower and along the eaves of the
upper story hung the lights in
myriads. On each of three sides of
the tower was a huge star, while on
the aide where passed the king and
his retinue was a bright shield tn red,
white and blue. From each of the
lour corners of the court house bril
liant Chinese lanterns hung on wires
Stretched acrons the street.
"The city hall was beautiful with
lights on every parapet and tower
and on every arch from top to bot
tom of the big building. , Surmount
ing all, the Statue of Liberty, with a
torch In her hand, bowed the Justice
on the court houwt arrows the way.
"Looking east from Eighteenth
Rtreet. one fitw Farnam . street
flanked on both sides with river of
light, the red, blue and green of tin
tr;et wlgna relieving with pretty
effect here and there the white blaze
tt the lncandescents.
"The New York Life building
tnow the Omaha National bar.k
building) was decorated on Its tirst
.o stories and at Its very top. Out
lit respect to the memory of Edward
Roetwater. The Bee building, one of
the most beautifully lighted in pant
years, was undecorated.
"Sixteenth street was almost ss
brilliant as Farnam.' Lights hung
over the curbing In thousands, and
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elaborate electrical
effects were seen on
the fronts of the
big retail buildings
In the roar blocks
Leten Howard
and Dodge alreefla.
Ha me y, KlTtntli
and all the snrecta
In the central
part of the city were similarly lighted."
It is hoped that some day there will be more
money to spend on illumination and that a perma
nent scheme for lighting the streets during the Ak-Sar-Ben
festivities may be evolved. At present,
one of the chief features consists of festoons of In
candescent bulbs suspended from a centrsl point
above the street intersections, one string running
downward, toward each block corner of the Intersec
tion. Owing to the fact that the building from
which these lights are suspended are of va
rious heights; to the fact that a ropo of
lights' at one intersection cannot be attached
.to a building at exactly theJ same distance
from the center of the street that the rope at the
next corner is attached and to the fact that the
festoons cannot be made always to run in exactly
the right direction, the lighting system Is not as
symmetrical as It might be. One standing at a point
on lower Farnam and looking westward up. the
street will note, if he is disposed to be critical, and
especially if he Is possessed of an artistio tempera
ment, a lack of symmetry In the arrangement.
A plan for permanent Ak-Sar-Ben lighting,
which would Insure symmetry, but which, however,
would require a largo initial expense on the part of
' aomebody. is suggested by I. B. Zlmman of the
Omaha Electrlo Light & Power company. Mr. Zlm
man has made no definite proposition In the matter
either to the Knighta of Ak-Sar-Ben or to the city,
but he believes the electric light company could and
would work out the problem If the knights were
. disposed to consider It. ,
Mr. Zlmman's idea is to have the lights sus
pended In rope from metal poles which can be
placell not' only at Intersections, but at regular in
tervals between the Intersections. .The system
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Manufacturers' Parade....
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would be entirely independent of the height and ex
terior contour of the buildings along the streets
and would insure regularity and symmetry. The
lights would then give the effect of a canopy over
the entire street, would give an impression of con
tinuity to a degree not possible under the present
plaa..
This would require an initial outlay of perhaps
$35,000, thinks Mr. Zimman, but he believes bis
company would be willing to incur the expense If
the Knights of Ak-Sar-Uen or the city, or the
knights and the city together, would make a long
time contract with the company for Installing and
operating the system at a rate under which the
company could get its money back. There would
be no Initial expense for the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben,
whose expense would be distributed through the
years of the contract at a given figure per year.
The entire lighting system, poles and all, could be
taken down and put up again at will.
Mr. Zlmman, however, believes in a better
system of permanent lighting for Omaha a system
that will be In evidence not only during the car
nival season, but throughout the year. He does
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not favor the plan adopted by Des Moines and Phil
adelphia, consisting of cluster lights set on short
standards along the curb, much like those on the
500 block on South Sixteenth street in Omaha, but
powerful arc lights hung from the arched top of
much higher ornamental poles, set at the curb.
These lights, ho says, should be not only at Inter
sections, but at the middle of the block. They
would then make a light that will be as brilliant at
one point on the street as at another and will be
strong enough by which to read a newspaper.
City Electrician Michaelsen also has some idea3
for a more elaborate system of lighting which he
admits would require a large initial expenditure of
money.
"Instead of the strings of lights- parallelling
the streets," said Mr. Michaelsen, "I should like
to construct metal arches, to be placed over the
streets, four or six of them to the block. When
these are lighted up, they would give the appear
ance of a canopy over the street. The arches could
be taken down after the carnival season and be put
up again each successive year.
"We probably would be lighting the city in
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this way now if we had the money. The electric
light company, I am sure, would be willing to buy
the arches If a contract could be made whereby it,
could be sure that Its money would be returned,
within a given term of years. The company can'
not be -expected to do any more than It Is now do-f
Ing under its present' contract, for I am satisfied
that it is -doing the business at a loss.. It may get1
an indirect return through encouraging the use of
more electricity In store windows through the car
nival season, but certainly does the street lighting"
at a low figure. The company started out in 1897
by giving us 3,000 lights for $2,500, and this num
ber has been Increased year by year until this sea
son it Is about 7,000. I
"It Is not an easy matter to.jiut.up the lights'
under the present plan and It is not easy to in-'
duce owners of property to allow us to go on topi
of their buildings to anchor the wires.
"Our aim of electrical decorations for Ak-Sar-Ben
has always been to light aa largo a portion of
the city as possible, Instead of concentrating tha
lighting In a few places. This gives a greater num-
( Con turned on Page Seventeen.)
Capacity
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u TiTir- a annual capacity
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