78 Kansas Academy of Science. 



add to the value of the abutting property. While conditions 

 of accessibility to necessary utilities, such as railway stations, 

 hotels, banks, public buildings, etc., have doubtless a pre- 

 ponderating influence in determining the traffic of a street, 

 it is equally true that no subsidiary condition has such a vital 

 effect as the lighting. It would, of course, be absurd to ex- 

 pect to create a popular business street out of a thoroughfare 

 lying far beyond the natural limits of traffic, but there is no 

 question that any street directly tributary to a business thor- 

 oughfare can be fully doubled in value by the installation of 

 spectacular lighting. 



In a more general way, lighting the entire business section 

 of a city up to the standards of modern illumination does for 

 the city, as a whole, what the lighting of a particular street 

 does for that section; it increases values by increasing the 

 traffic, not only from the city itself, but from the surrounding 

 country and near-by towns. Good street lighting, more than 

 anything else, gives to the city an air of progressiveness and 

 prosperity. "Nothing succeeds like success" ; to appear pros- 

 perous is the first step to being prosperous. Anything which 

 adds to the general attractiveness of a city excites interest in 

 its affairs and fosters public spirit and civic pride. Everj- 

 citizen should be able to point with pride to his own city; but 

 how shall he do this when he sees such woeful deficiency as 

 poor public lighting? 



The merchants of a city feel the competition of other cities 

 with good lighting systems, and are generally the ones directly 

 responsible for the promotion of a scheme of ornamental il- 

 lumination. If they be so fortunate as to have an electric- 

 light company managed by a far-sighted and progressive 

 superintendent, the problem of securing an excellent system 

 at a reasonable cost is greatly simplified. Pittsburg, Kan., had 

 just such a combination of progressive men in their Chamber 

 of Commerce, and gradually a plan was evolved which was 

 larger and finer than its first promoters had fondly dreamed 

 of. At first it was proposed to install a multiple lighting sys- 

 tem, using the ordinary 110-volt tungsten lamps, but when 

 the writer brought it to the attention of the engineer and com- 

 missioners that a new nitrogen-filled series tungsten lamp had 

 just been placed on the market, which would give double the 

 amount of light, it was decided to abandon the original plan 



