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18 WILM ETTE LIFE October 2, 1925 · Finds Wilmette Light System Ranks With Best in Country Supervising Engineer Gives Residents a Summary of Great Improvement EniToR's 1\ OTJ~: 1f ·ith 1Vil111rttr's new clcrtrir liglztiii.Q syslrm completely installed. srntliHi:;in.fl insprctirms made [J~, 11otcd ~·isiting Cll,f!incrrs as ·wei! as local official.~. a11d r7trr·ytlring in rradinrss for A. J 1f. Rykoff, the coutractar. to upull stal..·rs" to rngage in othrr similar ?mdcrtaln'ngs, it is not amiss to f'ro ·uide for tlzc 1·raders of \Vn ,1\rr,rrE Ln·~-: rz more or [rss detailed Sllllllllar)' of tlzr histary of tire svstcm, which has l>rr11 .orncrall:v regarded by cxJ>rrts as one of the fi11cst 1.11 the [ nitrd Stairs. This summary is pro"-'i-ded through thr courlrsy of Frrd A. Gurdcs, Villa,ftC' rfcctrical cnqillccr, 7.vlzo iHsJ>cctrd tlzr installation wqrk a11d, prior to tf1c prriod of aclual construction, dc1·otrd a wealth nf his timr to the ·war}~ j1ri'/iminarji to ac·tuaf inslaflation. .Hr. Gttrdcs t>rmridt'.,. the acrompan:ving artick, 1.,·/iich f,c has· illustrated with pltotom·aplz,,· dcpirfiilff 1.1'/'ir,lf Sli't'('/ SCCiltS 'With the 1lt'<.. ' liqlz l slanda;·tls iilsla !fl'd, Oi.'d 011 interior vic·w of the local irails[o;·ming sf a tiOJ:. the smaller post, ten-foot six inches, in the rcsidental di stricts with a 100 candle pov.·e r lamp: and the larger post, twelve foot six inches, for the business and boulevard areas, with 250 I candle power lamp. At the . stub-end J .. t Busi n ess Streets Now " White tl~u .... a,·oicli11~ the u-c . and installatio.n ot ;ll1 expl'lhl\'l' coiHllllt -.~·:; tcm. a:; tl11:-; park\\·ay BY FRED A. GURDES ' (Electrical Engineer) rahk ca.·ril'~ a lo\Y \'oltagc. ~ o llll' i ntl'!' n 1i 11 g i a r h a I> o u t I i g h t i 11,.~- ~. _\':--I l' I ll 11! <L y h (.' 11 () IL' d h l' n: : d (till a g l' : u i h l' p; l \. . ,; 1 . " ; r ::::: .. ; r; r :) i: ) __ 'l'llnt· arl' 1~0 l<t rge po~h. 1171 :-.ma ll 1~ --· n·nll _, . the \ 'i ii;:~·.· : ' · ;· _ .. :,1~: · po:-.t..., SCJ \\·arning red li!.!,-llt :; in ha:-e oi ' rPntr;trt lor ru:Tl'lll ·. :ith th t. .' ubli po~b. H7 111ile~ oi underground caiJie, 1:-:. v,- , in· ronl)"'i ·_-.- · · : · . ~!·th,.,···· ' llinoi . : ,,-a:-; thrcadl.'d ll~i·ouhi 1 dL ) : !" ., to . p;.·r!:'.·:;· ;:. :~~:i1c ·: c;·1c i pip~..·-pu her:-; arl' -!ti IL'(:i. 'Oil[·· ~·qc ,·:, r-=. t h e 1 ... u c n· -. :-- i ul 1y Jl t1 -. h : · · ·.. · ~ · " ·;: ; :. ;10 1.: 'j The new lig-hting systl'm was o;ficially put into operation \Veclnesday. Augu:-;t 12, and tilL· citizens of \Vilmeltc h;l.\·c had an opporltmity during· the last f~\\" \H?eb; to C0111D<1l"L' (he l!C\'.' ligllljm~: \\'i!ll the old. . A ck scription of the new sy:-;tcm will I b~ oi interest in aflordilltJ, the rc~ident:-; an idea of the steps JH.·ce~-.;ary I ior the in~tall;ttio1 1 of :t ~~Y:'t<'Jll n: tlli~· typL'. ! Throu'·,h tilL· vc~·ort· \lt- t·:.-;n·v::--iliL·JJ; · , Zipf and Tru~tCL'S 'l'ilt, 1 lofTman. I·:IIi:-., 1 I Bachman, ~tarkc and Fitch, a :-.1 l'L't'll' lighting pr::>graitl \\'a:-; adopted < hout t\\' 0 ~·cars ag-o. TilL' f1r~t ~. tcp \':a: ~o procur~ ;, co: :(ract \:i;h ;~ li;.;htillf!, con1p<tn_1· to ~lli' 1 j ply thL· L·kctric;d energy i'or thl' light -~~ing- :-.y::--tent. Such a contract wa::-. en· tcrL·cl in!<J ·.ritl· thl' ~;lllitar:.· Di~li'i1·: 1 I Close-up o~ Slandm·d:; of Chicago. :-;Li'L'l'·'· ::1. illtlit ! iil<!icr~ red ba s<' light The next stc:p \\·as to retain au cnginel'r to draw up estimates of plan s ,.,·a~ iil~!alled i11 the b;~~l! o~ a post to and speciftcation-.;, and to tak e into \':arn traffic, anc! ,,-;!i·ning lights wne consideratio n the following factors : abo pl;tccd at the ends o[ s~t·cc:s abutIntensity of illumination required, ting the drainage canal. spacing o[ ~tandard, mounti 1lf-;· height, fi'hl' average sp;,cin~ or the ornacost oi inst<.llation, and cost oi op- mental standard:; is r~p'p;-o::i;H21cly 130 eration and maintenance. ll'l't staggered. and <\l. the intcr:-;l.·rtions The sl'lcct ion of the standard was of streets post:· arc placed diar~onally. the next step. In one village block The standard <tdopted by ~:w Viiseven posts \\·ere erected, with orna- lagt..: board or iocal imJH·ovei'!lL'llLS, is mental fixture s from several manu- an ornamental Arcadiar ~....;--:~t- iron facturcrs, installed for the purpose of post. The fixture or l<.:.ntern i:; oi an making comparison regarding lighting old style Colonial type, oct;::~onal in effects and appearance. s hape, known as the I<.dlcc~o-Lux, The trustee s then visited the various manufactured b 1 he \Vcst!nGhouse manufacturing )Plants in order to de- Electric company. 'I' he Inn tern determine the quality of materials and signed to produce the [; reatest. 2111ount inspect methods employ~d in the manu - of illumination ior the least. current facture of street lighting equipment. consumption h:: means of l\1'0 para\Vith the above basic ideas in mind, holic reflector~~ in i he' l c::nl.cr!l , one an underground lighting system was above and on below, so desh·11ed so designed to harmonize with a s uhur - as to direct the: rays 0~ light on horiban vii ge such as \Vilmettc. It \'as zontu.l plane aud, at the same i.ime, although ndcsirahle to in sta ll a bright low sufficient lig ht about th~ standarcL "\Vhitc \Vay," with tall posts that thereby eJimin~~tin ,~· cbr!.: circle around would cast the light into the second tl.l c posts. story windows of the n:sidences or There e igh t. gl;:)_~:s panels to each project the fixtures into the foliage, lantern, made of a clear synite glass. but the officials recognized the need which li«s snffl.cient diffusin~ effect to of sufficient illumination to thoroughly diminish g-lare:, C'l the same time rcsafeguard vehiclular or pedestrian clueing the absorption of the glass to traffic. a minimum. The selection of a color wa , decided A conduit . ystem is employed in the u pon by the Villag-e Board at this business districts where a superstructime, it being the now familiar olive ture, such as sidewalks, is laid, also green, to harmonize with the general for encasing all high voltage feeders surroundings. · from the substation to the various The adoption of two mounting group circuits. heights was recommended and emIn the residential districts steel ployed in the design of this system, armored cable is laid in the parkway, Typ ical R esidence Vic\'· 6 warning pedestal reel lights at dangcrou::' curves ·and at the canal, 30 large group transformers, 200 K. \':. capacity in regulators (150 k. \\·. now being used), 2-WO feet of t\\'o-inch pipe pushed under pavement and railroad~. It requir~d 118 ':·orking ?a~·s to completc the JOb while a snmlar :-.trcct lighting job in a western suburb .of Chicago required one year to install. In order to avoid tearing- up pavement, a t\\'o-inch galvanized iron pipe was pushed under the pavement hy mean:-; of a pip<: -pushing jack, the table j cancell!ng-. lh"' --~:>:·' .~-:~; - _. ~~-· ~ ~;·;1: tary D1 stncl. o . ~t1IC::'.f;C ·O · ·. · 1C, :-c<::.~i t!1at the Puhli r:.: ~-~\.:i···ic:_ h<: :~ -·c.:;;;c_· :· their rat.es fo: ciccu·: ·::~~ :.1c1·g_ :)L'· lo\~· that of i.i1c ~a:~;cnry .!Jistric ;i Chicago, maki;l ~·, :; ::.cssib!(. ~c .:i ir:'i ·;1\i!f)l voltage e~w;p;11c_:_11._ 211c~ _ ::<.1?!·-; 6 1 he red hnc !~ ·)t ·ldt:1p· jt'~ · ·,:._-_ of Central a\'Clli.i-.; ~ct.l<'.c .... :l ·. c d1: Chicago 1\ortb C.Jio~·._ ::-r~c· ~d i!,;;:::d::c:· rail\\'ay is cont.roili11~· ·:.~L <'!;J .. ro·· ~h street light s. 'l'h-2 il~~\2::~;;,:·_ ~::L1~~· ,::. ling and rcgulat.in~ ·· .:::n;,in .. ·..:·· · ·:: ' :J".' ·. in this huilding. · . :- Lights F it in with Nature's Scheme /