The "Manhattan Optimist Club Bulletin" #40: 7-5-23
VOLUME 2023 JULY 5 NUMBER 40
President Thad Hall welcomed all, followed by the flag salute.
ACHES & PAINS: Keep those ill, troubled, and less fortunate in your thoughts and prayers. Be thankful for your blessings.
PROGRAM: Craig Cox introduced our speaker this morning. We welcome Kahtarine Hensler, Director, Riley County Historical Museum and today she spoke about the History of Electric Lights in Manhattan.
Illuminating Manhattan
In the 1700s, great improvements were made in the design of lamps. Glass chimneys to protect the flame were introduced as well as metal burners to support the wick. Whale oil burned much less smoke than other fuels and whaling had become a major industry in America in the early 1800s. However, by 1850, whales were becoming scarce, and the oil was expensive. In 1856, sperm whale oil sold for $1.77 per gallon in New York. This amount is equivalent to $63.33 today. In 1853, a process to extract kerosene from petroleum was discovered. In 1857, Michael Dietz invented a kerosene lamp with a flat wick that was simple and relatively inexpensive. In 1859, the first oil well was drilled in Pennsylvania and kerosene began to take over the market. By 1859, due to the lack of demand, the price of whale oil had dropped to $0.40 cents per gallon, but kerosene was less than $0.07 cents ($2.56 in today’s money).
LIGHTING THE WAY
On August 1, 1881, Kansas’ first lighting company called the Brush Electric Light and Power Company was chartered in Topeka, Kansas. It was created under the name of its inventor, Charles Francis Brush from Cleveland, Ohio, who improved the arc lamp and the power source to run it. Thomas Edison had invented the electric light bulb and central generating system only two years earlier. The company planned to install carbon arc lights which illuminated much brighter than Edison. Electric transmission made it possible to use the “new fluid” carbon lamps. In an arc lamp, two carbon rods are connected to a source of voltage. A strong current is passed through the rods. The tips of the rods are brought together, a spark leaps up, and the light goes on due to the flow of electrons. Then, the rods are separated until a tiny gap exists between them. An intense white light result. By 1885, Edison had improved the incandescent lighting system to where it was commercially feasible and safe for indoor use. The improvements included alternating current and transformers which allowed transmission over longer distances. The Edison Electric Illuminating Company of Topeka, organized in 1886, was licensed to operate with Edison patents. Even after the advent of Edison’s incandescent bulbs, however, arc lamps survived for decades as streetlights. By 1887, Manhattan was interested in having its own system.
MANHATTAN MEETS MODERNITY
The discovery of the arc lamp was a spectacular feat, as the light it produced was incomparably stronger than anything else available at that time including candles, oil lamps, or open flame gas lamps. Gas remained popular for street lighting until the beginning of WWI in 1914. Arc lamps proved to be better alternatives as they were brighter, cheaper, and safer. As a result, arc lighting installment grew exponentially within US cities. In 1879, the first arc lights were installed in the United States. In 1884, there were more than 90,000 arc lamps illuminating the streets of the US and increased to 235,000 by 1890 when practically every US city was using arc lighting. The decade of the 1890s ushered in the arrival of electricity in Manhattan and prepared the community for the modern era. In 1889, the Manhattan Electric Company succeeded in building a power plant at Pierre and 3rd streets, which is presently 4th St. One New Years Eve, 1889, the City of Manhattan was electrified for the first time and by the end of that same week, eight lights were operating in various downtown intersections. A total of 317 incandescent lights were soon installed in businesses throughout downtown Manhattan, starting the transition into the 20th century.
A CITY IN A NEW LIGHT
By 1912, there were 171 streetlights installed in Manhattan. In 1913, the city erected its first five-globe lamp post at the corner of Poyntz Ave outside of the Gillett Hotel. Shortly after, the city planned for the installation of 18 King DeLux Number 105 lamp posts. Each five-globe lamp used four 60 watt bulbs and one 100 watt bulb. The four smaller bulbs were turned off at 11pm every night. These bulbs were encased in frosted or opalescent globes and were mounted in clusters atop decorative Beaux-arts style posts. These bright lights lined main street and gave way to the term, “the great white way,” due to the amount of light emitted from the lamp posts lighting the downtown streets. With the new availability of electric lighting, many Manhattan businesses were eager to electrify! In 1893, Harry P. Wareham and his mother purchased H.S. Moore’s Opera House and renamed it the Wareham Opera House. They installed electricity throughout the complex. In 1910, Wareham installed a screen in front of the stage to become the second movie theater in Kansas. Plans were made to replace the five globe streetlights with new single-globe fixtures starting in 1938. A change to new modernistic streetlamps began in 1952. That had photoelectric switches to turn them on automatically when it became dark.
A special Thank You goes out to Katharine and the Riley County Historical Society & Museum.
CLUB STUFF/ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Thank you for the Volunteers taking care of 2 make-up T-Ball games.
Chili Crawl is coming along with 8 business so far and hopeful for a few more, see Bill Wisdom for more information about the Chili Crawl!
Next Board Meeting, July 25th at 6:00pm at the Manhattan Library
$100 gift card to the member that brings in the most “new members” by 9/30/2023.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: No member spotlight today
GUESTS: Welcome our guest, Katharine Hensler, who joined us this morning.
Meeting adjourned with the OPTIMIST CREED.
JULY PROGRAMS: Program Chair: Craig Cox/Mike Fincham
July 12: Karen Everhart, Exec. Dir/Co-founder, Rainbow Meadows Equine Rescue
NOON MEETING Equine Rescue Operations at Rainbow Meadows
July 19: Brian Peete, Director Riley County Police Department
MORNING MEETING Riley County Police Activity
July 26: Vivienne Leyva & Associates, Riley County Public Information Department
NOON MEETING History of the Riley County Fire District #1