Las Cruces Blog – News, Photos, History

Archive for the 'Odds And Ends' Category

Sunday, November 13th, 2011

The Electric Light

Every day some new suggestion is made as to the probable use of electricity. A San Francisco professor thinks the time is coming when swamps and sewers will be deprived of their unwholesomeness by strokes of lightning, or, in other words, by electric currents that will kill the germs and spores that communicate disease to the human system. This is based upon the germ theory of disease, which is to the effect that malarial and other foul air contagions are due to animalcule, or infusoria, which multiply in the victim’s body after inoculation. But would it not be a miracle if all atmospheres were rendered wholesome by electrical discharges? The electric light has made one change in cities which may lead to important results. It has enabled buildings and other public works to be constructed at night as well as day. Laborers are employed in eight and twelve hour shifts, and edifices are completed in less than half the time required when only day work could be employed. In summer laborers prefer to work at night. Scientists tell us, as yet we only dimly appreciate the marvelous changes that will be wrought by electricity in human conditions.

Rio Grande Republican, February 18, 1882 (Newspaper)

First Electric Light in New Mexico

The following advertisement from the June 23rd, 1881 Las Vegas Optic newspaper probably documents the VERY FIRST appearance of electric light in New Mexico.

Regarding the electric light shown in the illustration, the advertisement says:

“All under the most perfect sun-eclipsing ELECTRIC LIGHTS, which are exclusively used to illuminate the VAST METROPOLIS OF EXHIBITION TENTS.”

William Washington Cole, who began his circus in 1871, promoted new technology — “marvels” — in his expositions along with traditional circus acts. The electric light advertised here would have been a Brush Arc Light, which American inventor Charles F. Brush began selling commercially in 1879. Brush had invented the first modern electric dynamo in 1876. One or more of Brush’s dynamos, powered by a steam engine, would have powered Cole’s electric arc lights.

Electric arc lights were quickly shown to be much cheaper than gas, the prevailing technology, and to provide more light. By 1881, Brush had sold over 6,000 arc lights, including the following:

800 lights in rolling mills, steel works, shops, etc.
1,240 lights in woolen, cotton, linen, silk, and other factories
425 lights in large stores, hotels, churches, etc.
250 lights in parks, docks, and summer resorts
275 lights in railroad depots and shops
130 lights in mines, smelting works, etc.
380 lights in factories and establishments of various kinds
1,500 lights in lighting stations, for city lighting, etc.
1,200 lights in England and other foreign countries.

Thomas Edison invented his incandescent light bulb in 1879 which would replace fairly quickly the arc light.

Note that the word “electric” in the advertisement is written with “lightning” characters, a typographic convention evidently already established in 1881.

Car Crash

Somehow the driver of this car managed to crash into this fence in mid-day on a 35-mile an hour city street, just missing on-coming traffic. According to people at the scene, he immediately jumped out of the car carrying two paper bags and ran off.

A blow up of the interior of the car reveals how he accomplished this:

Tags: Automobiles, Car Crashes,

Filed in: Automobiles, Odds And Ends | Comments

Friday, December 8th, 2006

56 Merc

This wonderful 1956 Mercury Montclair is owned by a local citizen. He purchased it new in 1956 and has owned it ever since. This is the original color, although it has been repainted on the outside.

Tags: 1956 Mercury Montclair