"Moonlight Tower" Carbon-arc Lamps

**Bluenote132003** · July-19-10, 02:05 PM

Is there a thread about these lamps? How long they were up for, how they worked, closeup pics of the tops...
They show up in many old Detroit photographs, but I don't know if I've seen a decent one of them lit up.
Thanks!

**MikeM** · July-19-10, 03:35 PM

No. About 25 years for the towers, another 20 for individual street lamps. A high current was passed through and across a gap between two carbon electrodes.

**Tsomyak** · July-19-10, 04:36 PM

Funny I just posted some info about these on a friends wall on FB, reposting here:

Interesting factoid. That structure with the guy wires in the photo was what Detroit used for street lighting. Many of them were later sold to the city of Austin for use in their downtown area. There are well over a dozen [[maybe 2 dozen?) of these "moonlight towers" still in use. One stands in Zilker Park and the wires are lined with Christmas lights. The bulbs are staggered in such a way that when you stand underneath and look up, the colors spiral up to the top. It's a long standing Christmas tradition to stand underneath and spin yourself until you fall over. I've noticed beer greatly enhances the effect. Also, this is the same "moon tower" featured in the movie Dazed and Confused.

**Tsomyak** · July-19-10, 04:45 PM

Here's couple of pics of the moonlight tower Christmas tree, The first one shows the tree on the left of the Austin skyline.

Always nice see a little piece of home around the holidays!

**Ray1936** · July-19-10, 07:31 PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonlight_tower

Retroit · July-20-10, 06:31 AM

Not much, but:

http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/...tml?1238516783

**Bluenote132003** · July-20-10, 07:38 AM

Here's a nice link from the old thread Retroit posted:
http://steelbuildingshq.com/mo onlight-towers/

These must have provided extremely cool lighting for a whole downtown area when equipped with their original arc lamps! Would be great to use in some kind of park setting downtown today, maybe Grand Circus? A line of them down Washington Blvd? Riverwalk? Wishful thinking...

**cman710** · July-20-10, 09:45 AM

I believe the tower in this photo, http://www.shorpy.com/node/8550?size=_original , is an example of a carbon-arc tower in Detroit.

Retroit · July-20-10, 09:53 AM

Originally Posted by Bluenote132003

http://steelbuildingshq.com/mo onlight-towers/

Fixed link: http://steelbuildingshq.com/moonlight-towers/

**DetroitHabitater** · July-20-10, 01:23 PM

is there any documentation as far as locations in the city of detroit?

Retroit · July-20-10, 07:35 PM

I found this in Silas Farmers The History of Detroit and Michigan, page 469:

"On July 3, 1883, the [common] council voted to light a portion of Woodward and Jefferson Avenues with twenty-four electric lights, to be supplied by the Brush Company. In June, 1884, a contract was made with the same company to light the entire city with electricity, and in July the company commenced the erection of seventy-two towers made of iron tubing, the towers to be from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet high, the electric lights being placed at the top."

Some other street lighting tidbits:

First street to be lit: Jefferson Ave. from Cass to Randolph in 1835. Forty lamps burning sperm oil [[from sperm whales). They only lasted 3 months.
Second attempt at street lighting: 1851, this time using gas created from coal and naphtha, which is in turn derived from either coal or wood. The first "works" where this gas was produced was on "Woodbridge Street between 5th and 6th Streets" [[approximately where the Lodge crosses Fort Street currently). The second works were at the foot of 21st Street [[approximately where the Ambassador Bridge is currently). The third works was at Chene and Franklin [[between Jefferson and the river). I presume the first gas lights were erected in close proximity to these works. By 1881, nearly sixty miles of gas pipe for street lighting had been laid.
Naphtha lamps were introduced in 1877.
As of 1884, there were 1929 gas lamps and 1743 naphtha burners.

In other words, these Moonlights were the first electric streetlights.

**Brock7** · July-20-10, 11:37 PM

There was one at Dix and Vinewood in in 1893.

**Bluenote132003** · July-21-10, 08:16 AM

What was the big pulley at the bottom used for? Kind of looks like it ran a cable that pulled a service cage/elevator up the center of the tower?

**MikeM** · July-21-10, 09:50 AM

The pulley was used to lower the lamp assembly for replacing the carbon electrodes, or to perform other maintenance.

**Steamer** · July-21-10, 12:38 PM

Just wondering how the light fixture with catwalks was able to traverse the outside of the mast without getting tangled with the guy wires?

**MikeM** · July-21-10, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by Steamer

Just wondering how the light fixture with catwalks was able to traverse the outside of the mast without getting tangled with the guy wires?

Good question. Somewhere long ago I read that the lights were lowered for servicing, but looking at the photos of the Austin towers, it looks like there is a small cage inside the tower like Bluenote said. I suppose the pulley was used to raise the cage.

**Magnatomicflux** · July-21-10, 06:30 PM

i can't even imagine what a sight those towers would have been from little ol' Windsor in those amazing times.

Retroit · July-22-10, 10:51 AM

Well, might as well start a list in fine DetroitYES! tradition:

1. Campus Martius. Woodward and Michigan
2. Dix and Vinewood.
3. Woodward and Adams. http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/imag...d=EB02D982.TIF
Another view: http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/imag...d=EB02D599.TIF
4. Woodward and John R. http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/imag...d=EB02D968.TIF
5. Jefferson and Hastings. http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/imag...tart=;resnum=9
6a. Grand River and Trumbull http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/imag...d=EB02D772.TIF
6b. This one is across the same intersection, but appears to be of a different design [[possibly preceded 6a?; can't imagine the need for two at the same intersection): Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd and Trumbull http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/imag...id=DPA2106.TIF
7. Jefferson and Woodward http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/imag...id=DPA3505.TIF
Another view: http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/imag...id=DPA2219.TIF
8. Michigan and 23rd http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/imag...id=DPA4382.TIF
9. Miami Street and Fort [[?) Street http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/imag...rt=;resnum=317
10. Woodward and ?? http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/imag...d=EB02F079.TIF
11. Rivard and Jefferson [[?) http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/imag...d=EB02D444.TIF
12. Griswold and Larned [corrected] http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/imag...d=EB02D505.TIF
13. Fort and Washington [[formerly known as Wayne St. south of Michigan Ave.) http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/imag...d=EB02D763.TIF
Another view: http://www.shorpy.com/node/6838

Only 59 more to go!

**Brock7** · July-22-10, 12:14 PM

Good job finding so many locations. But isn't it the original 24 plus an additional 72 for a total of 96?

This looks to be the same as no.12 but the description says Griswold and Congress
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/imag...5DEB02E521.TIF

Retroit · July-22-10, 02:30 PM

Originally Posted by Brock7

Good job finding so many locations. But isn't it the original 24 plus an additional 72 for a total of 96?

This looks to be the same as no.12 but the description says Griswold and Congress
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/imag...5DEB02E521.TIF

I took a guess on no.12 since no cross street was listed, but now we know.

As for the total number, you may also be correct. I took the wording to mean that 24 were originally approved, but they later increased it to a total of 72, but who knows? Also, although 72 were contracted for, it's possible that they all weren't installed.

**DetroitHabitater** · July-22-10, 03:51 PM

two-fer!

http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/imag...d=EB02E824.TIF

Retroit · July-22-10, 03:53 PM

14. Grand River and ? http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/imag...d=EB02D999.TIF
1b. Looks like there were 2 in front of the Old City Hall http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/imag...id=DPA2218.TIF
Another view: http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/imag...d=EB02F783.TIF
15. Belle Isle? A different style maybe? http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/imag...d=EB02F690.TIF

**JStone** · July-22-10, 04:56 PM

More TOWER!

http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/imag...d=EB02C596.TIF

**Brock7** · July-22-10, 05:01 PM

http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/imag...5DEB02E519.TIF
This is a picture of the Post Office on the NW corner of Griswold and Larned in 1871. It appears to be the same building as in no. 12 except that all the buildings around it are different [[seems like they didn't waste much time back then). Both shots are looking North in the direction of City Hall. So that places the light tower on the same NW corner of Griswold and Larned. It looks then like Griswold and Congress for the photo I linked to refers to the further intersection in the photo.

I wonder of the towers would be noted on Sanborn maps of the period - I don't have any access to them.

Retroit · July-22-10, 06:48 PM

Originally Posted by Brock7

http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/imag...5DEB02E519.TIF
This is a picture of the Post Office on the NW corner of Griswold and Larned in 1871. It appears to be the same building as in no. 12 except that all the buildings around it are different [[seems like they didn't waste much time back then). Both shots are looking North in the direction of City Hall. So that places the light tower on the same NW corner of Griswold and Larned. It looks then like Griswold and Congress for the photo I linked to refers to the further intersection in the photo.

I'd concur with that.