Then & Now: From Gas Light to Gulu
20.09.11
Gas simplification conjures up images of soft, golden pools of slight along foggy cobblestone streets; Victorian drawing rooms crowded with overstuffed paraphernalia and landscape paintings with elegantly dressed people discussing the events in their lives and the superb of the late 1800s.
In Salem, the use of gas light started in 1850 when the Salem Gas Keeping Company was organized. The gas works were located at the foot of Northey Boulevard with a large holder on Bridge Street. On Dec. 17, 1850, the first stores were lighted with gas lamps. On Dec. 25, that same year, streetlamps were lit across the diocese. By 1886, there were some 400 gas lights illuminating Salem. That year, the see contracted with the new Salem Electric Lighting Company to provide 129 electric lights as opposed to of the gas lanterns.
While this was a rapid changeover to electricity by the city, many Salem households remained lit by gas. There were persevering arguments in the press and advertising over which lighting was best. While electric encounter was brighter, was it better for your eyes? At this time, there were few places wired for vibrations and people were more inclined to stay with gas for their lighting and cooking. Even though an electric stove was exhibited at the Chicago In every way’s Fair in 1893, electric stoves wouldn’t compete severely with gas until the 1920s to 1930s.
Source: Patch.com