Boston, 1898. Closeup View of CD 140 Jumbo on Trolley Service Crossarm.

By Joe Maurath, Jr.; posted September 10, 2020

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On the left is an early open-type electric arc street light. These first illuminated streets in the United Streets via electricity. They required daily maintenance. A service worker would climb the pole, adjust the two carbon arc rods as necessary (or replace them) and clean the glass globe. These fixtures were superceded by 1900 by enclosed arc lamps. These required arc rod trimming/maintenance only once every seven to ten days and were more energy efficient.

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