Many of you may find it hard to believe but when I lived on West Fifth St. in Southie in the late 1930’s the street was lit by gas lamps. The lamp had a pilot light that remained constantly on. At dusk a lamplighter would take a long pole and adjust the valve to provide full illumination. At day break he would reverse the procedure and adjust the valve to the pilot level.
Today the streets are lit by sodium vapor lamps that are so bright that it is hard to distinguish day from night. Of course from a safety point of view that is exactly what you want. But my memory of a street lit by gas lamps can’t be beat. The lamps were placed at intervals that provided just sufficient lighting overlap. When I stood and looked down my street from Dorchester St. I paint a picture in my mind of a darkened street with just enough illumination to make out the outline of the houses and street.
Today the streets are lit by sodium vapor lamps that are so bright that it is hard to distinguish day from night. Of course from a safety point of view that is exactly what you want. But my memory of a street lit by gas lamps can’t be beat. The lamps were placed at intervals that provided just sufficient lighting overlap. When I stood and looked down my street from Dorchester St. I paint a picture in my mind of a darkened street with just enough illumination to make out the outline of the houses and street.
Like all good paintings they are worthy of saving.
