When it was first suggested in 1833 that Philadelphia's streets be lighted by gas instead of oil, a group of such prominent citizens as Benjamin Chew, Horace Binney and Jacob Ridgeway wrote in consternation to the city council. They protested against the use of "an uncertain light, sometimes disappearing and leaving the streets and houses in total darkness." Despite these dire predictions, the city council spent $100,000 on a municipal gasworks which began supplying 46 street lights and two homes in 1836. Last week hundreds of Philadelphia housewives telephoned the city hall to find...
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