Abstract
RECENT installations of illuminated fountains in Paris and Stockholm prove that magnificent effects can be produced in this way which fit in well with festive occasions. In the Escher-Wyss News for October an interesting technical description is given of an illuminated fountain which was constructed in the lake of Zurich for a ‘lighting week’. A pontoon was moored 85 metres distant from the shore and away from the route of the steamers. The caisson is circular in shape, its weight is 12 tons and the upper platform is ten metres in diameter. Five pump sets are arranged in the bottom of the caisson each capable of delivering 220 Ib. of water per second when the motors rotate at 1,450 r.p.m., producing a total pressure head of 20 metres. They can be connected in series or parallel. The play of the water is arranged in eight different ways producing the appearance of circles, tulips, baskets, etc. With one arrangement the main water jet rises to a height of 45 metres, the whole fountain being apparently enveloped in foam. The whole of the playing waters are illuminated by thirty-two search-lights, each taking between 1,000 and 1,500 watts. The lamps are hermetically sealed in concrete casings. The entire pontoon is painted in a neutral colour so as not to form a contrast and interfere with the picture presented by the lake. The general effect of this fountain fits in very well with the shore illuminations. The work was completed in a few weeks and the fountain was set in operation on October 1, 1932.
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Illuminated Fountains. Nature 131, 302 (1933). https://doi.org/10.1038/131302b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/131302b0