In the land where citizens would bring a searchlight to the opening of a supermarket (see: https://wp.me/p5XK3w-WL) it seems fitting that it would also be home to the world’s largest spotlight. This 60-inch wonder of the electric age was first seen at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, after which Thaddeus Loew brought it to his Echo Mountain resort. Evidently, it was visible 60 miles away on Catalina Island, which isn’t surprising considering it burned with the intensity of 100,000 candles, which, when magnified by a massive reflecting lens mirror, became 375 million candlepower. There was no practical reason to have it there other than to draw attention to his resort, but this is LA after all, the capital of Draw Attention To Oneself.
The Echo Mountain searchlight at night, circa 1895:
In the land where citizens would bring a searchlight to the opening of a supermarket (see: https://wp.me/p5XK3w-WL) it seems fitting that it would also be home to the world’s largest spotlight. This 60-inch wonder of the electric age was first seen at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, after which Thaddeus Loew brought it to his Echo Mountain resort. Evidently, it was visible 60 miles away on Catalina Island, which isn’t surprising considering it burned with the intensity of 100,000 candles, which, when magnified by a massive reflecting lens mirror, became 375 million candlepower. There was no practical reason to have it there other than to draw attention to his resort, but this is LA after all, the capital of Draw Attention To Oneself.
New one on me. Thanks.