Remember how they talk about Mercury Arc Rectifier tubes for converting AC to DC? They also made straight ones, as in the 1950 with a Sperti heat lamp on a stand for $19.95. You might think of mercury vapor lights today. But back in 1905 in Buffalo, they put together a did-you-think-I-was-kidding amount of mercury arc lights just for the Elks. And I found a photo. Here's the article about it:

The Buffalo News - May 3, 1905, pg. 13
To a committee of Elks, this morning, Charles R. Huntley, general manager of the Buffalo Electric Co., announced that the company had decided to contribute "its little mite" toward decorating the city during the week of the Elks' reunion. The "little mite" turned out to be a great pillar of light, which will require three weeks to construct and wire and which will cost well toward $5000.
It cannot be described, because the like of it has never been seen to this time. If a great pillar of dazzling green radiance, 75 feet high, surrounded by a ball of ruby fire, is imagined, that will be something like it.
A white fluted column, in imitation of marble, will be raised, to which will be attached 106 mercury arcs, which give an intense green light. The great ball at the top of the column will be composed of 500 50-candlepower "meridians," which will give forth a red light. Surmounting this, perhaps, will be a searchlight, which will play upon buildings and streets.
The electrical work has been ordered from the works of the General Electric Co., at Schenectady. Just where the column will be located has not been determined, but it will probably be in front of St. Paul's Church, in Shelton Square.

This thing sat in Shelton Square for a few years with an insane amount of mercury dangling above people's heads! You'll have to imagine the blue-green and red lights. That big ball at the upper right was the Times-Square-like light ball. How many mosquitos or bugs did this thing attract?