The Osceola times., 1884-04-26
DANGEROUS TELEPHONES.
An Accident Caused In tho once Of the
Attorney for the Fire Department.

| Attorney for the Fire Department.
New York World
Mr.. William L. Findley, the attorney
for the fire department, has his Office on
the seventh floor of the Equitable build
ing on Broadway. Yesterday he had
occasion to use his telephone He told
the office boy to ring up a certain num-
Der and the boy raised his hand confid-
ingly to where he knew the crank of
the telephone should be.
The was no crank to be seen, and all
that remained of the telephone were
three or four shattered ends of wire
sticking out from the wall.
There amt any telephone kere, Mr..
Findley." the boy exclaimed in amaze
ment, "and guess there's been a fire."
"No telephonew said the attorney of
the board, and he came out of his office
and looked at the dismantled wires.
The telephone box was set on hard
white wood. The place where the box
had been was white, but around it were
black daubs, as though the wood had
been smeared with brush.
Mr.. Findiey called at the telephone
office and learned that one of the tele-
phone wires had fallen across fire.
alarm wire and caused an explosion in
Mr.. Findley's telephone box and set fire
to the woodwork The accident occur
ed Wednesday night, and was discover
ed by the telephone company when the
wires ceased to work. Men hurried
down to the Equitable luilding late at
night and extingIished the fire, which
on account of the non-combustible ma
ture Of the wood, gained little hea6way.
The box itself had been completely
shattered, and had the accident occurred
when any one was using the wires death
would have been the probable result.
Are these accidents anyway COM
mon?" the clerk in Mr.: Findley's Office
was asked.
"Quite," was the answer. "We have
five suits at present pending against tel
ephone companies for damage TO fire.
alarm boxes. The cause has been in the
most cases the same as here. When the
wires crossed the current has run down
into the alarm-boxes, setting fire to the
poles and running the apparatus. No
very great amount of damage was
done"
In the afternoon Mr.. Findley went up
on business for fire department head
quarters. He met Mr.. Esterbrook, tn e
inspector of buildings
That must have been quite an explo-
sion," remarked she inspector as Mr..
Findley finished his story
1T might have resulted seri usly," the
attorney replica.
"Mr. Esterbrook took Mr.. finu.~..
arm and led him up to the long, oblong
room that comprises his Office and those
of his clerks and stopped before his
desk. "rhere's where | sit said Mr..
Esterbrook, pointing to his chair, "and
there is where the telephone used to
be-
Just behind Mr.. Esterbrook's chair
stoou number of very black boards
and a few struggling wires, that looked
yery much like those in the attorneys
office. Mr.. :Esterbrook produced a tele-
phone box. The inside was torn into
different parts and looked as though
dynamite had been exploded N its CEN
tire.
well" said the inspector, what do
YOU think of that for an explosion be-
hind your ear. A little bigger one than
yours, l guess"
At the headquarters of the rire depart.
ment il was said that great deal of
trouble resulted from the crossing OF
telephone wires and alarm wires, and
that unless something was done large
fire would be the result of the meeting
of the electric current,