Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-04-04
Dangerous Telephones.
New York World.

Mr.. William I. Findley, the at
torney for the Fire Department, has
his office on the seventh floor of the
Equitable Building on Broadway.
A few days ago he had occasion to
use his telephone He told the office
boy to ring up certain number and
the boy raised his hand contidingly
to where he knew the crank OF the
telephone should be.
There 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 here, Mr..
Findiey," the boy exclaimed IN amaze
ment land l guess there's been a
fire"
No telephone' 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. Findley 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. F.ndley's telephone box and
set fire to the woodwork. The acct
dent occurred Wednesday night, and
was discovered by the telephone com
Men hurried down to the Equitable
Building late at night and extinguish-
el the fire, which on account of the
noncombustable nature of the wood
gained little Roadway. The box IL
self had been completely shattered,
and had the accident occurred when
anyone 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. Eve
have suits at present pending against
the telephone companies for damages
to hre-alarm boxes. The cause has
been in most cases the same as here.
When the wires crossed the current
has run down into the alarm box, set
ting fire te the poles and running the
apparatus. No very great amount of
damage was done.
In the afternoon Mr.. Findley went
up on business to the Fire Department
Headquarters. He met Mr.. Ester
brook, the Inspector of Buildings.
That must have been quite an ex-
plosion," remarked the Inspector, as
Mr. Findley finished his story.
1T might have resulted seriously"
the attorney replied.
Mr.. E<terbrook took Mr.. Findley's
arm and led him to the long, room
that comprises his office and those of
his clerks and stopped before his desk.
There's where l sit, said Mr.. Ester
brook, pointing to his chair, '.and
there is where the telephone used to
be-.
Just behind Mr. Esterbrook's chair
stood number of very black boards
and a few strangling wires that look
ed very much like those in the at
torney's office. Mr.. Esterbook produc-
ed telephone box. The inside was
torn into dozen different parts and
looked as though dynamite had been
exploded in its center"
well. said the Inspector, what
do YOU think of that for an explosion
behind your cart A little bigger than
yours, guess"
At the headquarters of the Fire De
psrtment it was said that great deal
of trouble resulted from the crossing
of telephone wires and fire-alarm
wires, and that unless something was
done large fire would some day. be
the result of the meeting of the efec-
trio currents