New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-03-15
THT TIE CITY WAS IN DARKNESS.
THE ELECTRIC LIGHT WAS TURNED OFF.
TELEPHONE PEOPLE FEARED THAT THERE wouLD

Bad as was the condition Of things here on
Monday night, the situation would have been
aggravat, ID thousdnd-fold had any serious fire
broken out The Fire Department was almost
helpless. Few of the signals wcrc in working
order and the impass lble condition of the streets
would have made it almost impossible for the
engines TO do much toward protecting the city.
How narrowly the city escaped such disaster
was learned yesterday by q TrIBUNr reporter.
The damage especially severe on the telephone
lines. These wires run along on the same poles
that bear the electric light wires. The electric
/ light companies could have lighted up as usual
on Monday night, but they did not start their
dypamoS The cause OF their inacton was the
! receipt Of a letter by each of the companies ato
on Monday afternoon. which had been sent by
one of the chief executive officials OF the Metro
politan Telephone Company. The Substance of
II was that tn elec ric hight wires were every
where cross d by those of The telephone, TO ST TT
: the light-gvng currents would mean nothing else,
| I'm all probability than the ignition OF buildings
all over the city since the currents sent over the
electric LIGHT lines were strong enough TO set
almost anv ordinary indammable substance on
fire.
| HUNDREDS OF FIRrs AVERT,
The importance of the warning a. onco
rcaliz d by all the light companies. Responses
were sent back promptly to the telephone central
Office that no circuits would be run. The result
was that the city was left in darkness but IN
safety SO far as regards the danger from the
/ electric lights. In commenting Oh this matter
/ yesterday. a well-lnOwn authority on electncu
Subjects who is entirely familiar with the facts
as here st forth, said:
have hesitation in asserting that had the electric
lights turned usual New York would have been
fire In hundreds OF places within m hour AMI the almost
helpless condition of the Fire Department would have maze
It impossible much to have been done toward putting
these Indeed, don't how the city could have
escaped terrible cOnlagraton These brohen telephone
wires would have carried the sparks in all directions into
awnings houses and every" here else ana the effect
would have been terrible
Another thing. Had the powerful electric light eur
rents turned would have been great loss
OF life These currents are powerful that they strike
o man dath onsucs instantly. The streets on Monday
night were fun al dangling ends OF telephone wires which
in hundreds Instances fell down across the electric
light wires The minute the latter current had been
turned those ends would have become so many dath
dealing points This position 1t IS fact that
has been demonstrated here ami elsewhere again ana again
| Ia the killing Of men and animals IN this way.
MESSAGES SENT LONG WAY AROUND
The telegraph and telephone companies were
able to report some progress yesterday, though
the condition Of both still remains bad enough.
The Western Unions chief gains were the rccs-
tablishmtnt OF cJmmunieatiOA "ith boston, " ash
! instOn and Baltimore. D,st N messages W
sent by way of Albany, while everything lor
! Washington and Baltimore had to go 60 chicago
Grot and tlan be Mt back t. the Capital Chicago
ana CINCINNATI nave each wire To washington
and Baltimore. Up to last evening Mt. Vernon
was the furthest Eastern point thdt had been
| reached. ON the Erie road the line Is open TO
! Paterson: on the Pennsy yNanla, only 10 lar as
/ Elizabeth.
Ihis state vas fairly well covered There
were two lines to the Albany Office which IS now
/ handling all the Canada business, one duplex 10
/ SyIacuse, one to Rochester, two dupleXes t0 Buff
/ falo, TWO wires 10 larrytown and most Of the
other Hudson River towns. Philadelphia was
reached by way of Buffalo With every train
that started or attempted to start in any direction
! a large gang Of lincmcn and operators sent to
! Io V-lu
nications along the line. II may take fort night
| the officials say, to put up the hundreds OF poles
/ that are down and replace all the other damage,
but fYe days. of good weather will enable them
10 have the lines in working order, and this Is
! all that will be attempted for the present The
| Postal Telegraph Company and the United Lines
| people reported an improvement in their affairs.
! The Postal Company is using single wins TO Chi
cago Pitlsburg, and other points West slnd
South, but the oliceis say that there Is no dlf-
! fculty in getting them through all right Most
/ OF this company's wires are made of copper with
strong steel wire running through them The
work Of repairing the wires in the city y b'lng
rushed vigorously but the Western Union IS depend
| Ing mainly upon its tubes for sending messages
! Only few circuits were In working order up to
last night
ABLE TO srND FIRE ALArMs
The repairs to the police telegraph progressed so
well that in the afternoon the wires were In
working order between Headquarters and all the
precnct stations except the Carmansville, High
bridge and Kingsbrdge stations. Much satlstac-
tion on account of the renewal Of telegraphic
communication with the precincts was expressed
bv Superintendent Murray and other officials at
the Central Office. Most Of the fire alarm wires
were said to be in working order again. put the
police were still under orders TO give Information
Of fires at engine houses after sendlhg alarhS
from the signal boxes ;,
At tho Fire Department Headquarters II was
stated that the wires and boxes were IN nrSV
rate order and little trouble was looked for In
that direction. The department. has borrowed,
hired pressed into It's service all the horses ana
sleishs It requires but the difficulty OF getting
TO fires is only slightly diminished In view OF
the gravity Of the situation the Fire Comnlssioners
adoptcd the following resolutions, which We're
forwarded to Mayor Hewitt By Commissioner
Purroy.
Resolved That his Honor. the Mayor he respectfully
requested to ask the cooperation " all the available forces
every department OF the city government ID
making pasabe the main thooughfares OF the CITY, ana
the streets leading those upon which fire apparatus
houses are situated ard also In cleaning working space
around the nre hydrants
Resolved That his Honor. the Mayor be further TO
ouestei to Join with the Fire Department In urging the
removal Of the from the street railroad tracks oy Tile
several companies soon a. piacticaoie'
TELEPHONE WIRES sTriL TANGLED.
Sunerintcndent Eclert, Of the Metropolitan
Telephone Company, had not left his Office, IN
Cortlandt-st from Monday until last night
lie las been doing his best to get the thousands
Of wires belonging TO that company dsentangied,
but despite his untirng efforts he was obliged
70 confess yesterday that matters were stu IL
oOo,noDiicated condition A great deal Of repairing
has been done. but more remains to do 1t was
supposed at first that there were only a. few poles
down but it now appears that HUNDREDS are pros
tratn Oxer I5O are down in Tenth-ave. AS
many more have fallen In West Seventeenth t., d ana
West Eleventh SITS, besides doIens sr IN , tiarlem,
Rrooklvn and other places. These represent
I'VE are pretty badly off, said the Sapern,
i. sh nor cent of our customers and II the
w@stber remains half decent, by Friday night
Veil he able to serve the rest 40,
w reference was made TO the subways. on
,hfa storm has settled that question:" replied Mr.
Eekert. have always maintained thst the
nner we got our wires under ground the better,
mg tIis Gale has demonstrated that was right
! II''d don't think there will be any further hcsita
zion about burying the wires either here or any
,ybere else Similar statements were made by
otber prominent electrical wire men, TO the great
satisfaction OF the Subway Commissioners, IL