St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-08
DEATH IN THE AIR.
Saggins Electric Wires Threaten
the Lives Of St. Louisans.

tLiCCIftC w tTCS
the Lives of st. Louisans.
ST. LOUIS, NO., Jan. THE sudden
advent of rain, snow and sleet has
transformed the business section of st.
Louis into veritable grotto of scintil-
lating icicles swinging to and fro on the
telegraph, telephone and electric light
wires. emitting flashes Of vari-cOlOred
light at frequent intervals. all going to
make up wonderfully beautiful scene,
and especially in the section in which
the wires hide the sun, which, should it
sec lit TO shine out and light up. nothing
on earth would equal it for brllliancy
or beauty. But the wary citizen
has learned to glance askance as he
passes beneath the ice-covered network
of wires, and the swapping of an icicle
is the signal for a mad, blind rush, such
as the cry of fire in a crowded theater
would produce. The deadly electric
light wires were the cause of many such
general exhibitions of alarm. The dan
ger of breaking limbs on sleety walks
was not half so near the public mind as
the fear of death from electric shock.
Now and then wire swagging beneath
q heavy weight of ice would touch
another wire. A blue spark would fly
for a moment and shivering blue
flame succeed until the fusing Of the
wires caused them to part and fall
cracking to the sidewalk. Then the
crowds would scatter. falling over each
other i'll their anxiety to reach place
OF safety. The accidents from electric
wires have been so numerous that hard
ly one man in a thousand will go near
fallen wire. Even the dogs run
HoWLING FROM THE SCENE.
The temperature fiuctuated much
after noon yesterday. As the mercury
fell the rain changed to sleet. During
the night the air grew steadily cold.
forming icicles and bearing coatingS of
ice on the wires. To-day the same kind
of weather prevailed. and the ice-in-
numbered wires sagged lower. The
police are watching for fallen wires.
the electric light and telegraph and
telephone companies have men ont re-
pairing the damage as rapidly as posi-
BILE, but the danger is still very great.
The board of public improvements is at
its wits end, but doing all it can to pro-
tcct the public. Two street ear horses
were killed and their heads nearly
burned off, at Fourth and Chest
nut streets, by an electric
wire this morning. The wire
was stretched across the necks of
the horses. and as they dropped to the
SlIStl QedQ a CtOuu VI >ilOh0 cdlii6 up
from them. The wire burned through
the flesh like 4 sharp knife and cut the
jugular vein. A stream of blood spurted
from the first horse, striking the pave
ment. The wire kept on burning until
cut by tiremen, who quickly arrived on
the scene. There were fifteen passeng-
ers on the car and they scrambled out
in every direction, some trying to get
out of the windows. There are delays
on all of the street car lines; the fire
alarm and police telegraph system is
also out of order, no less than $50 boxes
being useless during last night. For
tunately no fires occurred. or the result
would undoubtedly have been disas-
trous.
Buried Under Falling Walls.
Lone ISLAND CITY, l.. l., jan =
The north wall of the old machine shops