Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-12-26
AN OUTRAGEOUS ACT.
EMERY POWDER PLACED IN The LUBRICA-
TING OIL AT TIE CITY LIGHT PLANT,
With the Result That the Dynamo Bearings are Az
fsctsd, Much Extra Work Thrown on the
Force and Portion Of the City
Left in Darkness.

Some unhung Scoundrel perpetrated
a piece of vandalism at the city electric
light station. Friday, for which con-
dign punishment should be meeted out,
as soon as the rascal is caught.
A quantity of emery powder was
placed in the oil used In lubricating the
bearings Of the dynamos, with the re-
suit that the machines heated up. had
their bearings badly cut, and portion
Of the dynamos had to te laid of.
Superintendent Albert Capps is max
ing a rigid investigation Of the matter,
and nothing will be left undone TO trace
the act home to the guilty party.
The force at the plant got the ma
chimes in readiness for work Friday
night, as usual, but almost Immediately
after the start was made IL was found
that the bearings on the dynamos,
which run about 900 revolutions per
minute, were heating badly. The more
they were oiled the worse they got, and
an examination Of the oil showed there
was some gritty powdered substance in
il, which afterward proved TO be en-
cry powder. AS soon rs the nights run
was over the three machines on the east
side of the building which had given
the most trouble, were taken down and
the bearings examined. The brasses
were badly cut, and the presence Of the
powder told the story OF the trouble.
Superintendent Caps and his men at
once went 10 work on the machines, work
ing necessarily, without sleep, or even
going for meals, and the dynamos al
fected the most were gotten in fair
shape for work Saturday night, but still
there was some trouble, both from
heating and the slipping Of belts, and
as a result, circuits Nos. and 5 were
off portion OF the night, leaving the
lower part Of the city in darkness. The
extra dynamo came in very handy, or
there would have been greater incon-
venience 10 the public Last night the
trouble had been about remedied, and a
sharp watch will be kept on visitors and
the oil tank and filter in the future.
Superintendent Capps was seen last
night and said:
Il can't say that have any suspicion
as to the guilty party. In fact, | am
not prepared to say that any one put
the powder in the oil, yet it could not
have gotten there itself. We have a fl
ter standing In the dynamo room, where
the oil used In lubricstihg the dynamos
is cleaned, portion Of new oil mixed
with il, and ii is used over again. II
would be easy for some one, intending
10 damage the machinery, to take ad-
vantage OF an opportunity and place
some substance in the oil. The bear
ings on the dynamOs are very fine,
and as there is a high ten
sion on the belts, caused by their
being so short, the eighty
horse power strain en- each dynamo
pulls the bearings taut up on the side
nearest the line OF shafting, and the
least thing in the oil would cause heat
ing and all the attendant troubles. The
three machines on the east side OF the
line OF shafting were affected the worst,
aud we had a terrible time overhauling
them. The engine and shafting were
not affected, as We do not use the same
oil on that portion of the machinery
that IS run on the dynamos."