Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-16
AT WORK.
The Postal Telegraph Company Loses
% Wires by the Storm.
HOW THE WESTERN UNION FARED.
Highland Park Concert Attendants Caught
in the Rain.
WHERE The MINOR DAMAGE WAS DONE

The. storm last evening left many re-
minders in its course. The air was filled
with electricity, and telegraph and
telephone wires suffered greatly.
The Postal Company experienced the
greatest damage. The storm started
in the West and came due Eastward. Be-
tween the Exposition" city and Pittsburg,
the Postal Company lost 20 wires in less
than that many minutes. The damage was
done by lightning striking the poles and
burning out the wires. As they were
burned off they dropped down and twisted
around others, damaging them also.
After the storm reached Pittsburg and had
spent its force, it started Eastwasd. At 10
o'clock the lightning was doing business in
the mountains By few minutes after 10,
three wires of the Postal Company had
been broken between New York and this
city, and, as the storm travelled, fresh re-
ports of its doings were reported all along
the line.
The Storm Works the Keys.
The Western Union Company's expert
ence was a peculiar one. 1t did not lose a
wire either East or West. Trouble was en-
countered in transmitting messages as the
air was so highly charged with electricity.
For time it was impossible to distinguish
the clicks OF the instruments. This trouble
grew less later in the evening, but it did
not entirely pass away
In the dynamo room of the Western
Union Office festive lightning held high car
nival for time. The dynamo man was busy
with his work in the room when the storm
came. Streaks of electricity were 1ying
through the air and playing over the ma
chinery at gait just a trife too swift.
The man started tor the door, hardly
hoping to reach it alive. Although the
frisky stuff was dancing around his head
the whole way, he made his escape A boy
who carried lunch to the operators was pass
ing the room at the time. and he narrowly
escaped. 1t is said he was so badly scared
that sandwiches and coffee were dropped in
a heap on the floor
The Central District messenger rooms
were invaded. Nearly all the circuits
were burned out. They were speedily re-
paired, and half hour after the storm had
passed the boxes were in working order
again.
The Telephone System Suffers.
The telephone lines suffered some, but
did not consist of anything more than the
burning out OF wires.
During the heavy rain last night the cleo
trio lights in the entire upper end of the
Southside went out, leaving that portion of
the city in darkness for over an hour The
sharp and almost continuous lightning af-
fected the traction wires SO that the cars
stopped running during the storm.
The pleasure of several thousand people
who, notwithstanding the threatening
clouds, assembled at Highland Park last
night to listen to the Cathedral Band con-
cert, was cut short by the sudden storm.
The rush to get home was something
frightful. Everybody wanted to get there
first, and buggies:: carriages, bicycles and
people came down Highland avenue like a
flood. The Duquesne line could not accom-
modate the rush, causing not a few to take
an unwelcome bath, as we'll as walk. A
great many people were knocked down by
the rush. but none were injured.
A small panic was created in a Duquesne
Traction car at the corner of Oakland ave-
nue. and..Forbes street during the storm by a
heavy bolt of lightning, which put out the
lights in the car. The ladies screamed, and 4
were badly frightened, but it was all over
in a few seconds, and the car passed on to-
ward town.
Word was sent to the Fourteenth ward
station that lightning had struck the East
End Laundry, but it was false alarm. All
the incandescent lights were put out about
Oakland by the lightning
A particular heavy thuRderbolt at 9:15
struck the fire escape in the rear of the
Hamilton building and damaged The wires
Of the Allegheny Light Company in
Diamond alley. Y