The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-08-28


Near the Pulaski House two swires
came in contact, and at once that vicinity
became vivid with light. the display
being repeated from time to time until
one or both the cables had apparently
been burned out. Like exhibitions, from
similar cause, were frequent, on an un-
usual scale at Whitaker and Bay streets,
where, however, the electrical flashes
were at times ATTENDED by detonations
more or less loud.
Throughout the area Of the arc light
and electric car systems
continuous jets Of illumina-
tion, piercing the haze overhanging the
city, told of the unequal struggle in
which numbers of bisecting wires had
gone down.
THE CITY IN DARKNESS.
The incandescent lights of course,
succumbed, though a manful effort was
made to prolong their service Early in
the evening they had ceased to shine, but
later they again. but ftfully, responded.
At 10 o'clock they went into eclipse for
the night.
The clang Of the fire bells also pune
tuated the event of the contact and proba-
BILE burning out of the electric cables.
Taking the account of these mishaps as
told in the weird toll of the bells and the
rattle Of the telephone, it is con
elusive that the damage and
losses to the varied systems in the
city must have been very great. Moth
ing can be told as yet of the injuries to
the general telegraph lines, since the area
of the storm is unascertained. That the
losses will foot up largely as to the item
of wires alone, may be inferred from the
severity and duration of the hurricane at
this point, and which probably fell with
equal force upon other near by cities.
KILLED BY FALLEN WIRE.
A colored barber named Louis Gagnett
was instantly killed last night about 10
o'clock by coming in contact with a live
wire of the City and Suburban's line at
Abercorn and Bryan streets, which had
fallen within a few feet of the ground.
He was walking down Bryan street
with a companion, William Mulherin, to-
wards his home about that time, and
those who saw them say that both were
intoxicated.
A man who was standing at Bryan and
Abercorn streets, near Peacock, Hunt &
Co. s warehouse, said he saw the men as
they passed him, and he warned them not
to attempt to cross the street, as the
wires were down, and electric sparks and
fire were playing about the falien wires
with unusual frequency and intensity.
BURNED TO DEATH BY THE CURRENT.
The men, however, did not heed the
warning, or at least Gagnett did not, but
went straight ahead across the street un-
til he met the wire which dealt him
death. Mulherin avoided the wires ana
got across all right.
Gagnett, the man who was killed, un-
mindful of the warning tottered on across
the street. The wire was down within
two or three feet of the street
and the man who witnessed the
accident said that Gagnett stumbled on
the first rail of the car track and in fall
ing forward his chin struck the wire, and
he carried it down with him as he fell.
Gagnett's chin was burned almost to a
crisp. In striking the wire he had turned
a little to one side and the wire crossed
both his chin and his left shoulder, burn
ing down into his shoulder for an inch or
more. The lower half of his face was un-
recognizable. He had evidently been in
stantly killed by the current, which was
something over 800 volts strong.
THE RODY REMOvrD
The coroner was at once notified of
Gagnett's death, and came down with his
wagon to get the body. Gagnett's body
was placed in the wagon and was about
to be removed, when VIM Mulherin who
was with him at the time he met death,
came up and said that he would take
charge of the body, 1t was then removed
to Mulherin's house at Bryan and Aber-
corn streets, which is near where the acci-
dent occurred. Gagnett was a barber who
worked on Jefferson street.
THE STREET CAR LINES.
The street car lines held up well dur
ing the day and a portion of the night.
The Belt Line was the first to suspend op-
erations, which it did at o'clock in the
afternoon. The City and Suburban rail
ways schedule was interrupted in the
afternoon, but it resumed and continued
TO operate its cars until after 8 O'Clock
The Electric railway ran an almost unin-
terrupted schedule during the day and up
to 10 o'clock, when it was compelled to
stop on account Of the trees across the
track on Price and Duffy streets and in
other portions of the city
Traffic on the suburban lines was in
terrupted late in the afternoon. A tree
that was blown down across the Coast Line
to Isle of Hope at Thunderbolt inter
rupted traffic on that line. The City and
Suburban Short Line from Whitaker
street to Isle of Hope was also cut off in
the afternoon.
Traffic on the Thunderbolt lines was
put stop to early in the night by trees
across the tracks. Several parties who
had gone out in the afternoon were com
PEELED to spend the night at Thunderbolt.
CYCLONE TOWARDS CHARLESTON.
The passenger train on the Charleston
n d Savannah railroad arrived about an
hour and half late last night. The
trainmen reported that at the railroad
crossing four miles out of Charleston
they encountered the debris of a cyclone
that had passed that point earlier in the