The sun., 1893-06-01
ELECTRICITY ON A RAID.
SOME ISTONISHMENT CREATED IN
7UO BROOKLYN HOUSES.

Melted. brilliant Displays OF Blue and
Green Pyrotechnic.. and n Roof set Anre.
Wires ere stretched In the air nt regular
intervals across Atlantic avenue. Brook
lyn. all along the route OF the troll
ley electric wiro lines. Thoy arc hung
above the wires that supply electric
power to the cars, and fastened to iron posts
along tho curb line. They are callod safety
wires" because they are used to keep tho
electric light and telegraph wires from COM
ing in contact with tho trolley limo In case
either OF the former wires Gags One OF these
safety wires anchored to n p st in front of
barber shop at 2S4 Atlantic avenue got out OF
place yesterday morning. and at 81 o'clock
linemen OF tho trolley road came along on one
OF the tnll repair cars and started to fix It
The men had been working about n quarter
OF an hour when the trolley electricity played
ono OF the most fantastic and startling pranks
that trolley lightning has yet treated Brook
lynites to-.
There werc brilliant display OF blue and
green sparks. two loud reports. as II some-
body had fired OF a big pistol, water pipes in
two houses were melted. and roof was set
nblaze. The next ten minutes was made
mighty lively FOR the neighbarhood and for the
police and flremen. Tho m It curious thing
about all the tomioolery OF tho trolley light
ming was that tho linemcn didn't know what
had happened until they saw the tcnants OF
the houses 100 feet away from where they
were at work rush bareheaded and panic
stricken into the street.
The safety wire in front OF the house No. 2S4
had got crossed somehow with another wire.
and raised old hob. not at the point OF contact.
but on the top OF trolley pole In front OF
corner OF Atlantic avenue and Smith street.
August Meyer. Grocer Schnorr's clerk. was
outside on the walk getting some vegetables
ling as II somebody had set of a pnck OF
crackers overhead. He saw n gorgeous shower
the top Of the trolley pole. Then he saw smoke
curl from the eastern end OF the wooden avn
IN instant later smoke cured from under the
tin cCrniGe Of the roof Two explosions, like
20s and 800. two doors away from
The ssg ss;S Ssse s Gns sn han IN
gan gar to pour from behind the Wooden casing
r hS Tss no%
the dickens had hannened. and their aston, m
alarm %hen they n heard ee tho
nue.. The grocer's clerk had dashed to a Aro
box and sent in an alarm the, moment ho saw
leader running along the side Of, the front OF
fireworks on the trolley pole and the cracking
along the water pipes hoth ceased as suddenly
the root and rineed away section, OF the tin
SeSsn s%pss E., pail q wasor sou'sd out
and the electric light company came around
discovered that m iron frame at the curb that
sSnsot With hs s
The frame; which Is made Of holloT tubing.
s hsss a s 1sf
into the damp ground In which the base ofthe
"fe i ps epffS 4 n.W nps ept
along to the tin leader. and raced to the roof
ITdhen Then it ran along the cor9Iees Of 20. H1
and root Of 2N4,- The houses 2a8 and 300
which are owned respectively by Auto No
iron vontilntors which run from the sewer to
the roof. Alongside these ventiators run tho
sS TRs ,ss. ps Tns RcSa ths fyta aonsn aSSn
house. tho electricity struck the LEAD water
at 2NS and Mr.. Fetter at 800. Plumbers came
lead pipe was partly melted and filed with
very very n' ine drIi. III They cut away the damaged
sectlon Of pire and soldered in a new ,.., one
ing Off over the roofs and down the vsnti-
lutors.
well you ses" said tho electrical EXPERT
"the water In tho pipo was \ stronger con-
ductor than the damp E ground In which the
attracted the electricity"
The insmen got tho lightning back on-its
proper track within q few minutes nfter It
and Grocer Schnorr were figuring M bills for
plumbing and roofing to present the trolley
company. 1t cost the city Of Brooklyn $50 to
put out the fire. and 1t will take about $50 out
Of the treasury OF ths trolley company to sot-
tie tho damages.