Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-04
PERILS OF THE TROLLEY.
The Electric Current Run Into Neigh.
boring Buildings.

|
From the Philadelphia Press.
| Because of a broken trolley wire cleo
tricity played queer pranks yesterday at
| 23d street and Paramount avenue.
Two locks in the doors of a saloon be-
came unavoidable, and the salconkeeper
was a prisoner for a few minutes in his
own place. Sparks Of blue flame darted
out of faucet instead of water at 300
Paramount avenue. and Mrs. Scott, who
| lives there was slightly shocked by the
current. One end of a trolley wire fixed
in the snow. and when smoke assembled a
| humorist. who saw the spectacle, said
THAT snow is on fire, sure!
Citizens around 23d street and Paramount
| avenue were mostly busy at late breakfast
| when trolley car No. 235 of the Peoples
| Traction Company sped west on the avenue,
and at the intersection of 23d street the
| arm" of the trolley car came off the over
head feed wire. That caused the whole
trouble. The conductor did his best to per-
suade the "arm' to remain on the wire,
but the former came into violent collision
| with the unchanged trolley wire on the
23d street line of the Philadelphia Trac-
ton Company, and the force caused the
Traction Company's wire to snap, leaving
one end dangling and twisting in the air
| like a live serpent.
Fed an Unchanged Wire.
The wind blew the unchanged wire across
the feed wire of the Peoples Traction
Company, and then it became charged.spat
fire, and became the dangerous agent which
created SO much havoc. One end fell
against tree, scorching the latter, and
then against an awning post in front of
Lambert Klein's saloon, 1901 Paramount
avenue. The current followed the water
pipe which runs under the awning poles
to the wine cellar, and then the water pipe
burst in the cellar, flooding the floor until
the latter was covered by one foot of
water.
Mr.. Klein vas upstairs at the time, and
when he looked out the window and saw
the wire emitting blue sparks he ran to
open the side door, and could not do SO
until a few minutes had elapsed, as he was
unable 10 turn the key in the lock. Once
outside, he tried to open the lock on the
| main door leading to his saloon, but the
works of the lock were clogged by some
mysterious influence.
BY this time residents on the street were
rapidly becoming terrorized. The current
next ran up a water spout between Klein's
saloon and John Eckleys store, adjoining,
and the water spout fell to the sidewalk,
broken into three pieces. In one piece of
pipe the electricity burned hole about two
inches in diameter, and. around the circle,
green and blue spots were observed.
"Eckles' roof is on fire." yelled a man in
the crowd, and sure enough, smoke and
blue flame assembled from the cornice. The
destroying current next played on the roof
of William H. Senn's store, 23O5 Paramount
avenue, but, cur1OuSly enough II kept cledr
of Robert Hunters house, 1907 Paramount
avenue. Mrs. Hunter was in the kitchen
when flash of light illumined the yard in
the adjoining house of Mrs. Scott, 1909
Paramount avenue, and blue flame was seen
playing on a water-spout on the outside of
Mrs. Scott's bath room.
Sparks Instead of Water.
Unconscious of her danger Mrs. Scott
was in the act of drawing water from the
faucet but the moment she placed jug
under the faucet a shower of fiery sparks
burst out. Then water gushed out of the
pipe, passed into the jug and Mrs. Scott
received slight shock. To her alarm, the
two faucets before her became red hot and
fell into the bath tub, having evidently
been melted by the intense heat. Here
the havoc ceased, and the current disap-
peared.
In the meantime an expert electrician
had arrived from the car house of the
Philadelphia Traction Company, one block
distant. and he grasped the deadly wire
with his hands covered with rubber gloves.
The moment the live wire touched the
trolley car rail there was a tremendous
bang" which was heard squares away.
That's a wicked-lookng wire" observed
the expert, calmly, while the crowd edged
to the power house of the Philadelphia
Traction Company, at Ridge avenue and
Mount Vernon street, for help, and then
the trolley repair wagon dashed up, filled
with men wearing rubber boots and rubber
gloves, and carrying pincerS. The broken
wire was speedily cut, and the other end
placed in position again.
Truck A was sent for, but there was lit
tie work for the men to do, as by this time
the deadly current had travelled its circuit.
unguished and the loss to property was
estimated to be about $500