The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-08-11
STREET CARS LAID UP
People Turning Corn shelters to Fee
at H0me.

.GSOpic AuCnIn8 COFu Bneltor8 30 EOeI
at H0me.
Unlike the patient people the elements
could no longer hold their wrath and
swatted the Wichita street car system.
1t stopped short, Wednesday night, like
the grandfather's clock which stood on
the shelf. In the afternoon the lightning
hit the wire, jumped into the station and
ran over q weak lightning arrester and
laid out the first dynamo cold. Several
car were taken OF and the single remain
ing dynamo set to work.
Things went well through the evening
and then some guilty soul who will have
TO answer for his work, remained out late
at night and caused the whole system to
shut down.
There was reason to believe ne was a
North Topeka avenue man. The police
have his name He was the last man
down town. He was playing pitch and
he stayed late. He caught the last North
Topeka avenue car. II he hadn't caught
It. 1t would have turned around and gone
to the barn. But the North Topeka ave-
nue. dissipator had to be taken home and
the car had to take him. Meanwhile tho
lightning was flashing and the man at
the power house was holding his breath
hoping that that North Topeka car, which
was the only one out. would get in before
the lightning hit the wire Finally the
North Topeka man was unloaded at his
home and the car turned back to get to
the barns. Fiercer flashed the lightning.
The man at the power house counted the
minutes. II the car should get into the
barn he could shut or the dynamo and
save It from lightning.
The motorneer knew this too. He drove
his spurs into the car. hung onto the dash
board and drove It on, faster and faster
But 1t was not to be. When within two
blocks OF the barn. the lightning hit the
wire and bounced into the remaining dy-
namo and made II look like a guitar
string factory that had been hit by a
cyclone.
Manager Church went to Topeka yester-
day TO get a new dynamo II there Is a
spare one there. II there is, cars will be
running again by Saturday. II dyna-
mo Is not there, It will take two weeks.
Meanwhile the people are generally be-
coming acquainted with the name OF the
Topeka avenue man who kept the car out
and shattered the street railway system
because Of his late hours and will. in due
time fix him.
No cans at sill ran yesterday and none
will run today Ernest sat on the curb
yesterday with his telescope in his inside
pocket and a look Of Il-earat gloom on his
complexion.
While the Wichita street cars have had
hard time in the past and snow mas
sometimes stopped them, this IS the first
time when they have refused TO be pushed
through big drifts OF sunshine banked up
on the track.
Their absence was quite noticeable. At
one time Harry Stewart at a distance Of
two blocks on Main street heard Judge
Dale telling a political secret 70 Rufe
Cone. ana John Swain had Walter Hart
zell go out in the back yard Of the Kan
sas News stand and turn a corn shelter
so that things would seem natural again
Never IN the history OF Wichita has
any other Kansas town has all the dyna-
mos in a power house been burned ont az
the same time. On several occasions one
OF them has been laid out by a bolt OF
lightning and only two or three OF the
cars could run hut yesterday not single
car hove IN sight on any OF the streets.
A dynamo IS an intricate arrangemeut