Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1901-11-14
THE EAGLE AND SQUIRREL
How They Stopped the Electric Sup
ply of Los angeles

Los Angeles Times: An eagle and a
| squirrel deprived Los Angeles of some
of its wonted supply Of electric juice
one day last week in very peculiar
manner John Quinton. consulting civ
| il engineer who had charge of the
[ Third street tunnel work for the city,
vouches for the truth of the story,
which happened as follows:
Several days ago Mr.. Quinton went
to Mill Creek canyon to do some en-
gneering work for the Edison Electric
company. The company's power house,
which supplies electricity for Los An
eeles and other Southern California
towns is situated at the mouth OF the
canyon. Above the power house Is the
flume which conveys the water which
furnishes the power for generating the
electricity. 1t often happens that leaves
and other fotsam and jetsam are
brought down the fume to the forebay,
whence vertical pipe carries the water
to the turbine wheels at the power
house 500 or 700 feet below. The sue
ton at the entrance TO this pipe is very
great, and in order TO prevent drift ma
terial from getting into it and clog
ging the pipe a wire screen is placed
over the aperture.
Sometimes squirrels and other small
animals are carried down the flume in
to the forebay. where they are drown
ed II they fail TO swim out before they
are caught by the suction of the pipe
and drawn against the screen, where
they are held by the current until re-
moved by the employees Of the company
While Mr. Quinton was at the power
house one OF the powerful turbine
wheels suddenly came to StandStill
IT was surmsed that leaves or other
drift had clogged the entrance TO the
pipe thus shutting off the water sup
ply. Quinton and one of the power
house employees went up the canyon to
investigate. The employee thrust his
arm Int the water of the forebay to
scrapo the drift off the screen. But in
stead OF dead leaves or other rubbish
his hand encountered feathery object
He drew it forth and revealed the body
of an immense golden eagle. which had
completely clogged the entrance Of the
pipe. In the eagles claws was the body
of a squirrel 1t removing the dead an
finals the squirrel became disengaged
from the eagles talons and was sucked
had been partially removed IT. travers-
ed the length of the pipe and became
lodged in the nozzle at the further end
from which the water is discharged up
on the "agitator" of the electric dyna-
mo. Once more the wheels came to a
stop, the obstruction this time being
the body of the squirrel. The task of
removing 1t was difficult one. but was
at last accomplished. and the supply of
juice for the valley towns was again
restored
The theu"v in regard to the drowning
of the eagle is that the big bird swoop-
ed down upon the squirrel. which it
spied in the swim, and was drawn into
tho Whirlpool formed by the suction
pipe before it could rise from tho water
with its prey.
AS the body of the eagle was in no
wise mangled or its plumage destroyed,
il was brought to Los Angeles by Mr.
Quinton. who had it mounted by a
taXidermist, and it now graces a pc
destal in the office of Olmstead q Quin-
ton, in the Laughlin building 1t is one
OF the finest specimens of the golden
eagle ever seen, and Mr.. Quinton is
justly proud of the relic.