The Savannah morning news., 1902-03-05
CITY IN DARKNESS
MELTED ELECTRIC WIRES SHUT
OFF THE LIGHTS.
HEAT FROM BURNING HOUSE.
MELTED TRUNK LINE THAT FURN-
ISLES LIGHT TO SOUTHERN
SECTION.

Every Street south of State and
Many Houses in Total Darkness
Burning of Building at Orange
and Ann streets Had Unlocked for
Result-Wires Melted Like Max
and Swinging To and Fro Menaced
the Lives of Hundreds Gathered
to watch the Work of the Flames,
ParrOIman GuiIfoyI the Only One
InJured-A minstrel show Under
Difficulties.
Every electric light in the city south
of State street was cold and dark for
several hours last night. A fire that
for a time ragged fiercely at Orange and
Ann streets melted the wires that sup
ply most of the city with electric light
and power and it was plunged into
darkness.
The wonder of it is that much more
serious damage was not done. The
strung on high poles and as they melted
under the fierce heat of the flames
within half a dozen feet of them they
swung like a pendulum to and fro
above the ground.
Near the sweep of the swinging
wires were massed hundreds of peo-
pie to watch the progress of the fire
that seemed for a time to threaten
that entire section of the city. By
what was indeed a freak of good luck
no one was seriously injured.
The only accident was to Police Pa
trolman Joseph Guilfoyle, who was on
duty on Broughton street and hurried
to the fire when the alaram was sound
ed. A swinging wire, red hot from the
flames that had melted it in two, but
fortunately carrying only very light
current of electricity. came in contact
with the back of the policeman's hand,
burning deep into the flesh. 1t made
a painful and troublesome, though not
serious wound.
The building in which the fire start
ed and which was burned was a negro
lodging house, owned and run by C.
L. Lane. A mystery surrounds the
origin of the fire, though it is gener-
ally believed to have started from an
exploded or overturned lamp on the
second floor. The house is a two-story
on a basement frame tenement.
An Impressive Scene.
For time the scene at the fire was
singularly impressive. The old wooden
structure, with it's easily infamable
contents, burned like finder, and the
flames were famed by brisk westerly
wind. At first it seemed impossible for
the firemen to get sufficient pressure to
lift the streams TO the top of the build
ing, but as the streams got into full
play and the apparatus from other sta
tons reached the fire, a constantly in
creasing volume of water was poured
into the blazing interior and upon the
walls of the surrounding houses. From
the burning building the smoke and
flames leaped far up.
An electric light was suspended in
the center of the intersection of
Orange and Ann streets and as the
flames reached the wire that supplied
this light and melted it, the lamp
went out with a fash and a splutter
Another wire was melted, and then
another, and each, as it was separ-
ated, fell and swung viciously to-
wards the people in the street. From
the ends, ret hot from the flames.
little dancing jets of electricity blue
devils it seemed, flashed and cracked.
The admirable work of the firemen
saved the surrounding buildings from
obstruction, but the loss of the lodg-
ing house in which the fire originated
and to which it was confined was from
the very inception a foregone conclu-
SION. The walls were left standing, but
the second-story was practically
burned away and the remainder of the
building was Quilted by fire and wa
ter.
Lane estimates the loss on his build
ing at between $1,000 and 81 500 and on
his furniture at between 5000 and 5000
The loss is partially covered by in
surance in companies represented by
Newcomb & Co.
The City in Darkness.
Among the wires melted bv fbe
flames was the main trunk line Of The
Savannah Electric Company. that sun
plies electric light and power to nine
tenths of the city. When this wire
melted every electric light in the city.
are ana lncadescent, south of State
street, went out
Much unavoidable inconvenience fol-
lowed this mishap. In many residences
electricity supplies the only means OF
illumination, and these households
found it necessary to institute at once
a search for unused lamps and undis-
coverable candles. The city, depending
entirely upon electricity for its lights.
was in darkness
Queries as to the cause of the dis
aster flew over the telephone into the
power house of the Savannah Electric
Company and Mr.. c. B. Kidder, assist
ant manager of the company, and in
charge of the light and power depart
ments, was kept busy answering them.
The construction force of the COM
pany was got together as soon as pos
sible. and under the direction of Mr..
Kidder began to repair the damage. AS
soon as the firemen had left the con-
struction gang was on the spot At /
o'clock this morning the wires had
been repaired and the city lights in
the affected district were again in
perfect order.