The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-07-28
INTO A LIVE WIRE
TROLLEY CAR CAUSED TROUBLE
AT BAY AND BARNARD STREETS.
PLENTY OF PYRoTECHNICS.
FOLLOWED THE COMPLETION OF A
CIRCUIT by A RAIL.

No One Was Injured by the Fallen
Guy Wire, but There Was Danger.
Wet Night Made Electricity Freak
ish-MOfOrman Pushed the Live
Wire Until 1t Came in Contact
With RaiI-InstantIy There Was
"A Brilliant Glow, shower of
Sparks, and the Guy Wire Was
Burned in TVvO-Twenty Feet of 1t,
mt a White Heat, Lay on the Pave
ment.
A brilliant electric display was pre-
scented on Bay street, near Barnard, at
1915 O'clock last night. The pity of
it was that the spectators were so
few. 1t would have been appreciated
by far larger crowd than was af-
forded by the several motormen and
conductors the three or four passen-
gers, the policeman and the newspaper
man who witnessed it.
An last and West Broad car ran
into a live guy wire, which had broken
and fallen to the track below. 1t
looked innocent enough on the
ground at first. The motorman did
not see it, however, until his car was
upon it, or he would never have court
ed the danger it offered.
When the car struck the wire three
or four brilliant flashes lighted up Bay
street, putting the electric lights that
We're burning overhead to shame The
flashes alternated with perfect show
ers of sparks, which flew in all direc-
tons.
Start of the Show.
The motorman turned off his cur
rent and he and the conductor and
the one or two passengers 1eaped from
the car. An Abercorn- Barnard car,
which had just turned into Bay street
from Abercorn, was in view when the
pyrotechnics started. 1t ran on up to
the scene, where it stopped. The mo-
torman and conductors then held a
council of war.
The motorman of the. East and West
Broad car showed considerable temeri-
ty. He decided he would poke up the
guy wire, which, by this time, had
become very lively, and was splitting
and Kissing on the ground.
Every now and then it would
emit a particularly vicious splut-
ter, and the bystanders would
glance about their feet to see if, any
chance, they were within range.
With the insulated end OF a con-
troller or handle of some sort, the mo-
torman, having approached gingerly to-
ward the end of the wire, gave it a
little push. Then he jumped back, and
everybody else did the same thing,
for then the fireworks began in earnest.
The touch of the motorman had thrown
the wire into contact with the rail,
completing a circuit over which ire
mendous voltage was passing.
Kissed and spIuttered.
The first display was Liliputian in
comparison with that which followed
the establishment of this circuit. There
was a vast kissing and spluttering
and sparks flew in showers. The cur
rent had started in to demolish the
guy wire, and it was doing it at light
ming speed. Five seconds after the
circuit was completed the guy wire,
which had been heated throughout its
entire twenty feet until it shone white
in the darkness, was burned complete
ly in two near the trolley wire. The
guy then fell to the ground, where
it lay at its white heat on the paw
ing stones. The trolley was still show
ing off, however, and it did not stop
its display until it had burned out
the insulation at the point where the
guy wire had crossed.
Pulled on the Track.
By this time two more cars had ar
rived on the scene, and these We're
waiting for some disposition of the
other end of the guy wire to be made
in order that they might pass. A rope
was passed about one end of it, and
a conductor pulled it to one SIDE en-
abling the cars to pass.
The pyrotechnics were probably due
to the wet weather. The electric fluid
was playing queer freaks. At tele-
phones and at incandescent lights
slight shocks were encountered fire.
quently.
The accident occasioned considera-
BILE delay, as cars We're tied up for If
teen minutes at that point After 10: &c
o'clock cars on the Abercorn- Barnard
belt were operated on half hour
schedule, as two were taken off in or
der to handle crowds from the West
End line.