The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-09-29
SIZZLING WIRES
IMPERIL THR0NG
Brilliant Electrical Display Was
Caused by Rainstorm.
CAPTAIN BURBlDGE HURT
KNOCKED sENSELEsS, BUT RE
COVERS SLIGHTLY INJURED.

For few minutes last night the
! business section at Main and Second
South streets was transformed into "a
dazzling cross of brilliant flames,
showering fire and suffering electric
wires. The rainstorm produced one of
the most spectacular and awe-inspir-
ing pyrOtechnic displays ever witnessed
/ on the streets. The atmosphere over
| head was filed with vari-colored
tongues of flame. shooting hither and
thither Showers Of sparks fell like
rain. The network o. wires on the
poles glOWed like ribbons Of light.
Broken wires sCuirmed on the wet
pavement and spat fire like writhing
snakes.
Persons under the rain Of fire we're
terror-stricken
Captain J. B. Rurbidge Of the police
! department was rendered unconscious
and several persons received severe
shocks. A horse was almost electro
cuted. Probably 900 persons wit
messed the display and there was a
wild scramble among them to get out
Of danger. A transformer pole was set
aftre and the fire department had to
be called out to extingUish the flames,
No serious damage was done.
Cause of the Trouble.
The heavy rain caused a feed wire
charged with 1000 volts of electricity
to be short circuited near Second South
and Commercial streets. The trans
former on pole near State street was
burned out and the feed wire burned
i'm two tt dropped across the net
work of telephone wires. Instantly the
line Of wires from State street TO the
circuit breakers on West Temple and
up and down Main street from First
IN in
Tongues of fire shading from blue 20
bright red filled the air with "A blind
ing and dazzling light. Fra gments OF
whte-hot wire and burning Insulation
poured down all along the streets.
Each Of the countless number OF wires
seemed TO be ablaZe from end 10 end
Of the blocks. There were flashes as
Of lightning that blinded everyone and
made them feel as if they were being
wrapped in flame.
a number Of the wires burned I'm two
and the dangling ends fell to the wet
pavement. Such sputtering and
splitting Of fire and writing Of red-3ot
wires has seldom been seen. The pools
of water on the streets and in the gut
tiers resembIed lakes of fire.
Brings Danger to Throng.
When the display started there were
not less than 1000 persons gathered
around the corner of Main and Sec
ond South streets. and many hacks
and buggies were standing there. The
people were frightened into panic,
fearing each instant that a live wire
would strike them. As a result there
was a wild scramble to get away. In
their efforts to reach places of safety,
women and children stepped over the
suffering wires that, had they
touched them. would have severely
burned or perhaps killed them. Teams
were frightened and il looked for a
few moments as if there might be hale
a dozen runaways This was prevent
ed by cool-headed pedestrians and
drivers, who quickly got their teams
out from under the burning wires.
Burbidge is Knocked Down.
In the midst of the excitement a car
stopped under a pole and Captain Bur-
bidge alighted. he STEPPED upon the
rail of another track over which lay
the end of a fallen wire. In an in
slant he was knocked TO the ground
and was unconscious for some ten or
fifteen minutes. lie received Il slight
burn on the face and bruised one arm.
1T seemed to me, j." said the captain,
that a great ball of fire struck me I'm
The side OF the face. and then / don't
remember what happened"
He believes that a hanging wire
struck him on the face and caused the
burn.
A horse that was attempting TO run
away came IN contact with heavily
charged wire. The animal was lifted
off the pavement and fell as If dead
IT was some time before he recovered
and could be removed from the street
The transformer pole at Commercial
and Second South streets caught fire
and the department had to be called
out to extinguish the flames. The car
lines were tied up on account Of the
accident for awhile but aside from
this not much damage was done.