The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1904-11-17
A Record StOrm

Skowhegan has experienced many
storms that, as to fall of snow or down
pour OF rain, exceeded that of last Sun
day night, but the combination Of snow
and sleet with such gale OF wind has
rarely been equalled and the destruction
of telephone and telegraph lines was
never as complete.
Snow commenced to fall in the early
evening, continuing until the following
morning, portions OF the time In the
form OF sleet and rain. All the wires
were soon loaded with ice and long
before morning the wind had put most
of them out of commission. OF the ten
lines of telephone in the New England
system. running to other towns, not one
would respond and, out OF sixty local
circuits, only four or five were working.
Every telegraph line was also down so
that no sort of communication by wire
with outside points was possible.
About two o'clock Monday morning,
the pole at the south end Of the railway
bridge gave out and deposited its load
Of fifty telephone wires across the two
large wires of the Skowhegan Electric
Light Co., which run down Mt. Pleasant
avenue and supply the Marston Mills,
Shoe Factory, and others in that
section. Mr.. Lowell, the Dight operator
at the telephone Office, was promptly
apprised of the trouble by the electric
light current coming into his switch
board, ringing the nlgnr ueli AND melt
ing out the fuses on some lines. Ga being
notified, the Electric Light Co., shut off
Its current from that section of the town
and an t fort WAS made to straighten out
the tangle, but at 10 the railroad bridge
was so encumbered with wires that the
train due to leave at that hour, was car
celled. The track was cleared so that
9.25 train left, twenty minutes late.
The telephone company has but one man
here, Mr.. Lowell, who, In addition to his
duties as night operator, repair man, co..
lector ETC., also tends the switchboard a
portion of the day and is the only person
at hand to reinstate broken circuits.
| "a Monday morning he had about one
hundred miles of tangled wire on his
hands, on which were located two or
three hundred subscribers. He did the
best he could receiving no assistance
until Tuesday evening, when two line
men arrived here, having come up over
the line from Waterville, making repairs
as they came along. One line to Water
vile was put into working order, yester,
day, and at the present time about half
of the phones in Skowhegan are in use.
The Western Union operator posted a
sign, Photograph not working; wires
down. and took vacation. Up to this
hour no telegraph line has been reiL-
stated.
The Skowhegan Electric Light Co.
were comparatively fortunate. They
had three poles down In Skowhegan and
seven In Norridgewock and were unable
to furnish their current to the Marston
Mills and customers in that vicinity for
one day, but otherwise suffered no inter-
ruption or loss. Skowhegan's fire alarm
system also stood the ordeal without
injury.
The mails and general business suffer-
ed very little, if any, delay but the storm
will be memorable for its tangled wires
and for that fact that Skowhegan WAS
isolated, except for the mail, from the
outside world, for over forty-eight hours.