Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-02-25
How a Single Bullet, Shot Straight,
Plunces Town in Cloud
Of Gloom.
DANGEROUS, AND COSTLY SPORT
Very Easy for Small Accident to Cause
Great Damage and inconvenience
Many Cases of This Kind.

The management of the Utah Light
& Railway company takes the occasion
Of the recent arrest Of two Taylors-
vile young men for shooting at insu-
lators, 10 call the attention Of the pub
lie to the dangers attendant on such
performances. And the consequences
that may ensue are Of such serious
nature az to fully warrant the strn-
gent law which Furnishes Interference
with any Of the wires or plant OF the
electrical companies with a maximum
Imprisonment OF i've years and fine Of
$1,000.
For example, when an insulator is
broken, even II the crack be small, the
electric current will escape through It,
ana on the occasion OF the FIRST rain
storm the escaping electricity viii very
likely set the pole on fire. Moreover,
II bullet sewers a wire, the wire
drops onto another and then there is
short circuit Immediately or It may
fail onto a cross arm, and that sets
the cross arm on fire. The result of
any Of these forms OF accident is
short circuit that brings the machinery
at the central stations up standing;
and when the great generator or motor
wheel is revolving 800 times per min
ute, to bring It up with "A short turn"
means serious business. No only may
the machinery be damaged TO the ex-
tent of thousands Of dollars, but tre-
mendous electrical energy envelopes
an entire machine and the immediate
neighborhood, 80 that should an em-
poye be standing near by the nuid
would use him as a conductor. In less
| than two seconds that man is moth
| ing but piece OF charred flesh
Short circuitlng also means loss OF
| valuable time at the very least of
| 20 minutes until the steam plants can
| be started up; and In the meantime,
| the streetcars are standing idly on the
| tracks with impatient passengers bless
| ing tn railway company and talking
/ about curtailing its franchises and all
| that sort OF thing. Elevators are
! stopped between floors and a varied
| and assorted aggregation Of American
| citizens in an equally wide and varied
assortment OF tempers, mentally send
| the management Of the power company
| 10 the depths OF Tartarus Electric
| lights go out In residences and offices,
while the tenants go skurrying up
! stairs. down stairs and I'm my ladys
| chamber" after candles that may or
| may not be found, to cast their flicker
ing and uncertain flare and glare "amid
| the encircllng gloom" as the house,
holders consign the electric light COM
| pany 10 where the worm dieth not and
! the fire Is not QuenChed
Tho high tension lines are particular
! ~ watched, yet with the greatest care
It takes time to notify line riders,
and then for the riders themselves to
locate the source or sources Of dis
| turbances, requires more time. A Davis
county farmer noticed flame flash up
from a pole on the high tension line
| not long ago, and hurrying up onto
| an emnence saw two boys with guns
scamperIng away ms fast as they could
60. They had shot an insulator to
| pieces. and there was a short circuit
| Of slzeable dimensions in very short
! order. The boys escaped, as the Og-
den and Salt Lake electric system went
out Of commission for period Of time,
Aside from the dangers caused by
reckless boys and huntsmen with rocks
and guns. there are sources OF trouble
that no one can be held responsible for.
| For instance. readers OF the News
| will remember how, not long ago, a
pheasant flew against the wires at
| Mil Greek causing a disastrous short
| circuit, and AZ another time, wet
branch OF tree IN q similar manner
| caused short circuit, Such things as
these are endured with as much grace
| as possible, but when It comes 10 grace
| less boys with rocks, and older boys
| and men with guns who ought to know
better, there Is limit TO patience
| Three vlolators Of the law have been
| caught between this city and Logan,
but IN each the offender was a
pennlless youth l6 years and under
| and the management OF the company
was content to read the law to them
| with such emphasis that they Will re-
| member the admonltlon for many
| yenrs. However, such leuiency will not
| he shown hereafter; offenders must
| saws the company, be made an "exam-
| pie" or for the public good and after
| n few marksmen have been sent TO
| tho state prison. there will be n cessa-
| ton in this shooting at nsulators Gust
| for the fun OF the thing"
| s-s-s-*--------