The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-10-22
CARS STOPPED,
LIGHTS GO OUT
Utah Light & Railway Com
pany Almost Out of Com
mission for a Time.
is BADLY DEM0RALIZED
WORK OF RECONSTRUCTION BE-
ING RUSHED

was perhaps the greatest sufferer from
the storm. The trouble chart in the
/ local offices of the company show that
it was precisely 9:15 O'Clock Saturday
| evening when the first break occurred.
Up to that time the wind had been high,
but was not regarded as likely to result
in serious damage. All cars were rum
ming on the accustomed schedule and
there was little or nothing to indicate
that the most serious trouble in the
history of the company was actually
at hand.
1t was impossible to discover yester-
day which part of the system in the
city was the first to go out of commits
SION All that could be learned at the
local offices was that at 9:15 o'clock
Saturday night everything was running
smoothly, and second later every light
went out and every car became sta
tionary.
The line connecting the Ogden and
Bear river power stations with the local
plant was probably the first to go but
even this point has not been definitely
established.
Only Temporary Relief.
As quickly as possible. connection was
made with the various other power sta
tionS from which the company gets its
energy, and for a time it looked as
| though power enough could be had to
keep things going. The relief was only
temporary, however, and at 11:15 o'clock
Saturday night the entire city was
again plunged i'm darkness. From time
to time a feeble CLEAN in the incan-
descent bulbs rewarded the efforts of
the company'S electricians, but the sue
cess was only partial and never long
continued. and at an early hour in the
morning it was seen that the company
was face to face with a critical stu
alton.
Successive attempts were made to
utilize the reserve power which the com
pany has with the Telluride Power COM
pany at Provo, and the local steam
plant of the company, but in each case
the storm had won. and during the
night but little could be done to relieve
the situation.
Nearly every employee of the COM
pany from the general manager down
worked through the entire night, and
every move known in the business was
reSorted to without success. Men on
horseback were sent in every direction
along the line of the companys supply
lines to discover and, if possible, rem
edy the breaks. Numerous reports as
to the extent of the damage were re-
ceived at the office during the entire
ing and uncertain, and up to a late
hour last night many of the messen-
gers had failed to report.
Telephone communication to the
north outside of Salt Lake county was
not esta blished until late in the after
noon. and up to q late hour last night
it was found impossible To repair the
many breaks.
Commercial District Open.
The trouble i'm the local steam plant
was not due entirely to the storm. and
the two Cottonwood reserve power
plants had suffered but slightly. The
production of about 5000 horsepower
was made possible with the aid of these
plants, and nearly all day the east and
west car lines were kept running.
The local end of the trouble was al
most as serious as that encountered in
| obtaining power. From end to end OF
the entire system. transformers were
ruined wires torn down and poles
broken off at the ground. The tracks
were Uttered from end to end with
debris of all kinds, while at intervals
an entire tree would be found TO have
fallen directly across the track, and
hours of labor of the hardest kind
would result.
Working Day and Night.
Fifty expert electricians were at work
all day yesterday, many of them clear
through from Saturday night Motor
men and conductors. irrespective Of
whether their cars We're running or not,
were pressed into service.
As far as the company was concerned
during the entire day there were prac-
tically no casualties. A number of cars
were damaged slightly, mostly i'm the
way of broken windows, but except for
an occasional bruise. the day was sin
gularly free from accident.
Residences in Darkness.
At an early hour yesterday it was de-
cided not to turn on the current for the
local lighting system outside the dis
trict already mentioned. 1t vas i'm
possible to determine the amount of
damage'to transformers. ins'Ilstors and
connections. and such a step would
have been attended with the gravest
risk Today thorough Inspection yyjtI
be made and breaks repaired as rapidly
as possible. Miles of wires win prob
ably be found to require rcStringiag
and, Il may be days before the system
is again in shape for business.
Trouble in Davis County.
At a late hour last evening the Off
Gals of the company learned dchnitelv
lies between Layton and Pennington
in Davis county. In this district forty
poles are down, and the line CARRYING
the power from the Ogden power sta
ton is entirely out of commission. There
is also trouble at point just north OF
Centerville, where the companys LIKES
cross the wires Of the Telluride Power
company.
Nearly all of the company's force of
men spent last night in bed in prepara-
ton for a hard days work today. one
gang of men viii be sent TO the s,.ere
OF the trouble at 6 o'clock this morning
and another will follow at O'Clock.
Officials of the company say tl,at
their information is insufficient TO en-
able them TO say definitely bow long
il will be before the line can be re-
paired.
When Cars Started.
The local street car system was in
working order on some of the lines as
early as 10 O'Clock yesterday morning
an fh, ffaNr Te1 MI bs.+