Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1911-07-22
.PEST|FER0US
LIGHTNING
Made General Assault on
Wires Last Night
PHOENIX SEQUEsTRATED
For a Time the Rest of the
World Had to Get Along
Alone-Street Cars and
Lighting Service Badly
Crippled.

Thunderstorms have become quite
the fashion in these parts and are SO
frequent an occurrence that they are
hardly regarded as news any more
But last evening there was a par
ticularly severe one between $50 and
$50 o'clock and though the electri-
cal demonstration was not spectacu-
lar ii was the most disorganizing in
cident of the kind that has happened
here for some four or five years. Not
only was there trouble in this valley
but there was a general interference
with electrical wires all over Arizona.
Phoenix was for a time entirely
cut off from the outside world, so
far as the telegraph wires were con-
cerned. The lines were down both
east and west of Maricopa, and fol-
lowing their going out of business.
the northern connection via Flagstaff,
was cut off. The wires were finally
fixed up so there was a resumption
Of press service but it was still badly
crippled.
The local and suburban street car
service was put out Of business dur
ing the storm and was interfered with
by one thing or another nearly all
evening. Both the Indian school and
the Glendale line We're tide up by the
striking of their power poles by
lightning The Glendale line is still
out of commission as it could not
be repaired until daylight The In
dian school line was cut off at the
the suburban dwellers in that part
of the city, half way to the school
were eventually able to resume travel
1t is understood repairs were made
as far as the Indian school during
| the night.
As far as the electric light people
could learn last night, ten trans
! formers were burned out, each pre-
sumably by a different bolt of light
ming. Whenever the wires were
| touched anywhere between Glendale
and Phoenix, or on any part Of tho
| local system, it cut off the power
| temporarily from both the lighting
circuits and the street cars. The diff
ficulty would be overcome in few
minutes. but the shocks came in sucf
rapid succession that the street cars
| for an hour gave a continuous imi-
tation of Il Marathon runner who
couldn't run. II would take a cal
from half an hour 10 an hour to ira
verse the length of Washington street
\ car would start up bright ant
frisky with full power on and after
going a hundred yards or so go deaC
again.
After the storm was over and traf'
fic i'm the city had resumed as nea1
it's normal condition as possible unde
bad weather conditions. a street ca
got off the track in the eastern par
of town and disorganized things again
1t took about an hour to get the ca
back on the rails and by that time tn
nights running was practically over.
The electric light company had
force Of none linemen and a foreman
out all night locating trouble ant
making repairs as fast as possible
The street car company also had it
full force out on the city and sub
urban lines and il is probable tina
everything will be running regularl
lacain at an early hour today. II wa
fortunate the storm occurred so earl
or the town would have been in con
rusing darkness but the lighting sys
ten was back in working order quit
carly in the evening.