The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-10-09
Power House Accident
Also Throws Car Serv-
ice Out of Gear.
THOUSANDS WALK
HOME FROM FAIR
Grounds Dark for a While, but
Richmond Day Crowd Was
Handled Without Disorder.
Report of Robbery Plan
Is Discredited-Post-
Office Stops Work.

"A serious accident at the powerhouse
OF the Virginia Railway and Power
Company at 7:45 o'clock last nipbt
Ghushl practical suspension of electric
ighting and power service throughout
me city Tor some time. Street cars
we're at a standstill uptown for one
ilous ana twelve minutes. causing tho
sahos or people to walk home from the
state Fair Grounds. and creating grcat
congestion when service was resumed
shortly after o'clock
Lights were off over the Fair Grounds
Tor hfteen minutes. but there was no
resultant disorder, although the Mid
WY and grandstaDd were packed with
people. Barriers continued their snicl
with the aid OF gasolene torches. an6
most OF the great crowd of people
seemed to consider the cutting off OF
the lights a prearranged part of the
show-a plan possibly to make tho
nrc"orks exhibit more spectacular
,'hl! one case OF loss Of money was re-
ported to the police as having occnr
red during the time lights were out
ana tie rumor that the accident had
necri occasioned with deliberate intcr-
ton OF robbery was fully discredited.
Caused by "Short Circuit"
benerai Manager g. b. Buchanan, OF
the Virginia Railway and Po.-er Com
main generators at the Twelfth Street
powerhouse was Short circuited" and
burned out, from some cause yet un-
i'r own. That burned the cable in two
ana also the cable under the switch
board supplying direct current Thi.
caused two other cables to burn and
set the switchboard on fire. Power was
cut of on the interurban line also and
service was not fully restored all over
TIE citN until steam could be gene
rated IN the auxiliary plant BY in
structions, lights were furnished at the
Fair Graunos first and other sections
Oh the city and street car power wa:
gradually cut in as the steam genera
torssswere. able. to carry tile load. Nh.
i7echanan indicated that a rigid inves.
tigetion would be made to-day of tn,
cause OF the trouble. With the aux
iliary steam plant in full operation. he
sald, there was no danger of Il repeti-
tlon The breakdown was the most sc
tious the Virginia Railway and Power
Company has had since its reorganiZa
ton. some of the older officials re-
calling certain Fourth OF July nearly
zen years ago when powerhouse ac-
cident threw all streets cars out OF
commission just ut the height of subur-
ban traffic.
Cnused Great Inconvenience.
The accident cut Off every cable sun
plying the city for both house lighting
and power. Street arc lamps operated
from the municipal plant were not af-
fected Work in the post office and I'm
telegraph offices ceased abruptly, and
for more than two hours there was
darkness indoors over Il great part OF
the city. though car traffic was re-
suned on a limited scale. In some
places. however. lights flashed back in
ten minutes.
Within ten minutes after the first
break circuits We're rugged up some
how, and the service resumed in spots
The leading hotels and the leading
theatres were not upset. but in MANY
cafes and moving picture houses there
was darkness broken only by a handful
of candles. Full service on the direct
current was not available until 1905
O'Clock. Some business houses have one
kind of installation some tho other
which explains why some establish
ments were in darkness while others
in the same vicinity had light
Rush for Telephones.
The main Office of the Chesapeake
and Potomac Telephone Company was
thrown into the utmost confusion when
the lights went out ut 7:45 O'Clock last
night. but so quickly was the trouble
overcome that the service was dead foI
only sixty seconds. Gas lamps were
instantly burning. although the people
was facing them, with the whole city
grabbing wildly for telephone to find
out the reason of the darkness. Opera
tors who were off duty were quickly
pressed into service, and for ten min
utes they worked like beavers, while
thousands of subscribers were trying
to get numbers.
In cases of this kind the best tele
phone system in the world is utterl,
paralyzed, especially when fully 80 pei
cent of the people calling want the
same number. Last night they franti-
caily called for Madison 3400, the Vir-
ginia Railway and Power Company
switchboard, more than 5000 OF then
screaming for that number Super.
visors and information operators al
telephone headquarters saw a chance
to relieve the crush by explaining the
situation, and they did their work sc
well that the city sat back and waited
for the lights to flash. With whirl.
wind OF inquiries Madison 3400 did not
attempt to answer anybody, the tele-
phone company doing its best to lie,
people know. that practically all indoor
lights were out, and that they would
como on again just as soon as trouble
at the power-house could be repaired.
Post-OHice In Dnrkness.
Work at the post-ofiice was para.
lyZed when the lights went out. though
,all the outgoing mails due to leave
the post-office before o'clock were
delivered promptly at the railway sta
tions. Other outgoing deliveries were
delayed. however, as the cancellation
machine, operated by the same cur
rent from which the lights are derived
stopped the minute the current broke
Thousands of letters remained on the
tables. waiting for the cancelling ma.
chine to begin work again. and the
clerks. after toying vainly to get In
touch with the Virginia Railway ano
Power Company to see Ic the trouble
could not be remedied, quit work fol