Norwich bulletin., 1914-09-10
Excitement At Westerly Beaches
Trolley Car ColIides Wh Poe Putting Light and Telephone
 Wires Out of Business-Fne Department Called Out for Blazing Automobile iIe-Owner Dr. Dennis Taylor Re-
 fuses to Have Damaged Machine Moved-Train Changes September 2zh.

Watch Hill, Pleasant View ana other nearby summer resorts as well as all that section of the town or Westerly south of the corner of School and Main streets, are deprived or tel ephonic communication by reason Of a peculiar accident that occurred Tuesday night. At about 9.3e O'CLOCK o'clock 8 passengerless trolley car from Pleasant View bound for the car barn jumped the switch at the en- trance to the barn yard, near Green man avenue and Beach streets. and crashed against a telephone pole. with force sufficient to break the pole Which with all wires attached fell oyer onto the high tension electric wire and the live feed wire of the trolley road, with the natural result.
 Immediately there was brilliant electric display, as the electricity jumped along the wires from pole to pole, setting fire to the poles. ana instantly burning everything with which the electricity came in contact wires for a distance of 2.000 feet and sputtered here and there through weak spots in the wires that entered the reS- idences along the line. The lead-en- cased cable was destroyed for 3. dis tance of 12O feet, and the dripping melted lead added to the brilliancy of the beautiful but extremely dan gerous spectacle. There was tangled mass Of wires in contact, and a pyro- technical display that could not be produced by those expert in the man ufacture of fireworks.
 Within three minutes after the accl- dent, the power was shut off from the electric wire and the town was in darkness. But 1t was five minutes later before the current was shut off from the trolley wire, as it was neces- sary to send a car to the White Rock power station with orders to shut off, as the station could not be reached by telephone. . As a precautionary measure fire ap- paratus was quickly summoned. in the event of any buildings catching fire through defective wiring, and the po- lice were on hand to keep the people outside of the danger zone. Linemen were at work as quickly as possible and within an hour the electric light service was resumed. and an hour and d half later there was resumption Of trolley traffic.
 Although many who attempted to use their telephones were scared by the darting electricity, so far as known no one was injured. which is consid- cred almost miraculous.
 The trunk line of the Westerly Au- tornatic Telephone company to Watch Hill is out of service as are about 150 local telephones. Cablemen and 1inemen from the Southern New Eng land Telephone company were sum- moned and are at work repairing the damage. It is expected that the cable service will be operative within a week but it will probably be two weeks be- fore the full telephone service will be in operation.
 Forbus Duguid happened to be driv- ing from Clark's hill into Beach street just as the deadly wires met, and mott en lead from the telephone cable fell on his horse, causing the animal to give a sudden jump and Mir. Duguid was thrown from the wagon. He es- capped injury and the horse stopped before becoming mixed up in the mess of live wires that would have meant death.
 Hardly had tho electric light and trolley service resumed when fire alarm was sounded from box 56, in Dixon square, the business centre of the town, and naturally the merchants as well as the f1remen made a re- sponse. When the cause was ascer- tained there was a general violation of the third commandment, more pro- nounced, in some instances than in others. for there are some merchants in the town who act more in thought than in deed. The automobile of Dr. Dennis Taylor of Stonington, was afire in front of The Rhode Island; that's all.
 The automobile was left standing