The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-03-11
Unusual Breaking Down OF One Cir
cult on North Side Causes Talk
and "Reminiscences Of the
Old Times Here.
CLUBS ALL LEFT IN DARK
For the Second Time, the Monday
Music Club Program Is Halted,
but Elks Were Away from
Home Anyhow.

Some accidental and instantaneous
shorting OF circuits blew out ten big
fuses at once on ten. big transform
ers on electric light poles between
! Blondeau and Concert streets and be
tween the Mississippi river and Six
teenth street at o'c1ocis last night.
| All that territory was in darkness
for over an hour, while men were hur-
riedly climbing poles to replace fuses.
The rest of the night and this fore
neon were spent in search for the
Urinary trouble, where the wires were
short circuited or gounded. but 1t
could not be found In that time. Evil
| IDENTIFY, it was quick contact which
instantly returned to the normal posi-
ton
| But the incident made much talk
and was a piece of real news in Keo-
tuk.
A Real Event In Kcoiuk.
So seldom has it occurred for the
last half dozen years. that any light
circuit in Keolalk being ont causes
more talk than real scandal. The
locality affected last night made II
the more Of a matter o. public inter
est
| The school election was just finish
| Ing the U6ltOslAE "ucu tAc peilillS
place become as dark as the place
Where Moses went, but alternative
ass lights helped out there. Few 9th
or places have gas fixtures any more
At the Keoluk CLUB. they found g
-kerosine lamp or two and the mem
hers sat around that light and remin
isced of old times when a good lamr
We family treasure and nobody
used anything else
All the Clubs Went Dark.
At the Elk's club, one lone candle
on the library table was the only ligh
| IN the four Zig rooms on the frs
floor, and by Its dim light the Elks
gathered TO start to welcome thu
Warsaw soldiers returning from over
seas. Since everybody belonging t
That order went to the union station
TIE absence OF electric lights in tn
club house for that hour was not Eel
so badly as elsewhere.
The Eagles club managed to obtai,
a substitute for the bright lights an
calmly awaited the coming back OF tn
electric current
/ The meeting of the Monday Must
club seems to pc signal for light
out for the last two meetings hav
teen held partly In the dark.
/ Is This the Hcodoo?
i The porgram last night was sched
uIed to begin promptly at 8 O'Clock
hut the people on tie north side liy
,ig IN the dark region did not leav
tome until after that hour, when tn
lights came on. which was after
o'clock. Those shc came on time cam
into the candle lighted building ant
waited until it was possible for tn
performers to read the music scores
and to open the program.
| Sitting IN the gloom OF the gloanl
ing for an hour caused Kcokuk peopl
TO remember the old Tins here, whel
II was as commonplace for the light
to go out as for the fire bells to rne
or boat to whistle on the river.
The light plant was once motorize'
b. water wheel at the front of tn
buff, fed by a penstock running dow
from the lake In the Eubiger grouds
where c. VI. Rich IS now building
II ansion. Once J. C. HubiDger explain
ed its going OFT of commission b
saying that fish got in the wheel, AM
choked II For years after that whel
the electric lights went out peopl
said there were fish IN the wheel an
that became the synonym for darh
, ness here.