Evening star., 1921-07-16

One person was killed, street car traffic
practically brought to a standstill for
two hours in the late afternoon rush
reriod (from 3:15 to shortly after 5
6clock), downtown electric lighting and
hover circuits demoralized and many
cellars flooded when a severe electrical
atosm spent its fury on Washington yes
teriay afternoon. The rainfall In little
more than two hours set record for
recsnt years at 1872 inches. according to
The United States weather bureau.
An unidentified colored boy, aged about
seventeen, was struck and killed by light
lting at 7th and K streets northwest.
xhsre he had sought shelter under a
tree. persons in nearby busincSg
Houses saw the boy hurled to the ground
as q binding fash of lightning started
and rushed. to Emergency Hospital,
where life was declared extinct. g.,
Bolt in White House Groxnds.,
Another bolt struck the top of a
watch box near the west entrance 10
the White House grounds and KNOCK
ID Policeman John d. Hauze OF the
uolice detail to the floor. Dazed. ne
hlshed to the executive offices be-
lieying that his revolver had been
accidently discharged. He was uh-
Injured except for slight grazing
of his leg. Lightning struck the
steeple of Kellar Memorial Church
Maryland avenue and 9Th street north.
sast, and tore off small section OF
the slate roof.
: Power and telephone conduits were
flooded by the rush of water ana
wires short circuited. rendering scores
OF phones useless and tieing up eleHa-
tors and electric lights in the down.
tpwn business section.
BLOCKS of Capital Traction cars on
Pennsylvania avenue stood motion
nss two hours. while efforts were
being made to restore power inter-
rupted when cables in conduits AZ
18th and New York avenue northwest,
we're short circuited by the nood;
Scores of Washington Hallway and
Hectric cars also were nea up Dtt
service was soon restored on the out
lying lines Of the company, helping 20
relieve the congestion in the main Sec
upT Of the city.
Ill Transformer Blows Out.
"with the first sharp bolt of light
Kfng a cable at the Benning plant OF
the Potomac Electric Power Company
was short circuited. and current
transformers blew out. throwing the
entire system out of service. Work
men restored service in the outlying
section Immediately, but the DOWN
town section, where the load was tre-
nendous. remained without current
from 3:l2 until O'Clock. Service was
OILY restored. according to L. r. SIM
clair. general manager of the COM
pany. by telephone appeals to a num-
Fer of the largest users of current.
Including several government depart
ment. to case up in the use OF cleo
tricity.
According to Mr.. Sinclair. the dark
ness which preceded the storm, neces-
STATED the turning on of lights. Great
Ing the heaviest load the system has
eyer carried.
two big machines. one in the sub
station on I street between 14th and
18th streets northwest, and the other
at 18th and b streets, were put out
dc service by the electrical disturb
ahce.
:iAt the I street station a 1.500-Kilo-
watt rotary was put out of service and
at 14th and B streets q 1,000-Kilowatt
motor generator set was rendered
useless. Both pieces of equipment can
be repaired.
y The Star Delayed.
The tie-up caught The Star in the
m4adle of it's press run and delayed
distribution of the paper for about
two hours. AS soon as current was
shut off work of putting The Stars
auxiliary power plant in commission
was started and steam was up and the
power plant ready to be operated
when the power service was restored.
The most serious telephone trouble
occurred at 14th and U streets, where
a repair man was working in an open
manhole. Water backed up from q
sewer. flooded the manhole and put
several hundred telephones in the