Evening star., 1940-12-22
.Pepco Officials
Draft Report
On b|ackout
Current Breakdown
Is Blamed on
'Rure Coincidence

'Rore Coincidence
A detailed analysis" Of the power
disruption which stalled Washing
tons street cars for two hours yes
terday morning, interrupted radio
broadcasting and elevator service
and caused several oil burners to ex-
plode, has been promised by officials
Of the Potomac Electric Power Co.
with view to preventing recur-
renee of the breakdown.
Interrupting an extended confer
ence with Chief Engineer j. H. Ferry
and other technical experts of the
utility firm yesterday, C. Melvin
Sharpe, executive assistant to the
president of the company, issued a
statement in which the confusion
here was blamed on a rare coinci-
dence-a breakdown in a hydro
generator at the Safe Harbor CPaD
hydroelectric plant occurring at the
same time an operator in the local
Benning station was CLOSING in" a
generator of the Washington system.
The resultant disturbance prompt
ed the Benning employe to shut
down the generator at once, believ-
ing the trouble centered there, it
was explained.
Confusion Thereafter.
For some time thereafter, the
statement went on, "it was i'm
possible to determine definitely
what had happened, or where" and
low voltage in the Washington sys-
tenn because of the Safe Harbor
failure forced engineers to cut down
on the current drain by knocking
out some service, including that to
streetcar lines, until all generators
here could be placed in operation.
In Baltimore, where residential
and commercial users experienced
only a 2-minute interruption of
service and some industrial plants
had a 5-minute period without elec-
tricity, a spokesman for the Balti-
more Gas & Electric Co. said there
was neither suspicion nor posi-
bility OF sabotage" in the break
down of one of seven generators
at the Safe Harbor plant.
An official of the Federal Bureau
of Investigation said here that the
F. B. l. was not interesting itself
in the power failure.
Officials of the Public Utilities
Commission made inquiry of the
Potomac Electric Power Co. yes
terday, and. in view of the record
of more than seven years opera
ton without serious disruption of
I service, decided to await report of
the company's investigation and
conduct no independent probe.
Mr.. Sharpe's Statement.
The statement made public by Mr..
Sharpe follows:
"At Sat am. the Potomac Elec-
trio Power Co. system was operat-
ing in parallel with the Safe Harbor
hydroelectric plant of the Baltimore
system. receiving $1,000 kilowatts
over the transmission lines. At that
time our day load was starting to
build up, and generators in our
steam plants were being brought up
and synchronized on our system.
/ "a breakdown in a hydrogener-
ator on the Baltimore system caused
a severe disturbance in Washington
and separated the Washington and
Baltimore systems. At the instant
of this occurrence an operator at
the Benning plant was closing in an
additional generator on the Wash
ington system, and the disturbance
caused by the separation of the
Washington and Baltimore load led
him to believe that there was trouble
in the particular generator. He i'm
mediately shut this machine down
Later on it was found that no trou-
BILE existed in this particular gen.
| orator.
For a considerable period Of time
following this, it was impossible to
determine definitely what had hap
pened or where. During this period
the Washington system was operat-
ing with overloaded machines and
resulting low voltage. due to the
failure at Safe Harbor Hydroelectric
Station. 1t was necessary in order
to get machines back into service in
our system to drop part of the load,
including the street railway system.
Analysis Being Made.
Service was restored to a sub
stantial part of the system in about
minutes, although voltage con-
tinued to be low until sufficient
number of generators were running
to establish normal conditions on
the system. Part of the street rafi-
way service was restored within
short time, but, due to low voltage
and the necessity for maintaining
hospital and Government functions,
telephone, radio, telegraph and po-
lice services, complete resumption Of
streetcar service was not completed
until after 8 am.
"The officials of the company are
| engaged in detailed analysis of
the occurrence in order to fix def
nitely the weak spot, if any, and to
determine what steps must be taken
to prevent the possibility Of re-
currence of this kind.
"It might be noted that this Is the
/ L.rx,, ,~t> H.
Washington since August, 1888, when
the system was partially shut down
due to flooding of the power plants. u