In article ,
ostpile (Frank Raffa) wrote:

There was a big transformer down at the end of the street where I used
to live. One day a storm went through, and there was this huge BLAMMMM!

These are fairly common events in Manhattan. Since Manhattan has only
underground electric service, these explosions also blow manhole covers high
into the air. It is awe inspiring to watch a 300 pound steel cover shoot 10
feet or so straight up.

Of course, if your car is on top of one at the time...

Uh oh, better get Maaco.


Frank Raffa
Supv. Dispatcher FDNY
www.FDNewYork.com

Thanks for this story. It confirms something that I *thought* I
remembered, from a winter visit to NYC circa late '60s, when I was
around 10 years old. I was walking down a sidewalk when a manhole cover
in the street shot up a good 10' right next to me in a shower of sparks;
over the years I've been thinking that I must have misremembered - no
way a manhole cover would really have flown up that high! It's good to
know that my memory of this could be correct.

As I recall, I couldn't have been more than 10' from it when it blew. I
was very impressed at the time at the kinds of shows NY put on for
visitors, and that the cover came back right down onto the hole!

Arleigh Movitz
Volunteer Firefighter, Webmaster
Santa Clara County Fire Department
www.sccfd.org