[BC] Dumb and dumber?

[RichardBJohnson at comcast.net]

In the United States up until about 1960, most of the electrical distribution in the cities was at 2300 volts using rubber insulated phosphor-bronze wire. Mysteriously live wires started to disappear. They were replaced with the steel-cored stranded aluminum wire being used today.  Eventually all the distribution went to high-voltage using this aluminum wire except the "drop" wires going from the pole transformers to the customers' houses.

Older houses still had copper-bearing wire. My house, built in the '50s was such a house. One bitter-cold winter night I came home from work and found I had no electricity, ice in the sink, and frozen pipes in the basement. My drop wires had been stolen. The whole street was without electricity so the replacement had to be "scheduled." All I could do was shut off the water and live in a hotel at my own expense until the electricity was restored. My neighbors assumed that the utility company trucks working in the street were repairing something when, in fact, they were stealing wire. There was no investigation and nobody went to jail. The electric commissioner told the police that the wires wore out and had to be replaced. Who would argue?

Cheers,
Richard B. Johnson
Book: http://www.AbominableFirebug.com/

----- Original Message -----
From: "Alex Hartman" <goober at goobe.net>

How the hell did they get it up there in the first place?!? Wowzers...

I love the commentary: "The roof was dented". Uh, really? Was that
line necessary?