POWER OUTAGE AFFECTS NUMBER OF BUSINESSES

On Tuesday afternoon, when the sound of electric clippers would usually fill the Kingsway Barber Shop, the building was dark and empty. A handwritten sign on the door explained.

"No Electric. Power Line Tore Down."

Signs were much the same at most of the businesses along Kingshighway between Themis Street and Broadway.

At about 10 a.m. Tuesday on Bessie Street, a crane operated by a Shappert Engineering worker snagged a telephone cable, according to Shappert labor foreman Larry Morrisey. The cable didn't give, but the pole it was attached to did. That pole carried Union Electric power lines.

Some close to the scene said they heard an explosion-like noise and later saw sparks and smoke.

UE superintendent A.D. Cox said the accident caused extensive damage. His crews cut some lines to isolate the area, allowing some nearby homes and businesses to keep electric service. Still, about 24 customers lost power, including several businesses.

Ten UE workers stayed on the scene until around 5 p.m., and several Southwestern Bell employees worked on the telephone cable.

Shappert Engineering of Rockford, Ill., has been working on a $6.5 million flood control project along Kingshighway since the spring. UE district manager Doug Groesbeck said Tuesday's incident was one of several where Shappert's equipment has contacted UE's energized power lines.

"Sometimes it causes power outages, sometimes it doesn't, but we're always concerned about the danger to human lives," Groesbeck said.

The crane accident forced several businesses to close, including Super D, Save-A-Lot and Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems. Todd Rowland, who owns Express Cycle on the corner of Kingshighway and Bessie Street, said the outage took its toll in Christmas sales for the merchants affected.

"They said they would have the power back on around closing time, which doesn't really help," Rowland said. "Of course, this had to happen on a pretty day around Christmas time. My phones are out, so I can't call banks or run any credit applications."

Rowland had some generators to keep a few electrical appliances going, but he spent most of the day outside washing motorcycles.

Dick Loomis kept his Parisian Cleaning Center open, too, but only for customers to pick up and drop off their clothes.

"This will cost some money, but that's part of life," Loomis said. "I used to worry about this stuff all the time, but not anymore. At least there aren't any bodies out there, and that's the important thing. Nobody was hurt."