Cable rupture cuts off power on East Side--termed rare incident

Wednesday, September 13, 2000

By LILA J. MILLS

PLAIN DEALER REPORTER

An underground high-voltage cable ruptured yesterday, cutting off electrical power to Huron Road Hospital and several other buildings and forcing hundreds of rapid transit riders to take shuttle buses.

Huron Road Hospital canceled all elective and outpatient surgery. The hospital relied on backup generators to serve its other patients.

Power was cut to the eastern end of RTAs Red Line, forcing as many as 400 people to take buses from the Windermere, E. 120th St. and Superior Ave. rapid stations to the University Circle station, which was not affected.

The Cleveland Museum of Art closed for the day, sending most of its 250 employees home.

"We have no electricity. We have no Xerox machine. We have no typewriters. We have no lights," said museum spokeswoman Denise Horstman. "There are people whose offices are completely dark."

Although temperature and humidity levels in the museums galleries were affected, Horstman said the artwork was not in danger because of the short duration of the outage.

She added that todays members-only preview of Early Christian and Byzantine Art in the Bergman Memorial Gallery probably would be delayed until noon while employees finish installing the exhibit.

Joe Mosbrook, a spokesman for FirstEnergy Corp., the parent of Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co., said such a rupture was rare and was not caused by any construction work or digging.

All power was restored by last night.

http://www.cleveland.com/news/index.ssf?/news/pd/cc13powe.html

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), September 13, 2000