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Show Explosion in M E fi causes power loss Due to a minor explosion on campus last Thursday, the Merrill Engineering Building was totally without electricity for an hour and a half. Rumor said that the power failure fail-ure was due to electricians cutting a cable while working on the construction con-struction site. Most of the employees employ-ees in the building had no idea as to what had caused the power failure. According to workers on the scene, the manhole they were striking strik-ing by blew up at about 9 a.m. They listed the cause as water in the cable causing a short. The water had entered into the cable when the ohm trap, which keeps the voltage volt-age equalized, failed. Because the counter-EMF (electromotive force) around the ohm trap was un-equalized un-equalized and because of a fluctuation fluctua-tion in the DC (direct current) from the alternator, there was an explosion. Wasatch electricians began emergency emer-gency repairs at 5:30 a.m. Friday morning and finished repairs at 1 p.m. Their comment on the situation situa-tion was that there could have been another reason for the explosion, but they didn't know what it was at that time. During this time the Merrill Building was operating on another circuit. Dale Harris w of Engineering,,,. ry system could hal t"y equipment, but it co, , was sultry as there ar 1 fc; windows in thebufldSL The sults of the poWeiflj were varied. SometfJ workers wenthomebelje t the failure would lasl Others went on extended breaks or tried to do they could without power The computer departmems: disrupted themost.'TW ure shut down the system electricians could bring the r up to power on the imt tern. During tliis time thetei: ture rose from 92 to 95 de-'" causing some worry over theii-ory theii-ory banks. Due to several" fluctuations the system back about three hours created some very irate custorrs who had need of the compute Another result of the poweiV. ure was to close down a run made in the reactor room. Art time, the department was mi" electrons for industrial research Kennecott. |