Show o Seufli CentoaC Uto!t Supplement To: Gunnison Valley News - The Salina Sun Garfield County News - The Richfield Reaper VOLUME 2 THURSDAY NUMBER JANUARY 3 15 1981 It Was a 6P©wer4e§§9 Situation As Tike Lights Went Out In South U talk The big New York in blackout a few years ago triggered from a baby everything City boom to a popular and movie While blackout song the last Thursday and parts in of Wyoming and Idaho is not to have quite expected those far reaching fects the five and a half to six hour period when Utah mo6t of die state was without electricity had its own repercussions commost Since munities in this area don't have buildings with elevators persons being trapped there was nonexistent The biggest of course was worry keeping warm Early the area reports indicated could expect the power to be off at least 24 hours a rather chilly could be ex- working To many the prospects a night without those of perienced by without an alternate television was a crisis of a handful and only source such as heating stove or radio stations most out of reach of the area were on fireplace the air using diesel Travel was threatened to grind to a halt as generator emergency units whose vehicle persons And even then it would fuel tanks were low were or take an automobile unable to get gasoline since the electrically-operate- other radio to receive them pumps weren’t Concern for patients in hospitals and rest homes sick and odler where meaning night people were confined was also shown but again emergency generators were pressed into service to handle emergency needs Many business houses imtheir doors closed both because mediately electrically operated cash registers wouldn’t work and it was too dark to really see to do business The only electrically operated traffic signal in the area at Center and Richfield in Main resulted in police officers manning the traffic at the corner for part of the day in service Telephone some areas was out But calls to Salt Lake City indicated about two hours after the power first went off that power was being restored and the possible panic was changed to a time of waiting — not for but a matter of days hours The were rumors heavy too Cause of the outage was Mamed on everything Glen Brown uses crank to operate cash register at grocery electric store in Panguitch Many businesses were unable to operate equipment is electrically and couldn't be used because all controlled from an some in avalanche distant state (Montana Oregon or Washington on an take your pick) airplane crashing into the lines at Antimony outage of a big generating plant at Antimony (there isn’t of one there) blowup generating stations in Kemmerer Wyo and in the Snake River Valley of Idaho (both false) and others which included combinations of these and parts of others closed and so were the movies I couldn’t even get anything to eat! “Twenty bucks worth of gas for nothing!’’ Richfield’s Safeway Preparations for a cold Store closed about l pm dark night were begun in was and efforts were made to earnest Firewood frozen cover food brought in and candles lanterns and to the flashlights keep displays located and temperature as low as were Cooked- possible for as long as prepared were suppers possible Many other stores closed because the planned When the power was temperature was droprestored it was disapping the machine As compared shopping merchants to big city Garfield were not fearful about their customers shoplifting What was beautiful was the concern of people for their fellow man especially the older citizens in town Many checked on their neighbors helped to build up fires in fireplaces and hauled in extra wood Garfield Memorial administrator Schools closed after pointing to some — Hospital Bob Kruse made a special ate particularly the kids “Let’s pretend we still visit to Family Life and sometimes cold lunches and some rooms don’t have power” one Services office to offer the hospital as shelter for became too cold to youngster proposed tolerate Southern Utah Fuel older folks in town for as But stories were con- - Co’s mine which does long as needed students sistent about those who realized the was going to situation require some alternates but whose dependence on outdid their electricity concern Such as one woman who realized she couldn’t cook dinner on her electric but range she’d find a hotplate instead Or those with gas furnaces who didn’t worry until they realized the blowers operated with electricity There were those who figured they could run their car heaters throughout the ordeal until they remembered get any they couldn’t Local and county police out a gas to use at gas generator pumps so all emergency vehicles were able to fill up on gas and function when needed One of the biggest worries of residents was of meat large amounts stored in their freezers at businessman theis time of year Salina exSome “and it was dark" parents “But I do some of my pressed frustration about best work in the dark” he what they would do if their children were sent said facetiously Many businesses in home from school early Garfield County closed or cause the TV’s were out foods and were considering Fast closing at dusk Only business restaurants were really to thrive set back that seemed during the blackout was the local bar Waterhole Business was really No booming there because so many people were let go from for the afternoon not have auxiliary power shut down and day shift workers were sent home Swing shift did not report for work but graveyard shift went up Not everyone found the lack of electricity an inconvenience “I was working in the said one basement” more gas from pumpless service stations Salina area residents had a variety of “Where I was when the lights went jobs Some ladies were out” stories over missing the disgruntled Students greeted blackout with the mo6t soaps on TV and some enthusiasm as school wives got set for romantic was dismissed at noon candlelit dinners only to “And we don’t have to be upset when the lights go to school tomorrow if came back on stores they don’t get the power Grocery fixed!” one seventh reported runs on the grader told her mother following items: kerosene with glee lamps lamp oil and Prospects of an ex- wicks candles soup (to on top of be cooked tended existence without electricity forced many woodburning stoves) and persons to consider how bread and lunch meats Gas stations reported big a part it days in runs on ice and kerosene everyday life The Style Shoppe local “No television! I’ll just die” commented one beauty parlor was all but out video fan the by wiped "Lunch will be easy” blackout One customer one mother noted "Cold was half way through a Others were sandwiches” permanent under dryers and had to Cold food wasn’t the be sent hone half wet biggest problem for many whose homes families Grocery stores had to depend on electricity fix' work registers manually heat either directly or in using crank on the side of oil fumances operating Wood piles began to look like necessities to people who previously considered crackling fires in a fireplace a luxury Many businesses closed down Supermarket cash registers only work far a short time on the battery packs they include Keith Barrett explained as he hauled In the Gunnison area the power was off until 5:38 p m Gunnison Valley High School students were sent home from school at 1:30 pm and Gunnison Elementary students at 2:00 pm The of majority families were prepared for the inconvenience as they had other sources of heat and lights such as wood and coal burning stoves or inserts kerosene heaters survival candles or flashlights People who were not prepared were invited to homes of friends or families in the area to get warm and have a hot meal Hardware stores had a run on flashlights The grocery stores sold a lot of hot dogs and other easy to warm up food Visitors to the Gunnison Valley Hospital found the thanks si me as always their t( generator Sara Christensen daughter of Mr and Mrs Reuben Christensen said her mom cooked a beef roast with potatoes and carrots in their wood and coal burning stove and it tasted better than the oven Mr and Mrs Eugene Lund kept their coats on t and during the were just going to friends when the lights came on Mrs Melva Beck bought the display radio that had been playing at Gunnison Implement batteries kerosene heaters battery powered since they had sold out of the others radios lamp oil lamps and Coleman fuel In fact they were still Steven Richard and Mark Barrett Johnson all seventh graders found it pretty selling them Saturday morning Other stores that didn’t carry these items found people buying things they normally would Keith Bartholomew of K AJ’s department store helped customers by lantern light and Nora Lee Koeven Drug of Rexall continued arranging flowers warm in the Rexall Drug Store so they stayed in and listened to the radio for news of when the power shortage would be over All people questioned if the power had off longer they stayed would have just gone to bed! said Uftr :JoseJ unhL y?rr- y )du)tr Com 'j $ in- Hastily written signs such as this appeared in the windows and on doors of many businesses in the area dur ing blackout Fortunately only half a day of busines was lost during outage locked the doors and the covered up refrigerated and frozen food cases “We’re getting ready to tell ghost stories” Fran in Briggs told customers the darkened Salina Drug store One local resident had gone to Provo for a medical appointment and a “day on the town” borrowed "I my mother’s car so I could go in style" she exPanguitch gas station attendant Garland Sawyer shows how “dry” pumps were during the Thurs day power operate outage Electric pumps couldn't ap"My plained pointment was cancelled All the stores were wkNr Richfield police officer Irven Jensen directs traffic at Center and Main during power outage as area’s only traffic light was out motorists cooperated of service Most |