The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority released tape of the call made by veteran MBTA electrician Edward Rowe on Wednesday after he fell some 30-feet down a manhole covered by plywood. Rowe reported to a T dispatcher "I fell into a manhole." The dispatcher replied with a surprised "Sorry, sir, you fell into a manhole?,” and then sent another worker to determine Rowe's location who swore when he realized where Rowe was. Roweis at Massachusetts General Hospital following surgery. [Boston Globe]
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Manhole fires in the Theatre District knocked out electricity to a chunk of downtown for several hours and closed RMV offices statewide. [Boston Globe]
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Results tagged “manhole”
H1N1 is back. Roofs are still dropping. More snow is coming. Remember to follow Bostonist on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Winter woes continue: Icy roads and snow-packed roofs, and a water main break. Remember to follow Bostonist on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Overnight, a fire broke out underground, prompting flames to shoot up from pissed-off manholes around Mass Ave and Dunster. At one point, the flames were 15 feet high.
The mayor's office put out a release yesterday stating that Trigen, the company in charge of the steam pipes snaking under the city, has agreed to review the condition of its pipes: Trigen has committed to conduct a comprehensive assessment of its entire steam system and has commissioned an outside firm with expertise in steam energy to perform this review. This assessment is now underway and includes an immediate inspection of critical infrastructure and an...
Dear Trigen, We couldn't help but notice that yet another steam pipe explosion rained asbestos down up on Boston last Saturday afternoon at Merrimac and New Chardon. The steam-pipe explosion downtown and the various steam-related issues have us skittish. In fact, we've taken to playing "step on a crack, break your mama's back," only it's the high-stakes version. Now we're skipping over manholes, terrified that they will send a manhole cover flying at us and...
Those angry manholes are at it again, and unfortunately for all of us, they're stepping up their game. This Bostonist was walking home this afternoon and noticed some black smoke coming out of a manhole on Hanover Street. The North End is a pretty crazy place, so Bostonist didn't think much of it and continued on our way. We should know better than to trust a manhole, any manhole. The smoke kept coming and...
Update: Mayor Menino and the Department of Public Works are investigating how this accident happened. Just when you think it is safe, manholes decide that you will be their prey. After a brief quiet period, manholes are taking it out on the masses again. Yesterday afternoon, two women were driving on Columbus Avenue in Roxbury. A car in front of them drove over a manhole, which popped up and flew into their car. Luckily, the...
A steam pipe burst downtown today. LiveJournal poster bluerose_x reported "amazing amounts of smoke shooting up from the manhole." A Bostonist tipper noted "a questionable brown substance all over a pick-up truck and at least one guy." That substance likely contains asbestos. WHDH also has video and reports that some people had to be decontaminated because the pipes had asbestos, and the area is covered with debris. Hence, hazmat will be involved. Myfoxboston had raw...
Update: Another manhole-related accident happened this morning in Brighton on Nonantum Road. Now the state is going to inspect manholes and storm grates. If you think you see a potential manhole attack, dial #321 on a mobile or 888-359-9595. OK, manholes! We've had it with you! Go back to wherever it is you came from, and leave us alone! Really, it feels like manholes have been possessed and are rising from the earth to wreak...
Mayor Tom Menino is steamed because people are being injured by steam coming from manholes. He wants the private energy company Trigen-Boston to get it together, do its job, and fix the pipes, some of which haven't been updated since the 1950s.
CALLING BEYONCE: the Hub's pet owners are gettin' bootylicious (we couldn't resist) and rushing to local pet stores in pursuit of footwear to protect dogs after the recent electrocution episode in Charlestown. Boston.com reports that the city is only two-thirds of the way through the replacement project they began after Puppyshock '04. They're replacing electric shock prone manhole covers with a plastic lined cover. At this rate, Bostonist suggests getting Kone on the job to assist NStar and the City, since they do such a knock-down job of keeping the MBTA escalators functional. With these two forces working together, the problems could be identified, fully repaired, and Boston's dogs safe by as early as 2015, maybe.
As Bostonist walked home from a very important post-work meeting (Happy Hour), we were a little confused when we came to the Park Street T stop to find it surrounded by police cars, ambulances, and blocked off with yellow "Police Line: Do Not Cross" tape. At first, we assumed that some T skidded off the tracks or someone passed out due to the heat in one of those special unair-conditioned cars that we all love. Bostonist got little answers from the Transit Police who told us to walk up Tremont to the Boylston. As we walked to the next stop, we came across droves of people waiting at the bus stop. It wasn't looking good and it got worse when arriving at the Boylston stop, when the T worker simply yelled "Nope. Closed" at us. Bostonist took a chance and walked into the Arlington T station and it was actually functioning. After tuning into the always hyped Fox 25 News at 10, we learned that a bomb threat was called in to Police, directing them to the Park Street T stop. Of course, the MBTA's website mentioned nothing of the delays or threat.
Republicans aren't the only thing to watch out for in Cambridge today. Apparently it's the season for exploding manholes, too. We're not really sure what constitutes an "exploding manhole", but we're pretty sure it's bad. The AP is reporting that an NStar equipment failure led to an underground fire around 3pm. Police closed Mass Ave. in Central Square and the Red Line is slow as molasses. Let's just hope you aren't one of the five to six thousand customers without power and that the AC's working on those trains. It's been a rough couple of days for the Red Line, with a 45 year-old male struck and killed by a train Thursday. Yikes.
A 13-year-old boy walking his dog watched as his pet boxer died after being electrocuted on the sidewalk. The boy was walking along Western Avenue in Allston when the dog came across some wires on an older lamppost. Electricity provider, NStar, has taken full responsibility for the incident and has spoken to the family since the event. The company admits to removing a lamppost at that spot previously but not turning off the power at that site. CBS-4 reported that 14 local dogs have been electrocuted since 2002 here in the Boston-area. Last year, dog owners and their pets were being shocked while crossing over manhole covers throughout the city. Boston ordered NStar to check these sites; NStar then followed up to the request with a report explaining that 99.9% of the manholes did not have live wires. The city of Boston is not the only one with electrocutions on their sidewalks. New York City dealt with them in 2004, with one 30-year-old resident being killed when she was walking her dog over a metal plate placed on the sidewalk. Even as recent as January of this year, another story was reported about three dogs getting shocked in Brooklyn while on their daily walk. If you see anything out of the ordinary concerning electrical wires, etc. on the streets of Boston, please call NStar at 800-572-9337 and report it. Bostonist knows you might see it, but the next dog to come along might not.
Darn! Bostonist slept through another State of the City address. Well, maybe Access Hollywood got our attention and forgot to change the channel. There were big plans for touting the incumbent administration for tonight’s address. Mayor Menino was supposed to talk about how well Boston did welding the manhole covers down before the Democrats held their National Convention at the Fleet Center (what’s that name again? more later on that topic). Also he was scheduled to talk about how well the city is doing on reducing crime and how well they handled the Sox and the Pat’s victories in the past year. The text of his address can be read tomorrow. Given the predictions for what was to be said, it’s important to remember the less lethal controversy, and perhaps the mayor and his staff should read the reports the Boston Pheonix has about the Boston Police Department being a little less trusted. Huzah for 2005.
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