Power Outage Leaves Richland in the Dark
A brutal cold snap knocks out electricity, forcing residents back to candles and oil lamps.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Richland was in total darkness four nights last week on account of the severe cold weather and as a result the old time lamp and candle were much in evidence. On account of the absence of power no water could be pumped by those citizens lucky enough to have a pumping plant and this also caused a great deal of inconvenience and annoyance. Monday morning the lights were back on and everyone is rejoicing.
“On account of the absence of power no water could be pumped... and this also caused a great deal of inconvenience and annoyance.”
Infrastructure vulnerability during extreme weather events is a perennial issue for Tri-Cities residents. This 1916 event echoes modern concerns regarding grid stability during the winter months.
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