Moscow (2007) and New York (1977) electricity blackout in comparison.

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by Ivan Filippov

On May, 25th in a greater part of regions of Moscow the electricity was disconnected. Elevators were shut down, on suburbs of city water delivery has stopped, there was an underground, clearing constructions have merged flows to Moscow-river, and on roads kilometre fuses were formed. Journalists have hastened to name this power crash by "doomsday". However the inhabitants of the New York who has gone through in 1977 "night of fear", could explain easily, that such present "doomsday". In streets of Moscow there were no mass frays, Muscovites were not launched to plunder shops and to set fire to the whole quarters, and militiamen did not shoot on passers-by.

Speak that from approach of the new Stone Age the civilized society is separated with only 24 hours without electricity. On May, 25th, 2005 Muscovites could not size up correctness of this assertion, but the newest history knows an instance of what chaos can bring absence of light in a mega city.

On July, 13th, 1977 above state of New York the terrible thunder-storm stormed. In 20:40 evenings the lightning has got in one of transmission facilities. For the subsequent some minutes in the next lines have struck three more categories, and at 20:47 in all New York the electricity has disappeared. First neither authorities of city, nor inhabitants have not given this event of the big attention. In 1965 New York already remained without light. Then city dwellers have referred to energy catastrophe with humour and fathoming, and after its liquidation of authority of city have weighed out in streets posters with gratitude to citizens for the manifested patience and good behaviour. Of the mayoralty have been assured, as this time New York citizens will prove from the best party. But it does not happen. Later 15 minutes after switching-off of an electricity in New York there has stepped "the most dark and terrible night in history". New York citizens, gone through blackout, speak, that that night in city "opened gate of the hell".

The rough answer to a racial question

"If you then lived here never will forget that night. On July, 13th, 1977 became the most terrible night of the most terrible summer in history of New York", - wrote an observer of newspaper The Daily News Jim Duajer.

Light has disappeared in all city, including at the airports. To all New York remains only two burning fires: alarm lighthouses on roofs Empire State Building and the World shopping centre. Log Newsweek in 1977 has published amusing dialogue between the pilot put the airplane at airport Kennedy and the air-traffic controller. "Where New York has got to?" - the puzzled pilot of the airplane transported a strawberry asked. - "fly to Philadelphia", - the dispatcher answered. - "and what to me to do with a strawberry?" - "you Can eat it".

Streets of New York were filled promptly with people and cars. Inhabitants did not know what to do and where to run. At urban authorities of answers to this question too was not. Unique, who knew what to do in dark city, there were marauders. Robberies have begun in two New York ghettoes - Bronx and Harlem, and then were threw over to Brooklyn and Queens. In an hour after switching-off of light of street of city completely were in authority of a raged crowd. People dragged everything, that it was possible to carry away. Show-windows of shops with home appliances, then - motor shows, jeweller shops, drugstores, supermarkets and shops of clothes were first of all broken. Men shared in robberies, women and even children. "In region Bushvik I have seen the child who hardly dragged on itself the brand new air conditioner. It has brought it home where mother proud of the son has put the air conditioner on a window stool and has included it in the socket. As in city there was no electricity, certainly, it has not worked. Then the woman in fury has thrown out the air conditioner from a window and with shouts has turned out the son, having charged to not be refunded, while it will not find something working", - the journalist of newspaper The Daily News Jim Duajer tells.

The most active participants of disorders were inhabitants of a ghetto: African American and Latin American. 1977 was year of tall unemployment and low incomes so inhabitants of a ghetto have apprehended an opportunity unpunished to plunder as a gift of the God. "Today the Christmas, today Christmas", - were scanned by marauders. Practically anybody from them especially did not hesitate of that did. "There is no light, and African American it would be desirable to guzzle. We shall take everything, that we shall want, everything, that we want - all of us we shall gain", - the juvenile black robber has bragged to log Newsweek. "For half an hour I have extracted to myself of goods on three and a half of thousand dollars. I am the unemployed, and at me three children. To me the chance was presented someone to plunder, and I have taken advantage of it. If it will be presented once again - I shall plunder once again, and conscience will not torture me", - has admitted to log Time young Latin American with a bottle of whisky one arm and the television receiver in another.

Marauders did not hesitate and not afraid of anybody. Automobile machines, vans and trucks which were hammered stolen by the goods approached on shops. Near to the plundered shops spontaneously there were shops where for dollar it was possible to buy 25-dollar jogging shoes, and for 25 dollars - the colour television receiver. From thieves of owners of shops did not rescue even heavy lattices by which some show-windows have been taken away. Marauders tied up their wire ropes to trucks and wrested from walls.

Owners of shops have sweepingly fathomed what to wait for the help from authorities it is not necessary. Who had a gun, have risen on protection of the property, unarmed it was necessary to observe of chaos reigning in streets silently only. In "Small Italy" shops were guarded by young Italian immigrants with baseball bats and armature, in the Jamaican quarter of Queens on protection of shops send teenagers with machete. To midnight hospitals of city have been overflow by wounded men. Strangely enough, gunshot wounds it has appeared very little, but receptions have been hammered by people with the knife wounds and strong cuts from glass.

Burn, burn clearly

With each minute circumstances in city all was heated. Marauders have started to set fire to already plundered dwellings and shops. In city some tens fires have simultaneously flared. Burned the whole quarters. Because of a preside firemen simply physically could not reach burning buildings, and fire was promptly passed round. The most desired purpose of marauders were magnificent shops on the Broadway. At night on July, 13th very much many businessmen have regretted that the factories have once decided to open in this street. The Broadway has been plundered clearly, and then set fire at once in several places. The fire has embraced more than two kilometres of this well-known street. In some regions of city to quench fires inhabitants did not allow: marauders set fire to buildings to distract policemen from robberies in the next streets. If firemen tried to come nearer to the dwelling embraced by fire, stones flied to them and bottles with an incendiary mix. At night with 13 for July, 14th, 1977 in New York 1077 arsons on which suppression has suffered more than hundred firemen have been accomplished.

When mayor of city of Abraham Bim has realized all tragedy of an event, in city state of emergency has been declared. From tempers and discharge was order to return all policeman, and in some hours per city was more than 8000 officers (all the police of New York numbers 26 000 employees). But policemen that night have appeared are powerless. In robberies and disorders shared more than 100 000 person, and it was possible to calm them only by means of violence. The policeman have categorically prohibited to use the gun, that night it could lead to the present street fights. A maximum that policemen could make, it to frighten off marauders. It was physically impossible to arrest such quantity of offenders. In some regions the police simply was afraid to appear. In Bronx and Harlem and in the daytime guards of the order often became victims of severe beatings, and their that stuff night simply would cut on slices. Victims of night disorders of steel of 18 policemen. "It is night of wild beasts. We catch five-six marauders, but on their place there is one hundred more. We run to shop which plunder, and people around warn marauders of our emersion. Everything, that we can are for a short while to distil off gangsters. But they there and then go on other street and start to plunder it", - sergeant of police Robert Murphy told to journalists.

In some days after blackout newspaper The New York Times has published the report in which it was spoken, that the police repeatedly shot at that terrible night on robbers, but urban authorities never recognize it. Journalists have interrogated several policemen who have told, that between officers and their heads there was a private arrangement: ordinary policemen do everything in streets of city, that want, and the heads closes eyes to it. According to The New York Times, this night each policeman has made at least on 130 shots, and not all officers shot at air.

Street disorders were not for inhabitants of New York something unusual. The urban poor arranged pogroms in 1960, 1968 and 1970, but never before disorders did not attain such scales. After Martin Luther King's murder in 1968 black New York citizens send from a ghetto and have started to destroy white quarters. Then disorders had racial character, and the crowd did not touch the shops belonging African American. During then disorders the owner of one Chinese restaurant even has exposed at itself in a show-window the poster "I too black". But in 1977 the race any more did not play any role. Thugs did not spare anything and plundered everything, that met on a way. Policemen told to journalists, that marauders became a victim. The thieves loaded by another's goods were plundered by their neighbours. It is amusing, that offended New York citizens after that went to police with the demand to return to them lawfully expropriated. Policemen have arrested for night nearby 4000 person, but in the morning their greater part should be released: courts could not cope with similar volume of work, and in prisons there was no place.

The divine trade

In the morning on July, 14th authorities of New York have started to recon deficits from terrible night. According to the most conservative estimates, blackout has brought damage more than on billion dollars. Authorities of city have lost 9 million dollars: 5 million as taxes and 4 million more it was necessary to pay polices and the fireman for overwork. The New York stock exchanges have lost from switching-off of an electricity more than 20 million dollars. However the most terrible deficits were incurred by simple citizens. It has been plundered more than 2000 shops. Authorities have declared that all victims of night pogroms have the right to reception of credits under ultra low percent. The urban administration on affairs of fine and average business was ready to give out the victim credits up to 500 000 dollars, but the few have taken advantage of the generous offer of authorities very much. Businessmen did not trust, that repetition of terrible night is impossible, and the majority of the shops placed near to a ghetto so never and have not been opened.

Even at late night mayor of city of Abraham Bim, the governor of state of New York Hju of Kerry and the president of the USA Dzhimmi Carter have demanded to find out the reasons of this tragedy. For mayor of city the question of search of a whipping boy was a question of a survival eventually. 71-years Bim it would not be desirable at all that before its new samplings have appointed the originator blackout. Even prior to the beginning of investigation Bim has declared, that for switching-off of an electricity bears the responsibility company Consolidated Edison Co.

"Company management Con Ed has led itself, at the best, extremely irresponsibly", - it has declared at emergency press conference. According to assistants to mayor, it there were the softest words from everything told by their chief for long night. The journalists seen Bim's early in the morning, spoke, that mayor of New York resembled on an alive corpse, than the person more, and from said it to address of electricians of tirades for printing pretexts were suitable only. In the answer chapter Con Ed Charles Lewis has declared, that mayor tries to hang up all dogs on its company only to relieve of responsibility urban authorities. "Before the termination of investigation of authority have no right to do similar declarations, - has complained to journalists Lewis, is about the same what to tell: "We shall by all means hang up accused after fair court".

In Con Ed catastrophe explained "a trade Divine". Really, investigation has shown, that chances to prevent blackout at the company practically were not. The first lightning stroke has put out of action two 345-kW the lines leading from nuclear station in Indian the Point which there and then should be shut down in the emergency order. At once after that in a network the cascade switching-off has begun. Operators Con Ed tried re-connect the left lines to other stations, but it only has aggravated a problem. Moreover, as soon as circumstances in a network managed to be normalized, in working lines there and then knapped lightning's. As a result in an hour after the first crash the electricity has disappeared in all network entirely. Specialists Con Ed have spent For recovery of its working capacity more than 25 hours.

While authorities tried to fathom, who is guilty in switching-off of an electricity, the American public searched for the answer to other, much more important question: why inhabitants of New York have led themselves in such barbarous image during blackout? A Row of the central newspapers of city was published with equal titles: "Why?" Anybody could not give the Univocal answer to this question.

"Brutal deals" of New York citizens specialists named the main reason the hardest economic situation of inhabitants of a ghetto. In 1977 unemployment among African American has increased twice and has made 40 %. The prices for products promptly grew, and salaries not only did not raise, but also in infringement of the legislation even were cut down. "We have finished African American to such condition, that they perceive themselves not as people and as wild animals", - the teacher of one of the New York schools has told to log Time. The ambassador of the USA in Andrew Young's United Nations adds: "When you switch out light, people start to steal. Especially, if they have nothing to eat". But not only the economy was guilty that suddenly the main city of America was entrained in chaos. The summer of 1977 was in itself not the best time for switching-off of an electricity. And without blackout New York citizens have remembered it as the most terrible summer in history.