11-9-65.....THE FIRST BLACKOUT.

68jk09

68jk09

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The Northeast blackout of 1965 was a significant disruption in the supply of electricity on Tuesday, November 9, 1965, affecting parts of Ontario in Canada and Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New York, and New Jersey in the United States. Over 30 million people and 80,000 square miles were left without electricity for up to 13 hours......& UNLIKE 1977 IN 1965 THERE WAS NO CIVIL DISTRURBANCE & LOOTING & ARSON.

 
I was riding with E 248 that night.  Blackout occurred just prior to change of tours; day tour was held over.  Did not have any major fires in our area: many people trapped in elevators, people in subway trains, etc.  Most of our runs were for emergencies rather for fires.  Power came back on in Flatbush between 10PM and 11PM.  Some areas of western Brooklyn never lost power.
 
Chief, I remember the Blackout of '65. I was about 15 years old. My good friend Johnny D 248, was a lot older than I was of course. But we wouldn't meet up for another five or six years after the "65 Blackout.

There was very little violence or looting during that time.

I was in Bridgeport, Ct and people really didn't know what had happened. Most just sat outside on the front porches with candles. Some people started to fire up the charcoal grills and cook burgers and hot dogs. It was a picnic in the dark.

Battery operated Transistor radios later told us that there was a problem in Niragra Falls that resulted in this power failure which affected the entire northeast.

From what I heard, nine months later, there was a "baby boom". And as you said, a very different atmosphere from the NYC Blackout of 1977.
 
johnd248 said:
I was riding with E 248 that night.  Blackout occurred just prior to change of tours; day tour was held over.  Did not have any major fires in our area: many people trapped in elevators, people in subway trains, etc.  Most of our runs were for emergencies rather for fires.  Power came back on in Flatbush between 10PM and 11PM.  Some areas of western Brooklyn never lost power.
Click to expand...

John, if I remember correctly my father was held over from the day tour at 248 for the blackout also.
 
Exactly correct, Garrett.  When a box or call came in, it was mass confusion to determine who was going to ride.

Had a good meal that night after we convinced a local store all the meat was going to go bad.
 
My father had just benn promoted to captain and was covering in a truck company in Brooklyn.  They had many elevator runs and were special called to a hospital.  Held over after tour.  Phones did not work.  Alarm boxes did.
 
What was the power source for the fire alarm Telegraph system? Stand alone generators?
 
Each borough office had backup generators. In the Bronx, we had two. Both would start and then one would drop off and act as a standby for the first. Also, there was a bank of DC batteries tho power the system, as well as provide emergency lighting, if the generators failed.  That's why, when all else failed, the boxes worked. The only thing the circuits and boxes couldn't withstand were the politicians.
 
I got sworn into the U.S. Navy by candlelight at the Brooklyn Navy Yard during the 1965 Blackout. Truly people back then were peaceful and did not take advantage of the situation, I remember driving into Manhattan to pick up a good friend of my wife, who could not get home from Lower Manhattan due to NO Subways running. I took me forever to go from Downtown Manhattan to drive her and then myself, back to Flatbush Brooklyn due to no traffic or streetlights. After the 1965 Blackout NYC citizens started to consider if generators were a good idea. I was very different during the 1977 Blackout the city was one big riot zone. In 1977 I was working in TL-18 on Manhattan Lower East Side. Between the time the power went out about 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM the next day we responded to 7 Major multiple alarm fires including a 6th Alarm.
Captain Bob Rainey FDNY Engine 26 retired
 
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