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| Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night (2043142) | |
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| (2043142) | |
Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by Catfish 44 on Mon Jul 13 22:16:57 2026 Remarkable chain of events allow a notorious night 7/13/77 |
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| (2043143) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by LuchAAA on Mon Jul 13 22:49:00 2026, in response to Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by Catfish 44 on Mon Jul 13 22:16:57 2026. Good post. The blackout lasted several days.One night, Broadway in Brooklyn which borders Bedford-Stuyvesant was completely looted. This was covered extensively by the media. Knickerbocker Ave business owners got together the next afternoon and formed a group figuring the looters would target them next. They were right. Looters came and business owners fired warning shots and they retreated. But out of spite they were able to burn one or two buildings down just east of Myrtle. This allowed the land owners to sell to Burger King and NYC who put a police precinct there. |
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| (2043148) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by Bill from Maspeth on Tue Jul 14 01:13:25 2026, in response to Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by Catfish 44 on Mon Jul 13 22:16:57 2026. 2 years before I got hired by transit. I was with Chemical Bank at the time @ E.14th St./Ave. B. I hated that job and was waiting.....but transit had recently cut lots of service and had a hiring freeze. They didn't need people anyway. Motorman became temporary bus operators for example.The bank was closed for the day eventhough the LES got power back by 10 AM as I remember but the vaults couldn't be opened because the timers stopped when the blackout occurred. But we had a miserable day after the day off with all the night deposit bags by customers who were so panicked that after the lights went out, they kept almost no cash on hand and deposited it all. That blackout, along with all the lootings, fires, etc. bought this city down to the lowest point probably since the Great Depression. |
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| (2043151) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by LuchAAA on Tue Jul 14 02:01:37 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by Bill from Maspeth on Tue Jul 14 01:13:25 2026. Chemical Bank at the time @ E.14th St./Ave. B. I hated that jobPerhaps you're not very narcissistic. Anyway, I'll bet you loved the commute to and from work on the arnines. That blackout, along with all the lootings, fires, etc. bought this city down to the lowest point probably since the Great Depression. And don't forget, the .44 cailber killer aka the Son of Sam, was still on the loose. |
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| (2043152) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by Fisk Ave Jim on Tue Jul 14 06:55:01 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by LuchAAA on Mon Jul 13 22:49:00 2026. Hunts Pt. Ave in the Bronx also was turned into a war zone. |
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| (2043155) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by Catfish 44 on Tue Jul 14 08:14:52 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by LuchAAA on Mon Jul 13 22:49:00 2026. It lasted 25 hours. By about 10:30 on July 14 everyone had lights again.Bushwick grabbed some dubious national attention for the behavior of some citizens that decided it was Christmas. And to think it was lightning strikes that set off a wild chain of events. |
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| (2043156) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by Catfish 44 on Tue Jul 14 08:15:36 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by Bill from Maspeth on Tue Jul 14 01:13:25 2026. Great story and information. Thank you for sharing. |
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| (2043157) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by Catfish 44 on Tue Jul 14 08:16:39 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by LuchAAA on Tue Jul 14 02:01:37 2026. He probably did until 3/31/77. |
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| (2043158) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by Catfish 44 on Tue Jul 14 08:17:29 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by Fisk Ave Jim on Tue Jul 14 06:55:01 2026. One of several around town. Such a disgrace |
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| (2043161) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by bingbong on Tue Jul 14 10:37:18 2026, in response to Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by Catfish 44 on Mon Jul 13 22:16:57 2026. Oh yeah….I remember watching that whole thing go down from my apartment in New Paltz. On TV, with the candlelight on the reporters desk. (A throwback to the infamous 1965 blackout coverage no one in NYC got to see) |
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| (2043163) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by LuchAAA on Tue Jul 14 11:31:35 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by Catfish 44 on Tue Jul 14 08:16:39 2026. Oh. Is that the date? I used to love seeing the R-9's on the LL.By 1976 I don't remember seeing them on the M or J. Only the LL and KK. |
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| (2043164) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by LuchAAA on Tue Jul 14 12:44:40 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by Fisk Ave Jim on Tue Jul 14 06:55:01 2026. Oh. I didn't know about that. |
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| (2043165) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by Bill from Maspeth on Tue Jul 14 13:37:27 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by Catfish 44 on Tue Jul 14 08:16:39 2026. I started in that branch sometime in 1975, so yes, the R9's were there. 8 car trains by then. But service was of course there were gaps in service and trains taken out of service.On a bad day (my commute was from Graham Ave. to First Ave.) I would have to squeeze into the last door of the last car, then of course walk to the other end to exit, then walk back to Ave. B. on the street. |
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| (2043169) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by Mitch45 on Tue Jul 14 14:58:49 2026, in response to Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by Catfish 44 on Mon Jul 13 22:16:57 2026. I remember it very well. It had been a hot sticky day. I was 12 years old. My dad and I were in my parents' basement in Queens watching "CPO Sharkey", a Don Rickles sitcom in which Rickles played a Chief Petty Officer in the Navy with an incompetent staff. About 10 minutes into the show, the picture on our old Zenith black and white TV started to waver and we thought that the picture tube was blowing out again. The picture got worse and worse, and then the TV went off. Then the basement lights went off. My mom called down from the kitchen to say that the lights there went off. I ran upstairs and looked out the door and saw that the streetlights were out too.My dad immediately went to the phone (dial phone, on the wall, you remember) and called my grandparents in Brooklyn to see if they had power. Surprisingly, the phones still worked, and my grandparents were fine, they had candles and relatives looking in on them. We all went out on the front porch, as it was slightly cooler out there. My dad later went in to go to sleep and my mom and I hung out on the porch talking with neighbors until 11:30. The next morning the power was still out. My dad had a portable radio and was listening to the news. Since he couldn't get to work, we sat down to play a game of chess. He beat me in the first game and we were partially through the second game when I noticed that the electric clock in my parents room had started working again. This was about 10 am. My dad again called my grandparents, they were still fine. Most TV stations hadn't restarted yet so my dad listened to the news - they were telling us not to turn our a/c's back on so that the system would not get overloaded. And it was then that we first heard of the lootings and the arrests. My dad had walked home from CCNY to our apartment in the Bronx during the 1965 Blackout and everything had been peaceful. He was pretty disgusted at the lootings. Later that day I wrote a letter to my brother in sleep away camp about the blackout. This was nearly 50 years ago and I remember it so clearly. |
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| (2043170) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by LuchAAA on Tue Jul 14 15:36:36 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by Bill from Maspeth on Tue Jul 14 13:37:27 2026. Graham Ave is totally Hipster now.There is even a dispensary named "Grams" which is kind of cool because it's on Graham Ave. Carmine's Pizza. I'll bet you have fond memories of McCarren Park. Good description of life on the LL back then. My first subway memories are from that mid-70's time period, seeing and hearing arnines on the LL at DeKalb. |
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| (2043171) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by Fisk Ave Jim on Tue Jul 14 15:57:24 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by Catfish 44 on Tue Jul 14 08:14:52 2026. Con Ed was warned that night that they have to "shed some load" (deliberately black out neighborhoods) or you are going to lose the whole city. Since the other power sources were generating power to compensate, those generators started redlining. Eventually as a safety measure to keep from burning out, they all tripped offline and the City went dark. It seemed that nobody at the Con Ed facilities had the authority (balls?) to do the load shedding which might have kept the lights on. |
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| (2043172) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by LuchAAA on Tue Jul 14 16:09:40 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by Fisk Ave Jim on Tue Jul 14 15:57:24 2026. Interesting. |
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| (2043178) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by Catfish 44 on Tue Jul 14 19:13:54 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by Mitch45 on Tue Jul 14 14:58:49 2026. That’s a great recollection, Mitch. Thank you |
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| (2043179) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by Catfish 44 on Tue Jul 14 19:19:55 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by Fisk Ave Jim on Tue Jul 14 15:57:24 2026. His name was William (Bill) Jurith.He did panic somewhat and was probably overwhelmed by all the alarms and buzzers going off in the control room. They had sent the crew home for the evening that would fire up gas generators and remote starting failed. Judith turned a switch the wrong way and some not at all but it was hardly all his fault. He may have been able to buy them more time but I doubt it would have been too much. |
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| (2043180) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by Catfish 44 on Tue Jul 14 19:20:19 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by Bill from Maspeth on Tue Jul 14 13:37:27 2026. Very interesting. Thank you |
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| (2043181) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by Catfish 44 on Tue Jul 14 19:21:07 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by LuchAAA on Tue Jul 14 15:36:36 2026. The dispensaries have ingenious names. Seaweed in Far Rockaway is pretty good. |
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| (2043188) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by Spider-Pig on Tue Jul 14 21:55:53 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by Catfish 44 on Tue Jul 14 19:19:55 2026. His job sounds just like Homer Simpson’s. |
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| (2043202) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by Catfish 44 on Wed Jul 15 00:40:37 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by Spider-Pig on Tue Jul 14 21:55:53 2026. I don’t think it’s too far off |
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| (2043210) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by LuchAAA on Wed Jul 15 02:27:47 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by Catfish 44 on Tue Jul 14 19:21:07 2026. That's one of the best names yet. |
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| (2043214) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by Avid reader on Wed Jul 15 07:10:31 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by Mitch45 on Tue Jul 14 14:58:49 2026. Surprisingly, the phones still worked.All NY telephone Central Offices have back-up power generators! The FUEL supply is the determining factor. Some small CO's had/have diesel GM Bus engines, larger offices have 750 kw or 1500 kw turbine engines. The fuel for both is No. 2 fuel, the same as home heating oil. |
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| (2043215) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by Avid reader on Wed Jul 15 07:28:48 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by Mitch45 on Tue Jul 14 14:58:49 2026. heard of the lootings!I heard of a neighbor that obtained a scooter that was previously looted. I think the statute of limitations has run out. |
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| (2043216) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by Catfish 44 on Wed Jul 15 09:19:28 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by LuchAAA on Wed Jul 15 02:27:47 2026. Isn’t it? |
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| (2043235) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by Mitch45 on Wed Jul 15 13:30:08 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by Avid reader on Wed Jul 15 07:10:31 2026. This may be true in 2026. Not necessarily in 1977. |
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| (2043258) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by Spider-Pig on Wed Jul 15 15:37:08 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by Mitch45 on Wed Jul 15 13:30:08 2026. It is almost certainly still true for landlines, just not everyone still has them. |
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| (2043275) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by Stephen Bauman on Wed Jul 15 16:59:59 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by Mitch45 on Wed Jul 15 13:30:08 2026. This may be true in 2026. Not necessarily in 1977.You have it reversed. Phones would work in 1977 because the telephone set was powered through it copper wires. Verizon's conversion to fiber optic cables after Super Storm Sandy means that telephone set needs a its own source of electrical power to operate. It's operable as long as the battery lasts. |
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| (2043280) | |
Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night |
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Posted by Orange Blossom Special on Wed Jul 15 17:03:21 2026, in response to Re: Happy 49th anniversary of the Blackout Night, posted by Stephen Bauman on Wed Jul 15 16:59:59 2026. The battery's don't get replaced and I'm not sure how many even work.Ask me how i know. |
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