Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Our View: Learning to survive ... Techtoberfest event was a rousing success ... Jeffrey Gillespie: Hillary Clinton’s big night ... Our View: Learning to survive ... Techtoberfest event was a rousing success ... Jeffrey Gillespie: Hillary Clinton’s big night ... Electrical cable serving Plaza failed dramatically The failure of a power cable serving the Ashland Plaza sent sparks shooting out the top of the Iron Mike statue's head and cut power to neighboring businesses over the weekend. Comment DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Aug. 22, 2013 at 4:20 PM Posted Aug. 22, 2013 at 4:20 PM » RELATED CONTENT • Can Iron Mike come back? • Vandals damage Iron Mike statue, steal its rifle » Social News The failure of a power cable serving the Ashland Plaza sent sparks shooting out the top of the Iron Mike statue's head and cut power to neighboring businesses over the weekend. A cable's failure left Ashland's downtown business district without power for four hours on Saturday. Power wasn't restored to the Plaza itself until Wednesday afternoon, leaving it lit at night only by a portable lighting unit. Mark Holden, director of Ashland Electric Department, said the outage was due to a 40-foot cable fault on Water Street. The cable served the Iron Mike statue, the information booth and the street lights in and around the plaza. "Due to the cable's age, which was about 20 years, it developed a micro-crack," he said. "If water gets into those cracks, the cable will fault." He said they aren't worried that any other cables in that area are susceptible to such damage. According to Holden and City Administrator Dave Kanner, the discharged electricity from the aged cable traveled to the Iron Mike statue and caused sparks to fly out of the top. One man who was drinking from the water fountain nearby was hit by one of the sparks but suffered no injuries. Electric Department crews had to dig a hole on Water Street where the underground cable was located. The section that was dug up is currently covered by a steel plate and will have to be repaved, Holden said. — Amanda Barker DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Aug. 22, 2013 at 4:20 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501