Power cut important clarification required

[John Iacoletti]

I guess the question is, did the lights on Hine's phone indicate incoming calls or just lines in use?  And what lights were the ones that all went out?

[John Mytton]

I guess the question is, did the lights on Hine's phone indicate incoming calls or just lines in use?  And what lights were the ones that all went out?

By the sounds of it, their telephone system was just a phone.

Mr. BALL. Did you have to change your desk over to another desk?
Miss HINE. Yes, sir; to the middle desk on the front row.
Mr. BALL. Was there a switchboard?
Miss HINE. No, sir; we have a telephone with three incoming lines, then we have the warehouse line and we have an intercom system.


Not the actual phone.


Also Miss Hines tells us manning/womanning the phones wasn't her job but she did do the phones in the other building.

Mr. BALL. You were just aware of the fact?
Miss HINE. Yes; I knew it and the girls were discussing it in the office that morning. Many of them, probably six, had not seen the President close. You see, I had seen him on two different occasions and I had been very close to him and so they were lamenting that they couldn't go out so I spoke up and said "I will be glad to answer the telephone so you girls may go out and see the motorcade" and I bad previously answered the telephone when we were in the other building before we moved in this building, so they were delighted and I thought nothing about it.

But she goes on to say that the first building had a switchboard, meaning she may not have no been so familiar with what was going on.

Mr. BALL. You don't have a switchboard?
Miss HINE. Not now; we did in the other building.



JohnM

[Walt Cakebread]

Why would a motorcade going by a building cause incoming calls to stop?

Luke Mooney - It was a push button affair the best I can remember. got hold of the controls and it worked. We started up and got to the second. I was going to let them off and go on up. And when we got there, the power undoubtedly cut off, because we had no more power on the elevator.

Victoria Adams - Following that, I pushed the button for the passenger elevator, but the power had been cut off on the elevator, so I took the stairs to the second floor.

Let me guess....they were both "mistaken".

Victoria Adams - Following that, I pushed the button for the passenger elevator, but the power had been cut off on the elevator, so I took the stairs to the second floor.


"I took the stairs to the second floor."   HUH???.... I thought she and Sandra Styles went to the FIRST floor!

[John Iacoletti]

Victoria Adams - Following that, I pushed the button for the passenger elevator, but the power had been cut off on the elevator, so I took the stairs to the second floor.


"I took the stairs to the second floor."   HUH???.... I thought she and Sandra Styles went to the FIRST floor!

She's talking about later after she re-entered the building.

[Tim Nickerson]

Why would a motorcade going by a building cause incoming calls to stop?

Luke Mooney - It was a push button affair the best I can remember. got hold of the controls and it worked. We started up and got to the second. I was going to let them off and go on up. And when we got there, the power undoubtedly cut off, because we had no more power on the elevator.

Victoria Adams - Following that, I pushed the button for the passenger elevator, but the power had been cut off on the elevator, so I took the stairs to the second floor.

Let me guess....they were both "mistaken".

Mooney likely failed to close the elevator door all the way after "they" got off. Who knows with Adams. She seemed to have been kind of loopy.

[Colin Crow]

My take is that mention of a brief power cut at some point stimulated imaginations.

Hine - comment regarding lack of phone activity was taken to mean power cut - this was just around time of shooting -no cut

Truly and Baker - a minute or so after - Truly calls for elevators - no response as both most likely have gates open on 5th floor - no power cut - see next

Truly gets to 5th floor and no west elevator - still power at 3-4 minutes

Sawyer - about 4 minutes he goes up passenger elevator at front of TSBD - stays a few minutes and returns down to entrance

Just after this Mooney and Adams likely report same brief event - short loss of power

I think the power may have been cut briefly following the entry of the fire brigade. This is just a proposal as I don?t have that timing in front of me.

No one in their right mind would take the elevators for speed. They were slower than the stairs. The east elevator however did have the advantage of being totally controllable by the operator.

[Walt Cakebread]

My take is that mention of a brief power cut at some point stimulated imaginations.

Hine - comment regarding lack of phone activity was taken to mean power cut - this was just around time of shooting -no cut

Truly and Baker - a minute or so after - Truly calls for elevators - no response as both most likely have gates open on 5th floor - no power cut - see next

Truly gets to 5th floor and no west elevator - still power at 3-4 minutes

Sawyer - about 4 minutes he goes up passenger elevator at front of TSBD - stays a few minutes and returns down to entrance

Just after this Mooney and Adams likely report same brief event - short loss of power

I think the power may have been cut briefly following the entry of the fire brigade. This is just a proposal as I don?t have that timing in front of me.

No one in their right mind would take the elevators for speed. They were slower than the stairs. The east elevator however did have the advantage of being totally controllable by the operator.

I think the power may have been cut briefly following the entry of the fire brigade.

I don't believe the firemen ever entered the building......   I believe the fire department's trucks arrived after 1:00 pm.....