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Power company
rescues B & B
On New Year’s Eve, at 9 p.m., Caledonia Farm Bed and Breakfast lost its electricity. Moments before, six guests had left the stone formhouse, on the Fodderstack Road outside Washington, to celebrate the New Year at Rappahannock’s famous Inn at Little Washington.
Panic struck, according to host Phil Irwin. Heat, water, lights, kitchen appliances — all became inoperable at the worst possible time. Mr. Irwin soon verified that all the house fuses were intact. Then he was struck with the frightening thought, “Would help be available on New Year’s Eve?”
As his wife Florence busied herself lighting candles throughout the main floor, Mr. Irwin dialed Potomac-Edison’s emergency number. The first attempt resulted in a disappointing recorded message stating that the utility office was closed until Friday morning. Then, searching further, Mr. Irwin located another number in Hagerstown, Md., where a live voice promised that help would soon be on the way.
With doubts flooding his mind, Mr. Irwin waited. Even if a repair crew were.to be dispatched, could a huge transformer, high on a utility pole, be replaced in the dark of night on a holiday?
His fears were assauged as the headlights of a utility truck, carrying two expert linesmen from Madison, broke through the darkness. Working with a pulley assembly and emergency lights, the linesmen were indeed able to replace the defective transformer. Power was restored.
Shortly after the ballcame down at midnight in Times Square, a transformer came down at Caledonia Farm, replaced by a new and heavier one. The truck left for Madison just five minutes before the guests returned from the Inn.
And the guests? They all had a wonderful time and never knew what real excitement they had missed, Mr. Irwin said.
He added, “Thanks to the highly responsive service department of Potomac-Edison, a near disaster was averted and the amenities offered by Caledonia Farm, which are very dependent on electricity, were once again available to its guests.”
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