Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!bellcore!texbell!vector!telecom-gateway From: ami!royc@uunet.uu.net (roy crabtree) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: One Year Ago: The Great Fire Message-ID: Date: 9 May 89 18:52:56 GMT Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US Organization: Access Methods, inc. Lines: 50 Approved: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 159, message 7 of 8 In article , telecom@eecs.nwu.edu (TELECOM Moderator) writes: > As Mother's Day approaches, one cannot help but be reminded of flowers, > and fires, and telephones that work. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Mrph. [elided] > be known as 'the world's worst telecommunications disaster' when fire struck ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ .... yet. [elided] > nearly twelve hours after the fire started. Miles of melted optic fiber; > circuit boards twisted into bizarre shapes from the intense heat; extensive > water damage to the main switch, with corrosion already starting; the > offices totally gutted leaving not a single printed document to be used > for reference in the days ahead. Does anyone even remember the Manhattan Midtown fire (42nd Street, was it?), of a somewhat smaller long distance service nature, but around 500,000 subscriber lines wre fried? I seem to recall essential service online within 18 hours, plus 85% service restoral in two-three weeks .... ... and they complete rebuilt the central office from scratch ... [elided] > Never again? Those are strong words. But if any good at all has come from > the Hinsdale disaster a year ago this week, it is that Illinois Bell's > telephone network is becoming stronger and more secure than ever against > natural disasters of the sort that shook everyone with a rude awakening > on May 8, 1988. Hey, New York Tel/PacBell/Southwestern Bell, et al -- are > you reading this? You *do* remember Hinsdale, don't you? But of course reliable service costs too much, right? So who wanted to authorize the rate structure to _pay_ duplicate routing? Since it was almost there anyway, under the old single hierarchy provided by Ma Bell (with some exception in congested areas). If you want to cry, take a look at some of the traffic analysis plans for disaster recovery provided back in the old step by step days: they actually coul do the job faster than Hinsdale was done. But the cost was: $$$ for the facilities, adequate space for the equipment, and planning 5-15 years ahead in outside plant cable layout. Say, patrick, is anyone out there doing this type of stuff for the nation as a whole anymore ??? roy a. crabtree uunet!ami!royc 201-566-8584