THE WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OF INDIANA UNIVERSITY-PURDUE UNIVERSITY AT TH IS W E E K INDEX Opinion................ .. 4 Focus.................. ... 6 The Leisure................ ... 7 Sports.................. ...9 SAGAMORE Classifieds......... ...11 [INDIANA P OLIS Vol. 19. No.10 University responding to crises Blaze causes outages By SCOTT ABEL and MARIE C1IMIELEW8KI An alactrical transformer lo­ cated near Riley Hospital for Chil­ dren buret into flames last Tues­ day, causing power outages and scattered inconveniences on the north side of campus. The fire, which affected most of the IU Medical Center, caused at least 15 buildings to loose povggr. including Phase I of Riley Hospi­ tal and both the Medical Science and Union buildings. The transformer substation, power to much of Getting power to campus more than flick of switch BY SCOTT ABEL heat generated from the furnace causes the water in the pipes to the transformer, shorting it out," boil, thus producing steam. Evans said. T hat caused it (the IUPUI is one of Indiana Power and light's largest commercial Ths steam travels through pipes transformer) to overheat quickly." customers. At any one given time, which lead to a turbine (a fan-like WHEN THE transformer device enclosed in a solid housing) grounded-out, oil, which is used as the IUPUI campus uses a maxi­ a cooling agent inside the unit, mum of 35 megawatts. Thirty-five quickly overheated and began megawatts of electricity can At the other end of the turbine boiling out of the units* protective power 3.5 million 100 watt light shaft there is a generator. This casing. The scalding oil ignited bulbe. particular type of generator is into flames as it made contact The process of getting electricity similar (in theory) to an with the surrounding air. to its consumers is not as easy as automobile alternator. Instead of "Our major concern was to cool flicking a switch on the wall. the transformer down so it In fact, it is a complicated pro­ charging a battery, the function of wouldn't re-ignite," said Mark cess that includes substations, an automobile alternator, the type Rihm, assistant fire marshal for generators and transformers. (See of generator involved in creating the Indianapolis Fire Department related graphic.) electricity produces energy which Transformers are devicee, with Preventing re-ignition of an elec­ ie then directed to a step-up trical fire involving petroleum no moving parts, used to transfer products requires the use of a electricity from one voltage level foam product called ^ight water." to another. Transformers are a The foam is designed to smother necessary element in the firs by coating the oil with a of delivering electric poqpr to the Therefore, the step-up trans­ consumer, because they perform protective coating which prevents former's job is to receive electrical the function of either stepping-up, contact with oxygen. power at one voltage and deliver or atepping-down both the electric », power to it at a higher voltage. After the voltage and current. mmedlately electric power has been stepped- There are two types of trans­ up, it ie sent by “transmission turned off and other temporary former devices: step-up and step- transformers were quickly lints" to Indianapolis, where it is down transformers. Ths trans­ directed to various substations brought in to deal with the elec­ former that shorted out last Tues­ tricity demands of the campus. around ths city. day psrformsd ths function of A TRANSFORMER is a device Ths purpose of ths substation is stepping-down electricity, trans­ to receive ths electric energy and which transfers electric power by Firefighters battle tranformer blaze near Riley Chi- Center photo by forming the high voltage electric route it to a step-down trans­ electromagnetic means from one dren s hospital last Tueedey The fire caused much of power supplied by one of In­ circuit to another. the north aide of the campus to bae power. Photo top former. dianapolis' three power plants The transformer must step The Indianapolis Fire Depart­ the emergency entrance of Riley unit which contained the trans­ alternate location in order to into a more manageable low volt­ down ths electricity in voltage be­ ment responded to two separate Hospital, and immsdiately called former. receive their treat- age power. cause ths incoming electricity it is calls at the Medical Center, the for backup. Hospitals affected by the fire Indianapolis' electricity is sup- too powerful to be used by con­ first of which was at 8:46 a m. and THE SECOND TEAM of relied on back-up generators that plitd by IPL and is gensrated by sumers. ITm transformer converts the second a t 8:52 a.m. firsfightsrs, responding to the firs reportedly kicked in within three rupted as a rseult of ths firs, how- burning Indiana coal. ths energy into s usabh Two fire crews were dispatched alarm sounded a t 701 N. West to four seconds after the outage. svsr, freshman lab work and In order to transform coal into said Jim Evans, director < fire officials were un- Dr., the Riley Magnetic Resonance second-year medical cl s tees were •lsctricity, a series of events must Imaging Facility, discovered the for Wishard Memorial Hospital occur. (See diagram.) alarm was not sounded as a result were temporarily rerouted. Evans said hs is not of the First, the coal, after being ex­ energy users tap directly into ths of a separate firs in that facility, Nearly a dozen Riley cost to rspair ths but tracted from the earth, is burned transmission lines, thereby avoid- chemotherapy patients were did say it could possibly be in the in giant furnace boxes which are but rather in response to the Sea POWER Page 3 smoke coming from the substation moved from Phase I to an surrounded by water pipes. The Carelessness creates opportunities for thieves Assaults Personal safety is another con­ By CHERYL L. MATTHEWS guard from The Wockenhut Corp. cern of etudents. resale value. Occasionally, object Petty Thefts Reported to IUPD from Jan. to Dec. 1988 fascination and not the monetary to keep an eye on them. When he On Sept. 20 Karen 8. Williams When Ruby Simmons entered Eyeglasses------- ........2 P«*i came back, Patmore's books were was assaulted while walking to worth of the item motivates the a class at ths Madams Walker University Hospital as a patient theft of such things as ceramic Jewelry gone. in August, she never dreamed she 16 rings "1 was furious. I don’t have the Theater. ducks, syeglasset, an American 12 welches Ckxhang William* said shs at no time would be the victim of a robbery. (lag, traffic signs and even a money to buy my books twice," 1 gold chen 5 part pants thought the man was trying to diaper bag, according to Reynolds. Patmore said. Departing from $20 bill and eight $2 normal policy, the assistant store harm her, according to Students and university employ- 6 authorised full reimbur- Lieutenant Bill Abeton of the IU bills in a night stand drawer. 29 While Simmons was out of her Textbooks Police Department a t In­ Calculators 2 dianapolis. Williams was only room for tests, somebody stole her create the opportunity for most 5 Dorothy Calkins, a Butler Uni­ wallet thefts. "People like to think Backpacks versity employee, works hard to informing IUPD of the incident Cessans Tapes 96 On Aug. 26, police recovered the th e /re as safe at school or in the 7 put herself and her son through workplace as they are at home. collegs. On Aug. 23, someone During 1988 there were 35 wallet, but the money was gone. WaMets 96 Unfortunately, that’s not the walked away from ths Cavanaugh batteries reported on campus. T meant to tend my wallet Pursas 37 home with my daughter, but I was case," Reynolds said. Michelle Hall bookstore with Calkins' "A person who knowingly or in such pain I forgot It rsally hurt Sweeney, Jill Branham and Trent 309 intentionally touches another Credh Cards person in a rude, insolent, or me bad when they took my $2 Abraham learned that fact the Owns................ __ 2 bursed by the bookstore. bills. I'd had them 15 years,” hard way. I M7 "I had to rebuy my books, ao Tm angry manner commits battery,” Simmons said. On Sept. 3, Sweeney, a nurse at out twice the money .*•. money according to section 35-42-2-1 of Petty theft ie the largest prob­ University Hospital, placed her that's not easy to come by * Indiana state law. lem the IU Police Department puree containing $45 in h*r lock­ Calkins said. "Everything we get (batteries), faces, according to Sgt. Max er, but did not lock it. To prevent book thefts, James we investigate it," Abeton said. Reynolds, who has been with the T know it was my own fault my Branham noticed h«r brac.l.t waa ht'..W,1U.t CO"Uintn« • » *nd Arthur, manager of ths "Evsn if they (victims) don't IUPD since 1980. purse was stolen. I should have Cavanaugh Hall bookstore sug- want to prosecute, we look a t it Theft represents 80 to 00 per­ locked my locker," Sweeney said. * T r.n*t halj.ni i m* l<*ker like the event still happened." cent of all campus crime. Accord­ "My lock was broksn, and I belongings in ths car or uae a The IUPD patrols three juris­ dictions, ths main or Michigan ing to the IUPD's 1988 Summary didn*ft»th#r replacing it. It's do anything like that," Branham ^ P ' ^ 1 buddy system when visiting the campus, ths Herron School of bad people have to work so said.