RBM wrote:
"John Grabowski" wrote in message
....
Thanks for the pics Roy. They brought back some memories. I recall at
least one house where the gas lines were still live.

I don't think I have ever seen fuse boxes like those. Are they plaster
lined wood frames?

Years ago, working in Mount Vernon, NY I would run into live gas lines
frequently. I'd have a blind hickey threaded onto what I thought was the
stud of a pancake, and of course it's sticking out of the ceiling to far to
mount a standard fixture, so I'd remove it only to find live gas.

We found contractor papers describing the 1928 renovation and it appears
that all the gas lines were disconnected at that time. Both the fuse box and
the main disconnect are line with a soft asbestos sheeting, about 1/4"
thick. They did a really neat job, so it does look like plaster. I actually
pulled some off the see exactly what it was.
....

Back when in VA (Lynchburg and surrounding) saw it quite often as well.
Actually had one where some of the fixtures were still in use.

The asbestos-lined fuse enclosure was also also relatively familiar in
that area altho not universal. Many were simply plastered recesses some
with, many w/o covering panels (of course, most of those may have had a
panel originally which had been lost/destroyed w/ time...).

--