Summary

Part I: Salients

Chapter 1: The Last Days of Night

Paul Cravath, a young lawyer, was leaving his office and heading home through Broadway when he saw a terrible accident take place. A workman was untangling telegraph wires when one started sparking. The worker was electrocuted when making a grab for another cable. The witnesses on the street initially did not know what was happening. Then, everyone started running. A boy fell into the path of an oncoming horse and carriage. Paul dragged him out of the way, and the boy ran away. It took ten minutes for the firemen to arrive on the scene. This was the first time they had dealt with an incident caused by electricity. Paul made a point to take note of everything he saw because as a lawyer it...