Lost Silent Film From 1929 Shows A Peek Into Upstate New York’s Past

So much of recorded history has been lost, from the centuries of knowledge lost in the burning of Alexandria, to 'Batgirl' being unceremoniously wiped by the studio before release.

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Film is one of those mediums where we simply only see a fraction of its history, and finding a lost piece is as exciting as discovering a chest full of gold. A new piece of film history has been unearthed, and Upstate New York is front and center in it...

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What Was Lost is Now Found

Recently, workers at National Grid cars in Liverpool discovered something odd in their garage: a film canister. They had no clue what to make of it, so they passed it on to a senior analyst for the company's records, Kyle Powlina.

When he opened the canister, he realized right away that it was nitrate film, and had to be handled with care. Nitrate film is incredibly flammable, which has caused over 75% of silent films to become lost to time. So, he reached out to archivists at Syracuse University, who used a scanner to digitize the film and preserve it.

What Was In the Film?

The film enclosed was a 1929 piece titled: "Jumping Cables". It covers a severe snowstorm in Niagara Mohawk, showing "Galloping Lines" or "Jumping Cables" (where the film got its name)

'Jumping Cables' (c. 1929)

The film looks at power lines in the area that are laden with around an inch and a half of ice on them, being whipped around in the strong winds. If these lines were to "bump" into one another, it would cause massive electrical shockwaves that could lead to fires or power outages.