A 72-year-old Wapatusset resident accidentally shut down the Internet in southeastern Massachusetts for several hours yesterday when he sliced through a fiber optic cable while digging for quahogs.
Scrim Shaw, amateur naturalist known for his Yankee thrift, was foraging for his afternoon meal in the mudflats near Weasel Dam. Equipped with a spade, lunch pail and his trusty metal detector, Mr. Shaw was digging in his usual spot when he hit an “unusual object.” Suspecting it was either “a petrified eel or a submarine telegraph cable,” he dug deeper to investigate.
Nearly all of southeast Massachusetts was without Internet access for a period ranging from two to 12 hours. “Scrim,” as the locals call him, was questioned by police chief Liam O’Liam and charged with destruction of communications equipment and as well as disrupting the ecosystem in the (already politically contentious) wetlands area. After one night in jail, he was temporarily released due to his old age and in consideration of his peculiar dietary requirements.
- reported by Technology and Crime correspondent Agent SS