On Fri, 3 May 1996, Dieter Dworkin Muller wrote:

> 
> I seated the covers as best I could, and plan on picking up a new
> battery tomorrow (getting a ride from a friend).  Any ideas on what
> might have caused this?  It's a little weird, even for the Gerbil....
> 
> Oh yeah.  The blinker.  The slip-on connector had slipped off.  The
> geometry of the situation implies that it could have been when the
> battery cover popped.
> 
> We now return you to the Twilight Zone.

What with the current thread concerning engine fires, this may not be as 
bizarre as you think.  It's certainly possible that a spark could have 
been generated when the connector slipped off and ignited the free 
hydrogen in the battery, causing the covers to pop off.  Not so far 
fetched when you think about it.

Consider yourself blessed for the rest of the month, Dworkin...;)

Jack