The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-04-09
DANGER FROM THE ELECTRIC
LIGHT.
! The Electric Current Heating the
Wire to White Heat-Death
in the Unseen Bolt.
Cincinnati Commercial Gasette.l

Cincinnati Commercial G~asette.l
Beware of the electric light wire as
you would of the jobberwock. One
is just as mysteriously terrible as the
other. 'John," the j%anitor and
champion wrestler of the gymnasium
got an electric scare the other day
that he hes not yet recovered from.
1t was during the rainy spell. In the
midst of q of the heaviest showers
he Vas seized with establishment at
SEEING that the electric light wire
running from the real Of BOutillier's
roof into the gymnasium was on fire,
as he expressed it. A telephone
message for help was at once sent to
the office of the Brush Electric Light
company, and in the meantime John
undertook to drown out the fire. He
got out on the roof, and standing
three feet from the wire, he ladled a
cup of water from a pail and threw 1t
upon the radiant metal. There was
a ~''sizz," and John AYERS that some of
the water splashed on his arm, send
ing a shock through him that would
have laid out any less athletic indi-
vidual. He then moved three feet
furthor back and from there played
fireman. There really appeared i'm
minent danger of the roof catching
fire, as the wire near where 1t was
heated, passed through the wooden
frame of skylight. When the ex-
pert from the Brush company arrived
he donned a pair of rubber gloves,
and standing on a dry board, he cut
the wire in two.
The electric light people affect to
think little of such an occurrence,
but several scientific people to whose
it has been brought, saw It
is but a warning Of a terrible accident
that will one day happen. The |
Workmen who came to the relief of
JohH say that the wire got heated
because of striking against a piece of
tin, thus forming a "ground." He
admits that, had the wood been wet
thus forming a good conductor-a !
ire would probably have occurred.
The officials of the Brush Electric
light company claim that they cover
their wire with the best Insulating
material known, but outside electri
clans say that the insulation - very
poor, and that the least rain affects
It.
.Sucn an enormous current is en-
oloy ed to generate the Brush electric
light that to pass it through the
1uman body means death as Instant
y as by heavens bolt. 1t will be
that two weeks ago the
superintendent of the company at
of course, was thor
'ughly posted as to the terrible dan
killed as by a fash in taking
lold of a wire. He was fixing a lamp
nd to save it from falling, Thought
essly grabbed the wire. 1t had been
aiming, and the current passed right
hrough him.
The fremen are more afraid of the
lectric light wires than they are of
re itself. So far the accidents that
ave happened in this line in Cincin-
all, while they have been startling, :
ave not been fatal. 1t has often ,
appened that an electric light wire, !
l crossing a telephone wire, has !
a connection in wet weather. .
esultlng III melting the instrument +
q subscribers Office or at the ex- :,
lange-sOmetimes both. An sccj- :,
ent of this kind occurred a few DAYS =
go on Race street, causing the s ID
'rlber OF the telephone to call out
fire department. What would
ave happened had that current. v
hlch Was sufficient to melt brass I
inside a mans ear! O
Frequently the attention Of passers il
7 is attracted to a spark emitted Il
ON one of the electric light wires Il
inning across Fifth and Vine SITS a