Omaha daily bee., 1888-03-18
Killed by an Electric Wire.

equally applicable to clocks.
Killed by an Electric Wire.
Last night, says dispatch to the st.
Louis Globe-Democrat from Memphis,
Tenn, when the electric lights had just
been turned on, u half dozen lads began
experimenting with one Of the wires
that had been attached to a discarded
light. Instead of wrapping the tree
end of the wire around the top of the
pole, the workmen wound it around
within few feet of the ground and
within easy reach. Several of the boys
touched the wire with their bare hands
and were more or less severely shocked.
Finally one of the number, a colored
youth named Will Somerville, touched
it with piece of hoop iron about six
inches long, which he had picked up
near by. The instant that he did so he
fell headlong, arose, staggered a few
steps and fell again. He was picked up
in an unconscious condition, and died
in few minutes. The coroner's jury
found criminal negligence on the part
of the Brush Electric Light company.
Locating a Bullet by Electricity.
Philadelphia Times: At the meeting
DR.. John Girdner, of New York, ex-
hibited, by invitation of the college, for
the first time, his telephone probe, and
explained Its mode of application. The
instrument is used to locate a bullet or
other metal substance that has become
lodged in a bodya 1t is operated by the
natural electricity in the patient. 1t
consists of three parts--one a sort of
audiphone, which is placed over the
physician s ears, q steel probe, and a
steel bulb. The bulb is placed in the
hn pha ic in.
| serted in the wound. If the probe
| strikes piece of bone it makes no re-
| sponse, but if it strikes the metal which
caused the wound it gives distinct
| clicking sounds.
Electrical Brevities.
Electricity is now applied to blacking
| shoes.
| The proposition made by the New
York Maratime Exchange for an inter
national conference to devise means of
diminishing dangers at sea by an i'm
| proved system of signaling suitable for
| fast steam travel is being favorably
| received.
The Daily Indicator reports that the
| largest holder of Western Union stock
states positively that the next dividend
will be at the rate of six per cent. per
annum. The test offices of the Western
Union company this week show receipts
of $193, 500, an increase in seven days OF
1874, 400.
An Eau Claire wis, boy strolled into
| ment and went to prodding the dynamo
with button-hook. The latter was
drawn out of his hand and short-circuit-
ed the machine in such way as to burn
| out the armature. 1t will cost at least
$4OO to repair the machine. The youth
will be laid up for some time from the
effects of the shock he received.
The telephone is being largely en-
| ployed on the German railways, thirty
of which have already adopted it either
tentatively or otherwise. The most
favorable results have been obtained in
using it on branch lines, where it is
now employed almost exclusively.
A large number Of devices have been
| designed to overcome the humming of
wires. These 'anti- -hums," as they are
called, are mostly based upon the prin-
ciple of interposing springs which take
the strain of the line wire and which
prevent vibration. Several forms of
the ''antihum" are sold by dealers in
electrical supplies.
A lineman of an electric light COM
pany in Springfield, Mass, found in the
glass globe of an electric light the body
of small gray squirrel burned to a
crisp. 1t is supposed that the animal
had been attracted by the brilliant glow
to the top CT the tall pole where the
by accident.
At Albany, N. Y, in the house of as
sembly, Mr.. Finn introduced bill to
make the charges of a telephone com
panies in New York and Brooklyn So
per month for each telephone.
A. Vienna engineer named Fischer
has just taken out a patent for new
smoke-abating process. He proposes,
by means of electricity, to condense the
solid part of the smoke as it arises from
the coal the carbon thus solidified fall
ing back into the furnace.
A broken telephone wire fell across
an electric lightwire at Buffalo, N. Y,
on February Alt came in contact with
horse, which Was killed at once. A
colored porter passing took hold of the
wire to pull it out of the way, but re-
ceived n severe shock and died before
he could be removed to the hospital.
AS the city has failed to enforce its
ordinance about putting the wires under
ground, it is SAID that the friends of the
porter will bring suit against the city
for damages.
The last year has seen wonderful
growth In electric railways. There are
now in the United States over eighty
miles of road on which the motive power
is electricity. Eighteen towns have
plants in operation, in lengths varying
from one to eleven miles. Contracts
have been made for roads, and they are
now being constructed in seventeen
other towns, and there are tfty-nine
projected roads.
| The Electrical World mentions q
cheap and effective battery made by dis