The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-16
Electricity that Kills.
fFrom tna y 7. sun-i

Electric Ugh. experts read despatch
telling of tie instant killing Of James
OCoauel. stage manager IN CIncln-
natl bv shock from an electric current
that in some wav became communicated
TO the hell wlre that he pulled to ring
down the curtain. They were asked Il
there vas not some way by which such
ACCIDENTS could be prevented One Of
Il e managers Of one @: the arc lamp sys-
tens used in the lighting Of the streets
81 New York said that the only preoau-
zion that could be taken against aecl-
dent Was to properly Insula:e the wires.
Insulation made them absolutely harm
less, even ii charged with the highest
electric power. He said that the death
Of O'ConnelI was certainly due TO cart
Iessness on the part Of somebody IN not
having the wires from which the current
was conveyed to the bell wire properly
guarded with insulation.
1T Is & singular thing" he added,
that accidents OF this sort usually hap
pen - men who are more or less familiar
with electricity. They get so used 10
manipulating the apparatus that they
sometimes become careless, just as the
brakeman who regularly jumps on q
moving train gets careless sometimes
and suffers the inevitable consequences.
Pooling with electricity Is like fOOllng
with red hot iron. Nobody but al idiot
would taink Of handling heated iron
without proper implements, and nobody
should handle exposed electric wires
without rubber gloves, or allow any de-
feet III insulation TO go unrepaLred
moment The accidents that happen
are all to be traced to carelessness, either
in neglecting repairs or In handling the
exposed charged wire.
I'VE reduce danger to the minimum
by Insulating all our wires that run IN
doors with rubber, and by hanging the
wires that run through the streets. and
which are insulated with material made
chiefly to resist the effects of the wealth
er, away up IN the air where people
can't readily get at them. That IS all
the safeguard that Is possible to throw
about this wonderful secret force of ma
ture. With such safeguards we can
run as much rs 2, 900 volts Of electricity
along a wire safely. When some of the
electric supply is desired to light
building along the route of the street
lights a shunt or guard box is placed at
the entrance Of the building, and sep
arate supply wires are run from the in
side Then only us much electricity IS
is wanted TO light the building goes
into it, and the rest is diverted by tbs
shunt and carried back to and along the
street lines. As an average only 200
volts Of electricity is carried ON the
street wires, and very few buildings re
Quire so many lamps that the current
sent to supply the lamps is really dan
gcrous, even if the insulation OF the
vines were imperfect
A representative Of the incandescent
system of electric lighting said that
great danger to life and limb was neces-
sariIv incidental to the operation OF the
/ present systems of electric lighting. In
gulation was at best but a very uncer-
/ tain safeguard where from 1000 to p
! zoe volts were sent into the wires. The
! incandescent light man said that he
didn't say this in any carplng spirit OF
/ jealousy, but because ii was a fact. 1t
was also q fact that there wasn't any
danger about the operation Of the in
candescent system, for the simple rea-
son that no such deadly "high poten-
tiai' or power was ever transmitted IN
/ the incandescent system. The highest
used was 220 volts, and the shock from
that even when an exposed wire was
touched, w&s less than could be admin
/ istered by common medical battery.
CARPENTER Brown, of Sault Ste Marie
/ Mjch.. has built himself a large sleigh
secured full team of dogs, and viii Sc
out in a few days to drive them from tn
500 to Grand Haven a distance Of nearI