The Savannah tribune. [volume] (Savannah [Ga.]) 1876-1960, 1888-01-28
fFrom the N. 7. sun.l

Electric light experts read despatch
telling Of the instant killing of James
OConnell, stage manager In Cincin-
natl, by shock from an electric current
that in some way became communicated
to the bell wire that he pulled to ring
down the curtain. They we're asked II
there was not some way by which such
accidents could be prevented. One OF
the managers of one of the arc lamp sys-
TENS used In the lighting Of the streets
Of New York said that the only precau-
ton that could be taken against acci-
dent was to properly insulate the wires.
Insulation made them absolutely harm
less, even if charged with the highest
electric power He said that the death
of O'Connell was certainly due TO care
lessness on the part of somebody IN not
having the wires from which the current
was conveyed to the bell wire properly
guarded with insulation.
cit is a singular thing" he added,
"that accidents of this sort usually hap
pen TO men who are more or less familiar
with electricity. They get so used to
manipulating the apparatus that they
sometimes become careless, just as the
brakeman who regularly jumps on
moving train gets careless sometimes
and suffers the inevitable consequences.
Pooling with electricity is like fooling
with red-hot iron. Nobody but an idiot
would think Of handling heated iron
without proper implements, and nobody
should handle exposed electric wires
without rubber gloves, or allow any de-
feet IN insulation to go unrepaired q
moment. The accidents that happen
are all to be traced to carelessness, either
in neglecting repairs or in handling the
exposed charged wire
eve 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 as 1000 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 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 as much electricity as
is wanted to light the building goes
into it, and the rest is diverted by the
shunt and carried back to and along the
street lines. AS an average only 1900
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
gerous, even if the insulation of the
win es were imperfect.
A representative of the incandescent
system of electric lighting said that
great danger to life and limb was neces-
sarily incidental to the operation of the
present systems of electric lighting. In
sulation was Mt best but very uncer-
tain safeguard where from 1900 to D.
900 volts were sent into the wires. The
incandescent light man said that he
didn't say this in any carping spirit of
jealousy, but because it was fact. 1t
was also 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-
tlal' or power was ever transmitted in
the incandescent system. The highest
used was 800 volts, and the shock from
that, even when an exposed wire was
touched, was less than could be admin
istered by common medical battery.