Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-10-17
The Dangorou. wires.

attention more thoroughly than any, or
all, previous casualties of the kind, to
the nature and particularly to the scopsof
the danger that wires loaded with deadly
current may introduce into any ooE-
munity. II is very probable that this
peril is creator in New York than In any
other American city, where Schuyler s.
Wheeler, the expert employed by the
Board OF Electrical Control, is reported
ss deducing, from the inspection made
by himself and his dozen assistants since
Friday night, that half of the wires
they examined are in dangerous oondi-
tion. There are about 1000 miles OF
deadly current wires in New York city,
from which it follows that there may be
500 miles Of wire in condition to kill
the unfortunate man who comes in con-
| tsct with them. As matter Of record,
seven men have been killed in that city
and % in the state since September LIST
by or through electric light wires. And
tbe same source of peril exists in every
sity and town where arc light wires or
wires loaded with the still more danger
GUS alternating current are strung.
What forces itself most strikingly,
however, upon the public mind, in con-
templating the appalling fate of Lineman
Feeks is the indirect, the secondary,
power for danger exerted by these high
voltage wires. There was no electric
light wire among those carried by the
pole on which this lineman met his death.
The wires on that pole we're chiefly tele-
graph and telephone wires. Besides
these there were few FIRE alarm tele-
graph wires and two wires conveying q
power current OF 200 volts. None of
these wires was in itself dangerous the
power wires appear to have had no legit-
innate right TO be there, but even they,
carrying the same current used in the
heart Of Wilmington for feeding the
Edison incandescent lamps in use here,
were not capable in themselves
of giving a dangerous shock.
But somewhere, it may have been
miles away or it may have been close
at hand, one or more OF these harm
less wires have been crossed by o wire
loaded with an arc or alternating current;
that one or more of these harmless wires
had through this contact become the con.
ductor Of deadly charge Of electricity,
and, through any one of half dozen diff
ferFnt accidental contacts, had probably
impaired that current to other wires
antil the whole maze OF telegraph aud
telephone wires on that Fatal pole had
become surcharged with the invisible
torce that blasts like the lightning's stroke.
This is the grave warning brought
home to the people by the fatal so-callsd
accident of Friday afternoon. Electricians
were of course aware OF this indirect
potentislity for death; an agency which
renders it possible in New York with its
800 miles of dangerous wires for man
to be struck down instantly while ringing
door bell, using q telephone, or turning
on gas jet; but not urtil new havs The
people at large been aroused 20 knowl-
edge that this possibility for destruction
may be encountered anywhere ~ touch.
ing piece OF metal while standing on
damp or stone door. Fortunately It is
rather possibility than probability,
bat the sane agency which made
the ordinarily inuocuous telegraph
I'D telephone wires instruments
OF death 10 that unfortunate lineman,
may, throu9h some ohsr accident Of
abDrs ptr,,itirg, oar,l a = ,-..,ur,,z o,,,.-z . 4
at any moment through line Of eoa
pipe the wire of door bell, or any
c'lsr available metallic conductor.
Wat is the romedJ2 Obviously in Mex
York city the rlcst important thing to be
done is to compel the electric lighting
companies ct once to obey the law they
have disregariei t1E two years eaG bury
their wires. Mex in importance is TO Il,
the responsibility ii possible, and bring
to trial the responsible man o
men OF the corporation from whose WHO
the deadly current came. Under thu
circumstances there u no hkeii
hood OF this responsibility bein,
fixed where several corporations, a
in New York, use alternating and ar
cuFrentsi but the principle OF law essab
lished in the Buadonslak case = tha
where person knowingly plts human
lie in jeopardy no renders himself liabl
TO indictment for man5liughter So
plicshle everywhere aud the realization
Of this II the public insist tbat i! cha
be distinctly understood " IA
superintendenta OF other respon5ihl
men representing the executive agency T.
electrical companies, win Curry with
the strongest incentive TO vigilance /
cities With overhead wires. I'll sac
cities, as in Wilmington, where Vi
have had arc wires FOR yea
and where We are now about
use the alternating earrent 81 over ii
outlying districts, pubic safety reqair,
that, SO long IS dangerous wirss a.
maintained, the Insulation shall he Of Ii
very best and the most waicaiul et
shall % exercised to keep those wir
absolutely Isolated. Even tbs best i
Hulati0G will act prevent a Charged vi
from short aiEoUiting il it oro5ses auoth
wiEe Or zoe conductor Of electricity.
the GAZETTE said, IA rst calling {
tentlon 70 tbs then prospective intr
duntlcn 10 Wilmington c the aftermath
current ayalem, Il is not our intention
visa TO arouse ,ns easiry alarm: b
simply to MAKE tA7 psopia pel1tintI
with tho posnb!i s danger the. lGl