New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-12-11
an AUTOPSY ON CLAUSEN'
,,r WAS KILLED BY AN ELECTRIC "i"D'
:. THE pocroRs DECIDED AT THE EXANiNN
THE GRAND JURY WILL NOT "AiA
THE 1NouEsr-INDIcrMENrS WILL
PROBABLY BE FOUND


pepuS AZ, of Peter Clausen, 'pe i,'''
'iu"s - .,s pilled on Monday afternoon "' IL
noA o,d e,t,..sixth-st and 1hlru-a'', ~.
.sa,,in, some repairs for the No.."
DC -. Company The eNah'h"'io"
lo'h 10 u, room Of York % owlIt ""U,i
maue III 'r0 one bundred-andf ty-r'ith-s'" '"'
aNihs '"op o hoon taken there on Monday his"''
pouS n'' unusual number OF physicians Pre'-
lnere ""s -" Coroner Messemcr, Deputy Coroner
en'' in''IS ID Rockwell, of NO. llo "eSt
pon',H, ,o,r,b-st. and DR.. James l. Daiy, vi w.
lhlrg On. bundrsd-and -lftleth-st, besides Dr'
1oy ,.;ns Dr DAILY was the physician VINO nap
49, sa 20 bc at hand when Clausen's BODY was
,...rsd from the wires while DR.. Rockweh was
80 III. medical experts who teStlned before
N. referee in the kemmler case.
The result of the autopsy, as explained alter-
,.,d bv Coroner Messener, was to establish De-
rO,d doubt the fact that ChusenS death was
.oused nv electricity There was, indeed, heart
,,ouble Of some standing, but tins was not sulll-
.;ent 70 produce death, while the fud condition
:, ,hs blood nearly twenty-fo four hours after death
20 clear evidence Of death from electricity.
ps;des this there was tie usual congestion OF ali
,h. organs. with hemorrhagic punctUreS on the
pleura.
The only external marks were on the right fore
arm and the right hand. There were two deep
burns on the hand one right in the palm and the
o,ber AZ the base of the thumb on the inside
They were about half an inch deep, and just such
wounds as might have been made when the line
man grasped the fatal wire with his
miners. Those on the forearm were
deeper, and almost round, being some
+vo or three inches across. The fact that not
.vsn the slightest mark was discovered on the
,,st or any other part of the body puzzled the
ACTORS considerably None of them, however,
would undertake TO say whether the circuit was
completed within the few inches that embrace the
four wounds or whether the mysterious agent
found its outlet from some other part OF the
BODY without leaving any trace OF It's passage
After the autopsy the body was taken to the
spartment of Mrs. Young, the sister OF the young
widow, at No. 1,761 First-ave. Mrs. Clausen had
gone there soon after she was informed OF hef
husbands death Monday night, and the funeral
procession will leave there this afternoon at
o'clock. the burial being in st. Michaefs Gem
eterv in Astoria.
The company for which Clausen was working
will nav the funeral expenses, but his widow is
IN destitute circumstances The statement at
first current, however. that she has two children
is an error 1t is not quite year since she was
married but she expects soon to become mother,
and her condition yesterday was regarded as eX-
tremely critical. tin box for con-
tributions put up yesterday on
the pole where the lineman was killed, but
absence of such crowds as pass the corner OF
Chambers-st. and Centre-st.. where Feeks was
Ered. prcventcd the collection from reaching large
figures. Chusen was in debt for the furniture
In his fat. at No. 55l East One-hundred-and-
AS ejxt hist hut II M (aIVnprfhXyalt and Go.
who had sold the goods, yesterday sent the widow
a receipted bill for Sll0 6. the amount due
No official statement was made yesterday bS
the North New-YorI Lighting Company, but from
remarks of the superintendent, J. j Bowen. it is
clear that the company will not admit any respon-
sibility whatever for Clausen's death. Mr.. Bowen
told a Tribune reporter that the employees had
strict orders 10 cease all outside work at least
fifteen minutes before the time for turning on the
currents This time Is always written on black
board before the men leave the station at RIDER
st. and One-hundred and -fortieth-st. each morn
ing and yesterday the time scheduled was 10.
This the precise time, according 70 the drug
gist at the corner when Clausen ascended the pole.
Mr.. Bowen further alleges that Clausen could
not have any need TO go up on that pole; Tor
although work was soon 10 be done III the drug
store that had been set down for yesterday, while
the work in the liquor store two blocks away was
already complete. 1t is further asserted that the
white wire, which the child, Minnie DAM,
thought he had taken hold of, had no current on
that night at all. The current is always
turned on through that wire later, and as soon
hs news Of the accident reached the once. all
lights shut off for the night. Mr. Bowen
would not even admit that the fatal current
came from his company at ALL for although there
are no other electric light plants in the Annexed
District a vagrant current from some Otner
company might possibly have crossed the bridge
bn some dead wire The report that Clausen re-
elyed current Of 1000 volts Mr. Bowen never
theless pronounced absurd. Their highest cur
fapf ha IA q s,otr hslxf rnod daV
lines at all They use one Slattery machine for
incandeScent lights, and three ThOmson-llOustOn
machines for arc lights The alternating current
Is used. Jordan l.. Mott. jr., is the president of
the company
Mr.. Bowen admitted that the white " under
writers wire referred TO was of the KIND for
oidden by the Board of Electrical Control. They
mad got all such wires down as rapidly as pos
hble,' and this wire would also be likely TO
come down at early date. A piece of it has
neen secured by the police, and il will be sub
mltted as an exhibit at the inquest which
Coroner Messemer said he would hold as soon as
the Harris inquest was ended
=. ~ is Sald that CAusen ridiculed the idea that
ns n;nNTe wofK , was extremely dangerous only few
never used rubber gloves and he nromised il *
sald, TO show how easy il was to handle the wires
with the bare hands as soon as he was down there.
MIR. Bowen said they had two pajrs of rubhcr
gloves at the station, but he admitted that tho
hnemen never used them Clausen ranked as a
hrst-class man, and had been working for the
a
Mayor Grant referring 70 the killing of Clansen
said that his views were thoroughly eXnresSaj
when Erdman and Feeks were murdered hy ojec
tric wires. My hands, am advised the Mayor
added a" were tied when the electric Gcbt coyn-
ranies obtained an Injunction restraining the citv
authorities from taking down these danoerons
wires. The Legislature empowered the Board of
Electrical Control TO frame rules for the guidance
and direction of the electrical companies. bnt +,
The court steps in and prevents their enforcement"
=, Commissioner GilrOy, who was present In tbe
"a a
SnyeerSiew with Commissioner Gibbens. of the
,y nuuway Commission, in which the latter was
depiesen'ed de as saying that the dangerous wire
t% 6Ten reported to the COMMISSIONS of Public
"omid % anu II they had been removed the tragedy
'"cuiu "a, h9o have taken place
Gilrov said nave 70 say TO that" Commissioner
Wa,.oS ~ sS'i. is that after my letter 10 the
M@yUr rra,, On fhe subject my position ought TO be
toe.oy !. so T wen understood / stand ready to-day
NJ ~ H oIS p aiJ cul down any wire which the expert