New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-10-13
SELECTIONS FROM THE MAIL.
DEATH IN THE WIRES.
HAROLD p. BROWN SUGGESTS A LAW TO CON.

HAROLD p. BROWN SUGGESTS LAW TO CON.
troll THE USE OF ALTERNATING CURRENTS.
| 70 the RAZOR Of The Trfbune
| Sir: The writer wishes 10 express his thanks 10
The Tribune for the able editorial in Mondays paper
| upon the recent electrical murders committed In
| tEs city by corporations which, by favor OF the
authorities, allowed to transmit dangerous cur.
rents through streets wires having practically
Insulation at ALL The wires as you state should
be placed under ground but this alone will not make
them harmless. A poorly insulated clght wire.
whether above or below the streets Is a constant
menance TO life. since the leakage may at any time
be sufficient TO kill person coming in contact with
| II while standing on damp floor or touching gas
or wanr pipe
Or, in other words, to receive shock from an
arc-lght circuit, there must be first break In The
insulation, through which the current can flow from
the wire 10 the ground, and second break allowing
It to return from the ground to the wire through the
body of some unfortunate person. 1t IS evident that
| If apparatus Is provided which will automatically
stop the production OF current the instant the first
break occurs the second fatal ground connection can
never be made upon working circuit The
efficiency Of this apparatus has been publicly demons
| trated by me, and abe device can be easily and
chcaply made and applied without payment Of
royalty,
But its use would force the companies TO replace
| their dangerous circuits Of worthless underwriters
wire with wire having expensive waterproof in.
sulation and costing several hundred dollars per mile
OF course they will not go to this expense unless
| forced to do by law. The only valid objection
to the suggested apparatus IS that it would be IN
convenient have number of lamps extinguished
whom the insulation of the circuit gave way and so
| they go on extinguIshhg valuable human lives.
However It is an easy matter have the apparatus
simply reduce the pressure below the killing point,
thus diminishing the brllancy OF the lamps instead
OF putting them out This would give notice Of
the dangerous condition of the circuit and permit
the attendant safely to find and repair the fault In
this arclight circuits can be made safe to the
Ilublic though additional safeguards would be
NEEDED to protect employees. But the nature
Of the alternating current (Which Is too
unconomoal for arc lights Is such that
Insulation known to science keep IT to It's path
andno safeguards yet invented rob II OF rs death
dealing power Again and again has It killed men
through insulated wires, as is proved by the deaths
| of Isac Mollon at Buffalo, February 5, 1888; Ed
ward iamy at Austin Tex, August r. l9s9 Thomas
Madiga at Dallas, Tex, Apru 49, ioo9 James
| MaDne at Hoboken, May 8, 1850 Charles Devln
! at New1rleans November i. 1898; James Carney on
April 81 and Jacob Kemmerle on August 30, 1882 and
| many oters
emplOye; Maroney was killed through waterproof
! insulated wire of good quality Madgan was killed
While az %rk IN hS IN Pe al and me Hr% aEG s w
killed by toehng an incandescent lamp While standing
| on a wet saewak.
Believing hat the alternating current Is more dan
gerous to life than dynamite factory, have during
| the last s8ten months done all that could 70 have
It's restricted. especially since many of Its advo-
Gates claimed bat II was safe. first proved to the
Board Of Electrical Control that the current was deadly
| whereupOn the expressed deep sympathy with the
dogs that were Oiled and nothing was accomplished:
The Board Of iealth however. satisfied that
under the law he entire matter waS within thfr
dangerous TO life and detrimental TO heslihD they
would take immediate action to protect life II our
former Mayor woll direct them to act. Such direc-
| Through my eifors the Medlco-Lcgal Society recog
nlzed the deadly qualities OF the alternating current
and the State authorizes adopted II for electrical exc
cuton, requesting mctO purchase for them apparatus
which had eStabsheda record as a destroyer of life
As the makers of the ,ynamOs which had proved the
most deadly stil caImd that they wcre harmless ana
therefore refused to sell them for this purpose, was
| forced 10 buy the apparatus from users who were
dissatisfied with their Commercial performance; For
this theft forgeryand newspaper abuse by the
| I am even warned against assassination. II The
Tribune Is In earnest in Wishing to end the constant
destruction Of life health ad property caused by the
reckless use Of dangerous crrents and circuits. re
specially ask It's powerful aid in urging the neNt
| Legislature TO pass strn9nt law prohibiting inc
commercial use OF any electical current which can
cause death in a human being leakage from the con
ductor conveying Il: putting he enforcement OF tne
law I'm the hands Of the local boards Of health but
allowing any individual in caseof neglect OF the mat
ter to compel them by mandams To take prompt ac-
| ton. This law would make ne distinction between
the various kinds OF currents excpt those imposed py
their inherent Qualities and w9ua allow inc use Vi
OF course all purchasablc newspapers ana lobbyists
would find that there was money be made oy op.
posing this law, but II the leading ppers Woud ehIor
into crusade In favor OF 1t and ue each eleCt1cal
murder fire or accident as text n It's behalf 10
legislator would dare TO oppose the Iassage OF law
whose sole object is the protection OF human lie iom
HAROLDP. BROWN.
New.York, Sept. 49, 1880