The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-11-10

water pipes and faucets to which the fluid
may pass from imperfect wires in the sub
ways. There remains only the plan of low
tension, SO many extra wires that no one will
carry the voltage of DEATH and this would
add greatly to the expense.
Meanwhile there is panic on the subject
in New York, as well there may be, for the
record is terrible Here are a few specimen
cases:
Jan. 81, 1857, Fredericl, Simons, cutting a
wire at 40 Vesey street, instantly killed
April lG, 1883, at 10 Chatham square, Meyer
Sueiffman, boy of 10, touched a broken
telegraph wire and dropped dead. Three
men were knocked down while trying to re-
move the corpse. The telegraph wire in fall
ing had Tapped over an electric light wire and
thus made connection with the earth-the
level to which electricity flies Us water flows
to the level of the sea.
April %, 1883, Frederick Witte, clerk at
600 Bowery, touched wire and fell dead.
May IL, 1888, Thomas Murray, repairing
wires at G18 Broadway, touched a supposed
dead wire;" was paralyzed and burned to
death
FEB. 16, 1889, George Thorne, walking the
street, a broken telegraph wire fell on him
and paralyzed him. Fortunately the quirl
of the wire threw it to one side Immediately
and he escaped death.
March 81, Robert Smith paralyzed in a
similar manner. Finally recovered.
May s, James Maroney, working in the
Hudson river Tunnel, touched wire and fell
dead.
May ., John Parker, repairing lines,
knocked from telegraph pole to pavement
and seriously injured
June %, Edward Quinn, touched Give
wire and fell dead
July 9, Walter F. Linnell, paralyzed.
Aug. 8, Michael Fitzpatrick, badly hurt.
Sept. 2, Darwin A. Henry, instantly killed
Sept. Is, Joseph Mecci, cleaning an awning,
fell across q wire and was instantly killed.
Within the next weel; five workmen were
seriously injured and a few days later one
was paralyzed.
Oct g. Charles Edman, repairing lines,
knocked off the pole by moderately Tive
wire,n and killed by the fall.
Oct 10, William Hart got a shock from
which he died in few days.
Oct IL, John {. II. Feeks, shocked, para
lyzed and roasted to death.
All these in New York city alone Is it
not shocking 10 reflect that a sudden terror
is added to the strests; that one may be walk
ing in the enjoyment of health and strength,
ignorantly touch a wire and complete the
circuit" feel through all the nerves of the
body a wrench of agony no words can de-
scribe, wrench that the excited Imagination
held with the loosest rein can scarcely con-
ceive, a wrench that actually diSsolves the
ganglia Of the nerve centers and changes
them to fluid, and still live long enough to be
conscious of his awful fate, and feel himself
clipping helplessly from the midst of aboun,.-
ing life into the blaclness of such death.
Yet such is the condition of many q New
Yorker, and keener apprehension is excited
by the statement of some electricians that
the danger is rapidly increasing with the ex-
tension of the system.
can arc light wire LOADED TO the muzzle,
30 to speak, " says one authority, may have
crossed telegraph wire far away; the deadly
current 'overfows,' so to speak, onto the
telegraph wire and runs along land it may
run for miles till it reaches an iron post,
where it touches, or broken wire may hang
Over it to the ground-anything to complete
The connection. You may be on the tenth
Door OF building. the wire may be boiling