The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1889-08-03
An ELECTRIC SHOCK.
Terrible Experience in a Nevada
Nine Last Week.

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Daniel J. McFall, q Nevada Cit,
man who has been for while pas
at Virginia (Nev. }, gives the follow
ing account of his sensations from
an electric shock on the Sutro tun
mel level of the Chollar incline:
SIN May, 1889, was in the EN-
ploy of the California Electric Ligh
and Motar Company as dynamo
runner in the dynamo chamber or
the 1880 level of the Chollar mine
where the auxiliary power of oper
ating the Nevada mill by the cleo
trio transmission of power is stu
ated. In the dynamo chamber are
a number of small incandescenl
lights, some of which have long wire
attachments SO that they can be
carried to any part of the room fol
the convenience of the workmen
Those lights are attached to 125
horsepower dynamo used for trans
mitting the power to the mill. One
Of those lights were temporarily
hung over a dynamo that was be-
ing repaired. The light not being
close enough, l reached up my right
hand and grasped the wire for the
purpose of pulling in the slack. AT
some previous time the wire had
been wound around nail, which
had broken the insulation and left
a part of the wire bare. l, not being
aware of this, unfortunately grasped
the wire at this place. My right
foot boot was little damp, and in
turning, the toe happened to touch
a piece of iron running into the
ground. Immediately was struck,
my right hand grasping the light
wire and the toe of my right-foot
boot touching the iron leading to
the ground, grounded" me icon
nected me with the ground, and
in consequence the current in the
electric wires, or at least portion
of it, passed through my body.
Electricity will always run to the
ground first if it gets the opportu-
nifty, so when I made the connec-
ton the current passed through me
to the ground. 1t is very hard to
define my feelings. First l received
a most peculiar sensation that shook
my body and completely paralyzed
me, and yet at the same time l was
fully conscious. l tried to let go
my hold of the wire, but of course
found that impossible, for the hard
er the shock the more contracted
the muscles become and conse-
quently the firmer the wire is held.
l tried to shout for aid, and although
a fellow-workman was but five or
six feet distant from me with his
face turned in my direction, | could
not emit a sound nor make the
least movement to attract his at
tention. 1t seemed as if l was ire
sistibly drawn up. with a horrid
feeling of being consumed by the
electric fluid. I fully realized my
position and believed that my time
had come. While receiving the shock
my eyesight was good until / be-
came unconscious. Of course l was
unable to let so my hold on the
wire or move my foot from the iron
that ground me until became un-
Then the weight of my
body loosened my hold of the wire
and l fell to the ground. / lay
there like dead, my heart pulsations
entirely ceased and also the circu-
!ation. Two fellow-workmen saw
me drop. They carried me to the
fresh air, stretched me on the damp
ground, applied ice-water douche
to me and worked my arms to pro-
mote circulation and artificial res
piration. After the lapse of twenty
when l was about to be
given up for dead, signs of life re-
turned. At first / was dazed, could
not understand what had happened
in a few minutes, though, remem-
bered everything distinctly and got
up, feeling very week, particularly
in the stomach. After a few days,
however, the weakness from the
shock wore away and / regained
nv usual health. There was no
actual pain during the shock, but
where the wire touched my hand it
burned to the bone, and the ends OF
he three smaller toes were burned
20 the bone also.
| have since fixed the time | sus.
aimed the shock ut six seconds.
The dynomo to which the wire was
generated direct current
If 25OO volts and thirty-eight am
oeres, which is equivalent to the
power above Observation-Disclosures
city Transcript.