Telegram-herald., 1889-08-10

NV Y0Ez, July - -Ens -eiectric sxe.-
A. q has ooea Eellelto4s-F eslls.i - soaas 49,
zr4za-nallSl. oS-Zaa pT-rrical-F "a 1875. AID -
EnzFslsrs fcart.sza fsars GA bst9E- ia.
Dels1d of eDarae tls selssr pa. OCEAN cabls
ALI oEbzr co1FsEle1ces IL snicl 1re a-ecLFl-
ca eurrsug = t1s chisf c14r4cteFist4c @srs
"a universal uss- ADsCt tas IllAs n.u-sc.
tAers calas taaE 8l1-.--rful T.lsl u lee 4gf.i-
zlcss. Inventions zal il.s-r .zzselfs S-lcl have
e0os - nluch toward reselIti9lizing modern
ife We have pald literally foF t1s ca-lzs.
We hAvs zx4sn1ed la-lloas 4t9n t-1ss l1eas.
AM - have p44I - .llJre ea3, tA4A t-s ke-
cuElaTy cle. II vii qrco-1-y s-ar-4s tls
reader u learn tat ia ta4s co.lutrY a-gne tie
ns. 4zes % slectrlc4ty D-ss cost tlas Tar So
lives, zOO0 serie,ls accidents zad a loss el
over e. uOolco from ures. ilslIallz stF Ia
all other disasters
Several dls-ia gulshsd New York electricians
have kspt scfep o3oAs. ID which tl@v navs
prrservei The printed accounts " these lis-
hzps. Iaose ol Dr 4 " jackson tbs e.sc-
tro-thsra y-slllst alli " lllialn Hempleu ON
srcne the inventor aud expsFt. are u especial
value ia tAis regard. anI enable whoever
p1Fuses thsir pag.s - form very clear ldsa
u the Per IS 70 which lGs Is exposed unler
tAe coalitions Of toiay. One lea.on they
teach Is of tAs highest llauos lance, and mat
l. tho destruction " Jhs .ld theory that the
current invariably uade direct lDe tor the
earts- Instead OF thls hypothesis. NC now
know that iG seeks a line Il least resistance
AMI vii pursue the rllst roundabout method,
Ia going tarousa good conductors" rather
than pass the traction II an lncA through some
poorly conducting material
Tsl
OF oct 10, lSo4. when Mrs Marshall, resi-
dent of that city. trlsd 70 turn the faucet OF
the water pipe in her LiJc4sn As SIZE graspsd
the metal shs received 4 powerful shock and
was knocked sensels-s upOa the aoor. As the
day was clear ana sunny, ths occurrence
puzzled the physician who was called IN
- attend tas woman. lie nads a
careful examination OF the premises.
and found that burglar alarm wire which
had long before becu u scolnecled w.th the
central office had fallen "a 10 toGch tie
plumbing work IN another part of tL- house
and 10 -cross' n electric lighting wire
naH mile away. The explanation was then
simple enough: the current from the latter
had escaped along tho dead wire 10 the wofn-
ans house, where IL passed iuto the lead pipe,
along which IL moved until u was lost in the
coil. II Is perplexinC, nevertheless, to Sc
Why Il should pass through tbs faucet into
tie womaus body and not 90 on is way Iii
rec,ly 70 the earth FOR while her body was
better conductor than the dry soil in.o which
the plumbing ran. yet she stood upon
wooden floor, which is, unless very wet,
poor conductor Of the force.
An incident IN this case was re throwing
OF 3irs. Marshall 70 the fioor 1t would seem
Is II the current pUr the nerves and muscles
into a condition Of tension 80 great that when
it was taken of they would At times perform
feats of strength altogether incredible. At
one time it was believed that galvanic force
itself was the prOpulSive power, but with few
exceptions il is now certain that those cases in
which heavy men are hurled violently from
where they stand ere due 10 the sudden and
vigorous action Of the muscular system.
4 horrible eIemphfcation Of this was az
forded By a young man named James E.
Westcot., in Rochester, on Oct Is, 1852 he
was employed by the Western Electrical com
pany Of pat place, and was busy oiling and
cleaning the machinery used by that corpora
! ton. lie touched Give wire which had
not been properly insulated or secured. AMI
was terribly burned His fellow workmen
/ rushed forward and turned OF the current
( but either before they succeeded in Sd doing
II.
I sprGng or was thrown head foremost six feet
into the moving machinery. crushing the face
and skull into an indis-inguishable pulp.
/ In some experiments tried at Columbia
I college, a number Of cats wero electrified
with modernte currents In each case the
animal arched itself I'D into the same posi-
/ ton IS IL assumes when very belllgerent, and
/ when the circuit was broken sprung up side
ways high into the air, thence falling to the
| ground, where it lay either insenSible or kick
/ ins ard screeching vigorously. This tresnen-
dous muscular tension seems not only au---
matte. but Is seldom perceived or in any1Eiss
felt by the sufferer.
In 1881 a number Of Brooklyn gentlemen
experimental upon themselves with a view
Of determining this point When the metal
handles through which the current was ap-
/ piled were hung from ths ceiling about SIX
\ feet from tho foor. the e1perincnter who
/ graspcd them drew himself in nine eases out
/ Of ten up from the ground, and IN three out
+ Of ten 50 far up that his Knees almost touched
his chin. and there remained until the circuit
was broken In this position not only thi
muscles required for the feat, but the ones
not IN Use. were found % be rs hard and
knot.@i as those OF the best trained athlete
II Is this feature which seems TO give elcc-
tricity it, singular remedial power IN many
/ forms OF rheumatism and neuralgia. Dr.
/ sacxsoa said in a lecture on the topic: There
u no doubt in the minds OF scientific physi-
cians but toat IN a few years every case of
7 rheumatism can aud vii be cured hv the
+ proper application Of the current. aud both
7 Jobnstonc and FL son have frequently called
attention % the immunity from complaints
I of tins class enjoyed by tie oSera-ires eui-
7 plrvoi around dyDsmos aad si.a@ar ulecEan.
isslls
A vciE-ne might ho written of the SINGULAR
routes pursued by tae electric force li these
+ cases ~ accidents and deaths ln 1888 .ieorlo
Waisa. While seeking shelter from tle rain
uuder ~ awning ou -ho boTerT. near Spring
street placed as aan1 upon .le p.are glass
window of the huiidll- ana vas iun@lia-e-
+ il Knocked down. IIa IS an expert electrician.
an. knowing GAS % L. q perfect aou Goa
dnctor -as iumfounied
Despite tie rain be went q vors o. fn1
ont the secret z the occurrenca At the end
of the awning an electric lightning wire
crossed the awning frame The movement
cf the latter hT tne vind hsd ruhi.i m tie
f in7uisti-r cover - the wre ana allowed ERA
gavanie feii to sscs5.e in-o TIE iron v-ros f
vli-h 10 vas marie. Is passed from The metal
T - the we awning canvas. and faence tc Size
WEE surface = TIA front of She 1u ding
f Dcvu this it moved u--ll ID rcac'sl see fand-
sorne go5f lettering On rhe gas. when So
Fr1nu-iy nofiled ar. Nsls1 ~ I-s presence
+ the moment be put as band uqoa 71s 3f tas
eIiei c1arsc.e-s
It seems strange that water st--'i - 50
god coriuct-r. brr ~teh IS fte tact ln
~. ~ fre en Broadway. i0 tcs evening.