Omaha daily bee., 1890-08-03
ACCIDENTAL DIS SCOVERTES.

reported that a man came in con-
tact with an electrical wire and was
temporarily paralyzed, but after re-
coyery he accidentally discovered that
he could handle Give" wires almost
with impunity. This opens up broad
field for speculation. But first let US
note some of the accidental discoveries
OF the past,
Isaac Newtonis credited with the dis
coyery of the Law of gravitation, but he
was moved to the Investigation by the
fact that while lying under tree an
apple fell from it and hit him on the
head. Robert Watts discovered the
power of steam while as boy watching
the steam lifting the lid of his mothers
tea-kettle. Ben niamin Franklin dis
covered electricity while flying kite,
the string of which he had fastened to
key, holding the latter in his hand and
receiving smart shock from Il passing
cloud.
The delicacy of roast pig is said to
have been discovered in China, where
man house burned down and perfectly
rOasteda number of young pigs in it.
Seeing this after the fire, the burned
out citizen tasted one, and was so de-
lighted that he called his neigh bOrs to a
feast. The memory of that feast fingered
and when these neighbors desired more
roast pig, one after the other burned
their houses in order to roast their pigs,
not comprehendtng that pigs could be
roasted in any other way, Einallyi it
became necessary for the authorities to
stop the practice.
The famous Scotch snuff is the result
of an accident. A snuff mandatory
burned down. The proprietor consid-
cred himself ruined, but while poking
aboutamong the ruins he found u lot Of
snuff and from force of habit tested it.
He was surprised and delighted at its
flavor. He tested it further and the re-
suit was the discovery that the applca-
ton Of heat wholly changed the flavor
of the snuff. He rebuilt his works,
madea great fortune, and at the same
time gave to the world quality of snuff
that was pre- viously unknown. An in
cident in our own history is connected
with that same snuff. More than sixty
years ago, while Justice Bushrod Wash
ingtOn sat on the supreme bench, II Henry
Clay stopped one day in an argument,
and advancing TO the bench, took IL
pinch of snuff from Judge Washing toms
box and presently said, after realizing
its titillating effects, with that mimi
table grace 50 peculiarly his own: Il
perceive that your honor sticks to the
Scotch" and then proceed ed with his ar
gument. Chief Justice Story said after
wards: 81 do not believe there is man
in the United States who could have
done that but Mr.. Clayn
Our point, however, in speaking of
these few out of way accidental discov-
cries is to ask if an important. result
may not follow the discovery of which
the electrical journal speaks. This may
be characterized as the electrical age.
We have had the iron age the steam
age, and now we are surely in the cleo
| trical age. Look at the uses of cleo
tricity today. Our streets and houses
are lighted by it; our city cars are driven
:
| our sewing machines are run by it, and
yet we are just on the Threshold OF
| electricity. But like steam, it has it's
| dangers. Wires break and falling, kill
passing horses by the pair. Men who
get up ON poles to repair breaks come in
contact with ''live' wires and are
roasted in the presence of Mortified
spectators who are unable to give relief.
Between heaven and earth the air is so
| full of wires that birds can hardly fly in
our towns and cities. We are passing
under thousands of heavily charged
wires every day. A wire may break and
| kill a passing citizen as readily as a
passing horse,
Now, as Jenner discovered that he
could prevent smallpox byinnoculatiou,
and as Pasteur claims that he can pre-.
vent hydrophobia by the same means,
why should not science be able to rob
these dead y wires of their terrors by the
administration to each of us Of a mild
dose Of electricity? 1t could be tried
first on the men whose duty it is TO han.
die the wires. By experimentation il
could possibly be discovered just how
much electricity amancould stand with.
out its killing him, and if he
could thereafter go among loaded
wires and handle them with i'm.
punty, think OF the saving
of human life that would result. Oi
course, temperament and many 9th er
things characteristic of each dividual
would have to be studied, but medical
science should be equal to the determin-
ing Of these problems,
When the workers among the wires
have been imoculated with just enough
electricity to save them from harm in
the handling of those wires, then let the
people at large who are daily exposed TO
tho same wires, young and old, male and
female, be vaccinated, as il were, 10y
electricity, so that when they come in
contact with broken wires as they may
do any day, their lives might be spared.
This is not mere speculation, If only
one man who has been stricken down 10y
electricity and afterwards found that he
could handle Gagged wires without in,
jury, Others maybe enabled do So
| Human beings are much ni ike in pen,