Telegram-herald., 1891-07-19
EQUINE ELEC1ROCUTION
Two Horses Become Entangled In
q Heavily Charged Wire
ONE OF IHEY Is INSTANTLY KILLED
Irving sharpsteen's Traxic kide-A
Broken Telegraph Liae faits Across
the Troiiy Wire and Creates =
Monetary Panic-
Grand Raids has had II. first electro

Grand Raids has had It's first electro
small copper wire crosses Monroe-st
between Ottawa aud Icnsa-sts
and for several years It's principal pur
poses was for telegraphing the time
from the Allesfeany observatory to
Messrs. uerkner and Preusser, the
Monroe-st. jewellers. The service II
maintained by the q. II. & l. Railway
Company. Yesterday, by some means
the wire became detached from II,
fsstenings and dropped down across
| the trolley wires OF the Street Raiiwa,
Company and hung IN loop near tn,
ground. 1t remained uunoticed until
Irving Sharpsteen, of Wyoming town
ship. drove down the street with \ team
| of horses. The horses logged alons
| down the street until they come IN con
tact with the wire IN front of Noigt
Herpolsheimer * Company's store,
when they stopped as IT instantly par
alyzed, and sank trembling to III,
| ground. One horse Was caught IN tht
mouth by the wire and 1t struck tht
other one on the neck. The latter be
came entangled as il fell and
Died Almost Instantly.
The other horse fell clear of the wire
and by the application of cold water
and hard rubbing II was socn enabled
| To stand and was led staggering away
| The dead horse was removed TO the
glue factory. The team was valued al
$3.50 and Mr.. Sharpsteen is very much
grieved over his loss. During the extri
cation of the horses great crowd
| gathered around and Mr.. sharp>teen
Who ran to pull the wire away with hi.
hands. was barely prevented from
selzlng hold of 1t. The electric light
| iinemen, who were working near by
came and cut the wire, rendering II safe
| to nhaudle. There Is some dispute
as to the cause of the accident. The
| railway officials think that the wire
must have been broken by the electric
| light men, while the latter deny thai
they are i'll any way to blame and claim
that the wire broke from natural
causes. 1t is singular but well known
fact that horses are more sensitive to
the electric current than men, and that
shock that will merely give a man a
good shaking up will soon kill horse.
This is explained by some wIseacres by
saying that the tissues of horse i
| antony are dryer than those of the
human family and they therefore offer
more resistance u the current. Others
who are wiser say they cannot account
for the difference. The July number
of the Electric Age contains the follow.
ing editorial on the trolley system.
MisieadtRg stat~ms.sesss. -
If the managing editors of papers
catering to the interests of the public
in general. would only study the elec.
trical and other technical journals, the y
would become richer men-richer in
wisdom regarding the subject matter,
the publication Of which IN their pro-
gress meets with their approval, hu.
the utter nonsense of which arOuses the
rislbilities of thoughtful men. In spite
of the fact that about three hund red
cities have not only countenanced the
use of the overheadsysttm Of electrical
propulsion, but their inhabitants speak
IN enthusiastic torms OF the operation
OF the system; III spite Of the tact that
up TO the present writing, not one SIN
gle human life has ever yet been sacrl-
feed t. the trolley wire; in spite of the
well known and now thoroughly estab-
llShed fact, that scores OF meii-mcn
working around motor cars-mcn
employed by electric railway compsil.
les have received the maximum voltage
OF 800 without injury. We find n paper
of good and reputable standing. the
Citizen OF Brooklyn, coming out with a
two or three column article, referring
to to the probable adoption of electric.
itv bv the Atlanllc-avpuue Compuuy
headed 1.-The Deadly Trolley" and in
an editorial in the same issie, II refers
to the trolley wire as "a dangerous nui.
sance," claiming that 1.-The people oi
the city do object" to the system, and
"their decision will be final"
OF the many street railways in thu
great republic, perhaps the Atlantic
Avenue Company Is one of the most
conservative, and its officers would ot
among the last To decide upon the adop
ton of any system Of street car propul
zion until, by close investigation and
the strictest kind of examination, they
found II perfectly safe, 90 tar as human
life WAS concerned. at costs too much
to kill man, or n woman or child, fol
us to adopt a dangerous system." one
officer of the company il reported a.
having sad. and certainly there Is more
cold fact than romance IN the state
ment. Let the editor of the Citizen bt
l,.st tn the ''trolIey system" and save
the Objectionable adj ctive Of deadly
for application where IT properly he
longs.
West Bridges. Pevemcnf