Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-05-01
LIVE AND DEAD WIRES MEET.
Lineman Shocked and Knocked from
Pole-Crushed to Death.

Pole-Crushed to Death.
NEW YORK, April 30.-The deadly
electric light wires added another to
their already long list of victims yester-
day morning. This fatality was scarce
" less horrible than the death of Line
man FeekS, whose body was slowly
roasted on the live wires before the
eyes Of hundreds OF mortified people
nearly two years ago. The victim OF
Yesterday, John Devne, also lineman,
received a shock that sent him head
long from crOSS-arm on the tall pole
on which he was working, and his
brains were dashed out on the sidewalk
forty feet below.
Devine was employed by the Metro
politan Telephone Company, and was
one Of the linemen sent out yesterday
morning to remove the dead telephone
wires along Fourth avenue. His COM
panons were Thomas McEnery of No.
PIG West Sixty-frSt street; James Nc
Kenna, of No. 3l3 East Sixty-ninth
street. and jeremiah O'Brien, of No.
12s Leonard street.
At 1890 o'clock they had worked up
Fourth avenue TO East Twenty-tirst
street. Here there are two tall poles
on the northwestern and southwestern
cornerS-each having eleven cross arms
and about one hundred and fifteen tele-
phone wires.
Devine assembled the northern pole to
the third cross arm and began to cut a
dead wire with his pincerS, McEnery,
who was on the southern pole, direct
ing his operations. McEnery succeeded
in Severing his end of the wire first,
and as it fell down into the street De-
vine was seen to throw up his arms and
fall backward from the pole. His body
bounded from wire TO wire and then
fell headforemost to the sidewalk. His
skull was crushed and his brains Spat-
tered on the tlagstoneS.
The cause of the fatality was appar-
ent at glance. In falling, the wire
that McEnery had cut, and on which
Devine was at work, became crossed
with two incandeScent light wires, the
property of the United Light and Power
Company. These wires crossed the
avenue diagonally to Haas drug store,
at the southwest corner Of Fourth ave-
nue. and East Twenty-firSt street. They
were strung about fifteen feet below the
lowest telephone wire.
While some of the other linemen were
carrying Devine'S body into Haas drug
store, jeremiah O'Brien, Of No. 12S
Leonard street, climbed the pole from
which Devne had fallen and cut away
the fatal wire, which was then lying
across the sidewalk, a menace to the
4 ~ ha n a
passing at the time, and were Mortified
witnesses of the frightful tragedy.
O'Brien received a severe shock, but
maintained firm grip on the pole, thus
escaping his companions awful fate.
Coroner Shuttle was summoned and
after looking at the body, went to the
office of the Board of Electrical Control
and demanded that an expert electrician
be sent with him TO investigate the case.
Inspector f. +. Brown accompanied the
Coroner and, after a careful eXamina-
tiOn. said that the United Electric
Light and Power COmpany's wires were
hung so that they would never, except
in 4 case like the one in hand, become
crossed with the telephone wires, and
that the Company had, in his opinion,
perfect right to keep the wires "llve.
all day if it wished to. He considered
the accident due to careleSSnesS on the
part of the linemen.
Coroner Shuttle ordered the body re-
moved to Herman w. Kipp'S undertake
ing establishment, at First avenue and
Eighth street, where an autopsy will be
performed this morning to determine
tho direct cauSp of DEATH
At Kipp'S there was an exciting scene,