Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-03-17

| iuS.
Trial OF the case of John f.. Cook VS..
| Wilmington City Electric Company was
resumed in superior court Friday morn
| ing.
Isaac Wilkins testified 81 am an engl-
| neer at the electric light station and was
| on duty that night. ] have charge of an
| engine. six dynamos and an indicator
| That night there was disturbance of the
wires, caused by the high wind; At a.
M, October 9th, 1880, noticed that the
fuse of main No. 8 was burned out and
| put a new one in, but 1t would not stay,
then reported the matter to Lneman
| Walker"
James L. Walker foreman and head
lineman, testified: ~ sent two assistant
| linemen to Banning and Franklin streets
| that morning, about o'clock. | got word
from wilkins that the wire was down.
have lived near the station all the time"
James I. Gray testified II repaired
two street light wires that morning. From
the pole ON Maryland avenue to the pole
at Banning and Franklin streets there
were three wires. Two were broken right
in two. | went out at O'Clock. The
wires down were in the triangular space.
No electricity was escaping from them.
look hold an end of wire with my bare
hand and felt the current in it, The wire
was Of the Westinghouse system. | re-
paired the wires and was back at the
station By 8 o'clock. saw Cook stand
ing at his door | do not think the wire
would give serious shock. | handled It
many times but it never killed me-"
Linemnn John Simmons testified to re-
pairing the broken wires. lie said he saw
Cook standing ir. his door. That was
within half an hour after he went out. lie
said he caught hold of the end of the wire
but if he had not taken it by the end
would not have felt the shock The wire
| could moro mr. lpaa hnve rnilnd ftCplf ~. ne
he found it.
William r. Rulings testified: ~ started
to work that morning between 5.l5 and 6
o'clock. In Banning street saw two
wires down. One wire was splitting fire
and the other was not. With barrel hook
pushed them from the path expert
enccd no shock by coming in contact with
them. Cook lived with me until the
Thursday following. His wife left the
next morning. He married my sister" On
crossexaminntion he said THE plaintiff
does not speak 70 me-
Mrs. Mary Rulings, wife of the last wit
ness, testified: II saw my husband re-
move the wires from the path. ! went
outdoors and five minutes after returned
! heard Mrs. Cook run ont and heard the
cry of fire Five or 10 minutes after my
husband left ! heard Cooks cries. Half
an hour after he was brought in Cook
walked upstairs"
George Rommell master mechanic Of
the Wilmington Il Northern railroad for
IS years, testified Cook worked for the
company in 1890 and also in 1891, but was
laid off for drunkenness
Court took a recess until 80 o'clock.
In superior court on Fri iny afternoon
taking testimony in the case oi John II.
Cook VS.. Wilmington City Electric Com
pany was completed and 1T the request of
]. II. Huffecker, ,Ir., Of counsel for the
defence, argument was postponed until
Monday.
Mrs. Lucy Sylvester testified: 81 saw
William Ridings carry the wires from the
path"
Harvey Gregg testified: ~ remember
! The night. Several telegraph wires were
blown down"
Cross examination: II know of one OF
two other nights Just rs stormy
;. N. Trump, president Of the defendant
company, was recalled and testified; "ThC
company paid DIR. Draper for his services
TO Cook" Mr.. Iloffecker wanted Mr.
Trump to tell the sum Levi G. Bird OF
counsel for the plaintiff, had agreed to set
tie for, when Mr.. Bird objected and his
objection was sustained.
Edgar i. Haynes. assistant business
manager of the Morning Neus, was called
by Mr.. Hoffecker and a file of that paper
from June to December, 1880, which Mr.
, HAYNES carried and which contained ar
, account of the storm October 23d and 9th
Of that year, Mr.. Hofiecker desired ad
mtted III evidence. Mr.. Bird objected, say
, ing such evidence was very uncertain. II
| the person who wrote the account of tn,
storm We're present his evidence could b,
taken. The objection was sustained.
Captain Charles III. Smith, who wal
! assistant manager of the company, wa
, recalled and testified ''l had genera
supervision of the station. We had a safet,
{ fuse on the switchboard, back of the West
!, inghouse dynamo. We had two of tina
kind of dynamos then. A man in charg
Of the dynamos must he very close to tn
switchboard. At night the station was $,
1 light that man in any part Of the build
ing, If he had ordinary sight, could Sc
q every device on the Westinghouse switch
board. There was no other device for tell
ing where there was break Or irregularit,
in the wire. was ut the station tina
. night up to 1880 or l0.i5 O'Clock. NJ,
| hour for leaving was 8 O'Clock. There wa
Y a severe storm, but il was NOT sever
b enough for me to think there would b
trouhlcn
i, crossexamination at would be i'm
= possible for an engineer to have his eve
on the indicator all night"
: j. Russell Barrett testified: sit was
9 pretty bad night. Coming along NewpoI
0 pike The next morning led my horse pas
= some poles that were down. When | g.
{ to the top of the hill and found the light
ont alightcd and led my horse. wa
afraid it might strike wire"
Q Cross-cXamnation II was afraid of til
!. wires, never touched one"
Il Redirect II was afraid Of them an
was on my guard"
.. Il. Trump was recalled and Mr.. Hoi
. feclser asked him whether it was possibl
for man Wearing rubber boots to receiy
!, q shock like Cook claims to have recevec
Atnls IA. .
y stretching the rule Of expert testimony to
+ far. His objection was sustained.
At 3.i5 o'clock the defence rested
n To rebut the testimony Of there havin
/ been an extraordinary storm Mr.. Bird pre-
n dneed several witnesses.
= Alexander Mcdonald testified: "Hher
I were showers and a pretty strong gale.
! have seen storms equally as bad and som
worse
i Iohn Porter testified. II have see
:. plenty of storms that were as bad an
e plenty that were WORSE
i Joseph SineX testified sit was u darl
i drcury night II did not rain hard but
;. blew hard. / saw il blow harder two C.
y three weeks ago The storm of Octobt
|. 2jd, $50, was an ordinary storm of I'll
II locality
q REORGANIZATION II cannot recall an
u other storm Of 1890 like it"
% Redirect The Sunday following
+ heard Cook was sick but that did not II
: mind inc Of the storm"
James Kelley testified ~ have seen
y good many storms as bad as that one.n
t. Charles Beall testified: lit was an ord
l. nary storm"
d Douglass McClane testified: ~ have see
n storms equally as bad since"
10 Thomas Cook was recalled and testified
" 'ilsaac Wilkinson did say My Co
there's enough power i'll that wire to Xxi
100 menu
u Mrs. John Il. Cook, who was called