Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-10-28
SOME ONE NEGLIGENT.
Edgar Woods Death Caused by .
Westinghouse Company Wire.
CURRENT TURNED ON TOO SOON.
Coroner MCDOWELL Trying to Ascertain Who
Touched the Button.
A BL00D.STAINED WIRE As EVIDENCE

The electrocution of Edgar Wood Wednes-
day may turn out q more serious affair than
was first expected. The Coroner's inquest
brought out some startling information,
and clearly proved that Wood met death
from Westinghouse Company wire. The
case will be taken up again to-day, and
then the blame will be settled.
The Allegheny County Electric Light
Company runs its wires along Duquesne
way. The Westinghouse Company has q
cabinet shop on Duquesne way, opposite its
large electrical establishment, and had two
wires running between the buildings. At
Garrison alley and Duquesne way the ALLIE
gheny County Company has one Of its
poles. On it ara four cross bars. The pole
is the property of the Allegheny County
Company, but as a matter of convenience
the. Westinghouse wires crossed those of
the former company on this pole. They
did so in such manner as to make it dan
gerous for the linemen of the Allegheny
County Company to do their work. The
Westinghouse people had been asked to
move them. and this was what MI. Wood
was doing when he was killed
Westinghouse Wire Killed Wood.
Mr.. Wood was told to move the wires
down below the first crosspiece and fasten
them to insulators on the pole. According
to the testimony brought out in the in
quest, j. s. Russell and Edward Hurley,
TWO Allegheny County Company linemen,
were at work on the same pole. They were
up above Mr.. Wood He was standing
with one foot on step of the pole and his
other leg through an iron brace. Wood
had to cut the wires. He had scraped the
insulation off the Westinghouse wire with
his knife, getting it in readiness to make
the connection. While engaged at this, a
man appeared at the engine room of the
Westinghouse building. He called to
Wood. asking him when he would be ready
to have the current turned on.
Wood answered, 'In Is or 20 minutes"
Russell and Hurley both called to the
man: Don't turn the Juice on or you
will kill us allp'
The man then disappeared within the
boiler room. The men resumed their work.
but very short time after Wood was seen
to fall grasping in his hand the wire he was
scraping. The witnesses proved that Wood
had not been working with any but West
inghouse wires
The Wire Given as Evidence.
The piece of wire which caused his death
was produced at the inquest. There were
blood stains on it, and the marks the knife
had made were plain. Mr.. Russell also
said that Woods pliers were not insulated.
John Kaercher, an official of the Westing-
house Company, said the current was Off
After these facts had been brought out
the inquest was adjourned until to-day.
Coroner Mcdowell In speaking of the case
last night said: sIt was clearly proven that
Mr.. Wood was killed by one of his own
company wires. 1t is also clearly shown
that the current was not on when he COM
menced his work. Mr.. Wood was employed
on this pole for nearly three hours and death
would have occurred great deal sooner
that the young man used his knife to
the steel of his knife blade would have
formed circuit and death would have fol-
lowed. The evidence shows that the cur
rent was turned on almost Immediately
after Wood told the Westinghouse engineer
wire.
81 have not been able to definitely prove
who the man was who turned the current on.
I took the Jury down to the Westinghouse
building and all examined the pole where
W ood met his death. Russell and Hurley
were along and identified Edwin Goodwin
as the man who appeared at the door and
addressed Wood. The case will be
thoroughly sifted to-day and the blame
placed on the proper parties"