The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-11-04
KILLED BY THE SHOCK
James A. Rodgers ElectrOcuted at
an Electric Light Station.
He Carelessly Put Both Hands on the
Brushes of Generating Machine
Almost Instantly Killed.

James a. Rodgers, an employe at the
electric light companys South Pennsyl-
vania-street station, was electrocuted last
night about O'Clock. He lived but few
minutes after receiving a shock from one
of the Brush generating machines. The
voltage of the current which caused his
death was about LOCO, according TO the es-
innate of Superintendent T. A. Wynne.
Rodgers was employed a general laborer
about the station, and part Of his duties
was t. keep several of the machines clean.
The generating machines revolve with a
terrific force, and the noise they make
renders it almost impossible to hear the
sound of the human voice within a few
feet of them. At the parts known as the
brushes the potentiality of the current
is the greatest. A hand can be laid with
perfect safety on one of the brushes, but
if the other hand is placed on the other
brush a circuit is completed and the full
current would pass through the body. All
the men employed at the station have in
structions TO work with one hand behind
their backs while near the machines, so as
to avoid danger. The exact nature of Rod
gerss duty at the time he killed is not
known. He was probably either oiling or
cleaning the brushes, and becoming careless,
allowed both of his hands to come in con-
tact with the brushes. On the bronze
colored brushes two small spots. They
may have been caused by the touching Of
RodgerSS finger tips.
Employe Vanlandingham was the only one
to see Rodgers fall. He was coming from
walk away from machine No. T. Rodgers
had, not moved six feet away when he
sank to the ground in a heap, and at the
same time a number of lights on the cir
cult supplied by machine No. went out
The switch on the machine had by some
manner been turned Vanlandingham
rushed to the PROSTATE man, and upon
opening his shirt bosom found that his
heart was only beating feebly. The injured
man gasped a few times and expired. Dr.
Grove was summoned by the empl Dyes, but
all the remedies on earth could not have
saved the man. There was not a brutSe or q
mark on his body to show that the terrible
current had passed through his body, save
two slight burns on his finger tips where
he had touched the brushes Coroner Beck
was at the station short time after the
accident and as soon as he viewed the body
it was taken away by the undertakerS, and
the Notwithstanding machines kept on their
fiendsh buzZing.
Rodgers lived at No. 11s Chadwick street.
He leaves a wife, to whom he was married
only last April. For considerable time
he was out of employment before he Sc
cured work at the station, where he has
been for several months. He was about
thirty-three years old The coroner notl-
fled the wife of the husbands death.
Superintendent Wynne says that 1000
voltage will kill any man. The current is
a direct one and not alternating like that
used In the New York penitentiary. Some
of the machines at the station generate as
high a voltage $500 Rodgers did not
get an extreme shock. Sixty lights, are
supplied by the machine which caused his
death. 1t seems that in some manner
after he had received the shock, Rodgers
turned off the current. Five six years
ago another man was killed at the station
while connecting two dynamos. He re-
ceived a current of $500 voltage and was
horribly burned.