New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-20
KILLED BY THE CURRENT.
A YOUTH SHOCKED TO DEATH BEFORE
THE EYES OF A CROWD.


THE EYES OF A CROWD
HE INADVERTENTLY GRAsPs AN IRON RAILING
WITH WHICH ELECTRICIAN WIRES ARE
coNNECTED-rNABLE TO RELEASE HIS
HOLD. HE GROWS SUDDENLY RIGID
TWO MEN WHO TRY TO SAVE
HIN THROWN ACROSS THE
srREET-sEvERAL chill
DREN SHOCKED
In the presence of more than 300 people Daniel
MLllane, seventeen years old. shocked to
! death with electricity while standing on the
steps Of No. 203 Chrystie-st at $50 o'clock last
/ night. The fatal accident significant Of the
| danger which attends the careless running Of
electric wires into places Of business. whether for
the purpose OF lighting them for running fans,
as the case in the present instance
The steps al NO 2O3 Chryste-st. lead up to the
| high stoop Of the double tenement house at that
number. which Is tenanted by more than twenty
| families In the basement George Mihh0fer
| has a barroom and restaurant. and two electric
wires run from a pole standing in front Of the
| building to electrical supply box which rests
| on tin cornice over the basement and under
|
The box is concealed from sight by Miihlh5fers
| sign. which also rests on the cornice The end
Of the cornce touches both hand rails Of the
stoop which is directly in the centre Of the
building. From the supply box the wires extend
to electrical meter just inside the restaurant
door and thence to the fans. The wires inside
the restaurant are covered with wooden safety
covers. and outside the insulation supposed
u protect them and prevent all danger.
Fatal. CONTACT WITH THE CORNICE.
1t was the contact Of the tin cornice with
the iron rail Of the stoop which caused young
Mullane's death. The boy. who lived with his
parents at No. ls9 Sands-st. Brooklyn. had
come over To New York TO attend meeting
Of the star Junior club at No ls5 Chrystie-st.
Incidentally he went To Freda Smith
fifteen -yenr-old girl. who lives at NO POI Chrys-
te-st. They were talking on the steps Of No.
POI when the electrical supply box. resting on
tn" cOrnicc Of the basement next door suddenly
blazcd up. II lighted the street brilliantly FOR
nearly two blocks and the people cam" rushing
To- that point until the street was crowded
Some Of the tenants in the house. thinking the
building was on fir" came p"l!-m"ll down IN"
stairway. Others thrust their heads out Of the
windows all along the street wondering what
the troubl"
Young Mullane ran around to the steps Of
No 903 Ius. as Charles Sprahn. the landlord
who lives ON the first floor. opened shutter
opposite th, burning box. Mullane had stepped
onto the first step Of the stairway when Strahn
him.
THE WARNING TOO LATE
For Gods sake keep your hands of that
rail" shouted Strahm.
The warning came too late for Muane had
pInccd both hands on the iron rail Of the steps
10 watch the FIRE Instantly his form grew
rigid. He Strengthened up to his full length and
braced back as II trying to pull away from the
fatal rail Hts hands still grasped It like vice:
and from hts lips issued groan which sounded
TO the throng watching him like "Oh-h-h-h-h.
\ man on the sidewalk whose name cannot
be- learned grasped Mullane about the waist
and tried 20 pull him away but he. too sun
cncd out and. 30 far from accomplishing his
object he WAS not able 10 loosen his hold on
the boy. third man. undaunted by thls eX-
pcricncc. graspcd the would-be rescu"r in an
attempt To- pull both him and tn" boy loose
Both men were hurled clear across the side
walk under a wagon. Mullan"'s hold on the
rail was looscned at the same instant ana he
fell PROSTATE on the sidewalk
EFFECTS OF THE CURRENT
Policeman Flrncsen Of the Eldriigc-st. sta
ton carried the boy across the street to
house and summoned an ambulance from
Gouvcrncur Hospital. Mullane died before II
arrived. His hands wer' swollen ana bilst'r'h
and his face and body were blcach"d almost |"
a snowy whiteucs- Word at once sent 10
Mullanc's home. His mother brother ana SIS
ter came over and claimed the BODY lh"H
feet health when be left home. He was en-
ployed in the delivery department OF Irnt
Weller & Co.'S drygoods store at broad"ay anu
Worth-st. .h
wagon when Muanc finally loosened ms hoid
on the fatal rail were not seriously h"'t anu
they picked themselves UP ana dlsappr"tr' pp. hx ~,
the crowd Meantime the electrlcil supply poN
on thc ,ornce was blazing ana snappils oul Il
thousand sparks which sprinhled the s'de"d'h
IN front II the restaurant. II was HNaS p"'
I,tff,t - nlfIif rls ID
pourcd a lot 81 water ever Il. Aftcrward some
employees from the United states Illuminating
Company. which supplies the power cam dI'u,In i
and cut If the current They also severed '"'
burned out wires leading into the restaurant.
INEXCIsABLE CARELESSNESS HERE.
This is by no means the first time the wires
leading into Muhlh0fer's xestaurant have men,
accd the lives OF people. The box burned ou'
tw, months ago and the insulation, 1t Il sald'
has repeatedly worn from the wires 80 'hal any
one grasping the rail Of the steps leddlilE up ~
the entrance was likely 10 receive s""'h; ~
contact Of the Tin cornce with the iron hahd-
rail rendered the rail as dangerous as salNahIc
battery. In wet weather this danger was lh'e,'-
sined ana repeated complaints had peeh mao
by the tenants who hal constantly 10 be on thelr
guard while passing in and out the house
Before the box ignited last night several peo-
,Io in the house received slight shocks. Emma
Strahm twelve years old. was knocked off her
feet simply because she touched the rall with
enc hand at o'clock; Felicia Lorne. another
twelve-year-o had like experience, as did
also Conrad Zcidcr boy Of thirteen years.
He was knocked over against the opposite ran.
II was Impossible to find out last night the
voltagc of the current running into the supply
box An electrician said that the power sup
piled to electrical fans In business houses WAS was
not measured In volts. but In horsepower. ne ne
said that each Of the small circular fans IKE
Muhlh0fer's generally required one-eighth OF
a horse power.
TESTS or THE SOLAROMETER.