St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-08-31
THREE TIMES DEAD.
A Lineman Who Has Had Re.
mackable Experience.

Pittsburg Dispatch.
1.-The first time [ died." said Charles
A. Beam. a stalWart lineman, was in
manhoie down here on Liberty street.
That's not the sort of grave I've
ordered. We were working there, and
it is dangerous place, always an accu-
mutation of gases. My chum was down
inside and called up to me to hand him
a monkey wrench. picked it up and
got down inside, too, and reached tile
wrench to him. But instead of taking
1t he reeled little and then fell over. [
knew what that meant and halloued up
to them. That's all | remember. My
mind turned backward, on itself like,
and my life passed before me like
quick dream. The sensation wasn't UNI
pleasant, and l hadn't the least fear of
death. Then all stopped. The next
Thug L knew l was lying on the side
walk with them sprinkling water on my
face. l came to my senses and sat up,
and the first thing said was: Say,
Il was all right in little while aud
went back to work. Jack went to the
hospital, where he was sick two weeks.
L had been down eight minutes, and
that's enough to kill.
My second death was by shock, and
| don't see why they make such a fuss
about suffering and all that. It's not
half bad-death 10y shock. where you
amt just roasted. l was UP fixing
wire. sitting on the top cross beam of a
pole fifty feet high, with my helper.
Eve habit of interlocking my legs
after they've encircled the pole-you
see they're long''-and he.lineman con
suited his lengthy eXtremities approx
ingly, land that saved my life. Almost
as quick as thoughtful never tell
how, unless l touched live wire with
bit L had loose in my hand-I got
shock about as full as the light wires
can give. 1t just knocked inc back
ward, same as if you hit me with ham
mer on the forehead. Down went, head
first, but not very far, because nv
locked heels caught on the lowest cross
beam, aud there hung. My senses
were numbed gright off, and | hadn't
the least sensation except waiting,
rather unconcerned. a couple of sec
OndS, guess. Then l lost nv senses.
My helper came down from the cross
beam and picked me up, and they
fused with me down on the street for
awhlle-and was soon at work again.
but guess the worst time was the
sunstroke. That was the time died
It's equal to all the rawlings that's all.
ways been accounted to gas poisoning
and all the slow torture people thought
went with electrocutiOn. l was stack
ing hay one fall on a farm back of AL.
Ientown. 1t was a mighty hot day, and
the hands stopped to rest and cool oft
two or three times.
II felt all right. and just went on. At
last, about O'clock, l concluded to give
up, too, and, like blamed fool. went
and sat down to rest against the side of
a hay sheaf. The hay was red-hot and
attracted the sun, and | was soon feel
Ing pretty badly. But sat still instead
of getting whisky to drink, and pretty
Soou went over. For two hours l
suffered such torture as l never felt
before. The pain in the head and
limbs and the dreadful nausea wasn't
enough. but my whole life paraded
before me, back and forth, all the
bad things at the beginning and the
middle and the end. At the same time
l knew Just what was going on.
Couldn't speak or move, but had to
listen to them saying was dead, and
proposing ways to bring me to life, aud
feel them moving me about and every
thing. That double-consciouness going
back over my life just as Pve heard
some one say you did in drowning-yet
knowing everything that was going ON.
Kept up for hours before l really lost
my senses. Then was sick in the
hospital three weeks"