The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-03-26
TROLLEY WIRE FLASHED
And the Vivid Light Vas Followed
by Darkness for CaulfieId.
HE WAS LOOKING TOWARD A CAR
WHICH WAS PASSING.

The Trolley Slipped and the Young Man
Staggered Back Crying "Take That
Glass From My Eyes"-ocuIists Say
That the Flash of Intense Light Has
Paralyzed the Third Optic Nerve
They Think the Sight Will Soon Return.
New York, March 24.-James Caul-
Held, reporter on a Brooklyn news
paper, has suddenly become totally
blind in an extraordinary manner. He
lost his sight Thursday afternoon
through flash of light of dazzling in
tensity from trolley car OF the Brooklyn
City Railroad company.
walks.
Caulfeld came out of restaurant on
Fulton street, near the junction of
Adams street, and stopped on the side
walk moment to light cigar. A
trolley car came rapidly along Fulton
nearly opposite Caulfeld, the trolley
wheel slippsd from the overhead copper
wire. There came a vivid flash of
lightning-like intensity.
Caulfeld threw his head back with
a cry of pain and reeled.
Take that looking glass from my
fallen to the sidewalk but for John
Grady, a fellow-employe of the news
paper. Grady caught Caulfeld in his
arms and assisted him into the business
Office.
The stricken young man was in great
pain. and kept crying: "Take that
looking glass from my eyes" He was
rooms. Coroner Kene, whose Office is in
the Court House, across the street, was
hastily summoned Caulfield's sight
was entirely gone. Everything looked
black. DR.. Kene examined Caulfield's
eyes and could not detect any physical
signs of the trouble.
Dr.J. q. Raub was called from the
Brooklyn Eye and Ear Infirmary, in
Livingston street, near by. After a
minute examination, Prof Raub said
there was apparently in Caulfield's eyes
total failure of what was known as the
third nerve to respond to light rays.
The occulist advised that the reporter
a dark room tor several days, in order
That the optic nerves might have an
opportunity to recover from the paralysis
into which they had been thrown by the
flash from the trolley car. "A sleeping
potion was given t. Caulfield Thursday
night in order to reduce his nervousness
and allay the pain in his head.
A consultation of oculists was held
yesterday over Caulield. His eyes will
be partially removed in order to permit
of thorough examination. The
specialists yesterday expressed the hope
and belief that the reporter would event.
ually recover his sight.
The blindness had probably been
caused, they said, by the paralyzing
effect on the third nerve, by flash of
light from the trolley car.
Prof. George W.Plympton, president of
the Electrical Subway Commission, said
that the sudden blindness of Reporter
Caulfield was the most astonishing acci-
dent in his experience.
"It was not possible,n he said, ." for the
electricity to flash out from the trolley
of the car and strike Caulfield blind in
the sense of physical blow, or direct
action on the eyes or body, as would
have been the case with stroke of
lightning from the clouds.
But it is probable Caulfeld's optic
nerve received paralzying shock from
the flash of light from the trolley.
my belief is that the young man will
shortly recover from his blindness.
81 know something of the vivid
character of these flashes of light from
the troller cars. My study is fully $50
feet from the Nostrand Avenue trolley
line. and yet the flashes from the cars
frequently illuminate my study even in
daylight. The light from these trolleys
is most intense"