The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-04-06
4 BRIDGE or SHOCKS.
Electricity Continues to Play
All Over the Structure That
Spans the Passaie at
Clay Street.

If, says the Newark Evening News
of April 4, some remedy shall not soon be
applied to check the electrical current
that is now playing FRANKS around the
Clay street bridge, traffic over the bridge
will be considerably lessened. Yesterday
afternoon three more horses received
shocks.
The first horse belonged to James Mar
tin of Belleville, and when it received the
shock it had just stepped upon the west
end of the bridge. The animal reared
and plunged to enc side and then attempt
ed to bolt. but was prevented by Martin.
The second animal to receive a touch
of the electricity was a huge brown horse
attached to one of Adolph Lang's bakery
wagons. The horse, like the first, reared
and plunged, but it was soon quieted.
A carriage containing two women and
drawn by a team Of valuable horses had
just stepped upon the draw, when one OF
the animals put its foot upon a rail. The
horse SHE'D to one side, dragging it's com
panion with it. Had it not been for the
prompt action OF the woman who was
driving a serious accident might have
resulted, as the horses were fresh n
restless.
MORE HORSES SHOCKED.
Other horses that crossed the bridge
and stepped upon the rails also received
slight shocks. but it was only noticeable
in their manne of going ahead faster.
The men who are employed upon the
bridge light shy of all iron and steel
work, for they say they do not know at
what moment they might " the cur
rent running III and down their backs.
On Monday afternoon when Peter Bren-
nan, one of the bridge tenders, took hold
of the east end gate, he experienced such
a shock that he quickly let go and made
& search for something that was a non
Up IN the engine house all the steel
work about the machin that must be
taken hold of by mans hands is thiekiy
covered with rubber insulation, while the
engineer doubly provides against the
in the engine house, which oy beIr the
when the men ascend to the engine house
they do not touch the iron rails with their
hands, but press against them with their
arms.
When the wire cable was laid upon the
bottom of the river at, the Bridge street
bridge a diver was employed by the Trac-
put down properly and Should not come
in contact with any portion of the bridge.
s spsssaD bridge RI a,p' the cable was Weighted
LACK OF CARETAKERS.
Two men are employed at the Bridge
street bridge to look after the wire, but
at the other bridge there are no such en-
ployes, the traction people claiming tina
the system there is a new one. It is the
.sSpposition of the bridge people that the
cable is lying upon some portion of the
bridge, or something that connects with
it.
Those who are compelled to cross the
bridge are we'll aware Of the dangerous
fluid that is runAing wild, and therefore
"nhnnSp rhnSR Nq.tS. Nf the STr1ctlra tn6t
are most free from iron work. When the
6 O'Clock whistles sounded last night and
the girls who are employed in the big
thread mills neared the bridge, they
shouted warnings to each other and re-
fused to walk along the footpath: One
girl, to whom a companion ~laughingIy
shouted not to touch the rail. bravely
laid her hand upo the rail and held it
a crowd of ~admiring friends. She declar-
cd tina she felt no shock. Many of the
girls say that they are afraid to cross
Electricians of the Traction Company
We're at work at the bridge today in an
endeavor to check the e1ectricity's prenks.
mittee that has been called for tomor-
row Afternoon will be heir just the anne.