The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-07-28
DOES ELECTRICITY KILL?
OPINIONS or THREE ELECTRICIL
EXPERTS or ROCHESTER,.
They All Agree That There IL No Certain
ty That Death il Ensured, Even Though
the Heart Has Ceased to Beat.

OF the principal electricians OF TINS cry
with the object Of obtaining their views
OF the effect Of the electric current on t"e
human organism under certain conditions,
and also their views regarding the use OF
the electric current as one OF the means
adopted in executing criminals III 'his
State under the present law. The report
er first called Upon Alfred Green, chiet
electrician of the Rochester Electric hail-
way. The following question was SUD
m'tted TO Mr.. Green.
Suppose. in the case OF condemned
criminal, that the resistance IS thrown
out and an alternating current OF eisn9
and one-half amrercs is thrown through
the subjects body under the CONDITIONS
prevailing In prison executions, at an eiec-
tromotive force OF seventeen hundred ana
fifty volts. that the voltage is reduced 10
four hundred, then advanced TO seventeen
hundred, then gradually reduced 10 zero
and turned off after thrce-quarters OF a
minute in the application. Then suppose
that the attendant physician should de-
clare that the mans heart stlll beat, and
that he was not dead, what would be your
opinion of the experiment.
In that case" said Mr. Green, they
would have failed to Kill the subject by
the application of electricity. l mean by
that that / think he could be restored TO
consciousness and life by the means well
known in all of the electrical stations. II
left TO himself he might die perhaps 1
should say would probably die. but there
would be a chance even then Of his COM
ing to-"
Suppose. as the next step. the current
was turned on again at a voltage of seven
teen hundred and fifty. held there for
eight seconds and turned of, and the
physician should declare that he felt no
heart action, what would be your Judg-
ment as TO his condition.
Il think" said the electrician that If
the proper methods We're resorted TO-
there would be good chance Of his re-
suscitation. OF course. they could repeat
the operation until there would be no
chance"
"Do you regard the alternating current
moro fatal I'm its effects than the high ten
sion arc current, under similar electromo-
tive force and current c0ndltionsl'
Il do not We used TO have that idea,
but i think that impression Is past
Speaking i'm a general way, what is
your view OF the experiments on criminals
under the present law?'
Il think that in nine cases out OF ten,
they are in a condition, when the autopsy
is performed where they could be resus-
citated by the proper means. OF course
you know that they can cook man with
electricity. 1 am not talking about such
cases.
81 had some personal experience with
electricity" continued Mr. Green. in re-
miniscent sort of way, that satisfies me
that many victims of the electric current
can be restored when they are apparently
dead. When 1 was ia Cleveland ! was
testing a sixty-fvo-light Brush machine.
1t was not up to standard, and the most
we could get out Of 1t was 800 volts
started 10 make another test for some OF
the people. and took hold of the vOltmcter
wire with my rirht hand. l supposed tho
switch of the voltmeter was turned on,
ana took hold Of the binding post OF the
generator with the other hand. The
switch had been turI.d on, and got the
. S5o volts straight. Itelt as though / had
been hit in the back of the neck with
sleaae hammer, and was thrown against
the wall. The station men thought 1 was
dead. but they went 10 work giving me
air and water and they told me AFTER
ward that IT was about fifteen minutes
| before l began 10 show signs Of lie. But
mind you, although j could not move OF
sneak. | knew what they were doing an
tho while. Are these s0-called electro
rlfions' humane? Why, there isn't any
! humanity about il. There is no certainty
| tnat tnt current as administered places
a man beyond the chance OF resuscilatlon.
more Is no reason, so far as 1 can see,
why Buchanan might not have been re-
suscitated, II taken just before the
autopsy was performed.
Mr.. Green gave several other instances
OF electrical accidents when had come
under his observation and quoted them III
support of his views.
A.,rar. 4 R.Nrnan SUPERINTENDENT OF
| the Rochester Gas and Electric Company,
| was next called upon at mis- Office on Mum
| ford street After the newspaper man
had made known the object OF his WISH,
| AIR Redinan al once turned the cOnVersa-
| zion TO the accident which occurred re-
Gently at the Lower Falls station OF the
| company i'm which the - AfsonNai
method of resuscitation was applied with
such gratifying results. And the news
paper man listened, for he was anxious
TO hear the particulars o. that incident
| from one in authority.
Your question regarding the effect OF
electricity in the prison brings us right
back TO the accident 10 Glover AT our
| station the other night Glover made con-
| tact with an arc machine carrying over
| 200 volts lie made the connection
| through his elbow and breast ana ne was
as dead as Buchanan after they turned
the current of. He was so limp that some
/ of the men in the station regarded any
| effort 10 restore him a. useless, thty
| thought there was no use i'm working over
| a dead man. Others insisted that the"
] must comply with the station rules al any
rate and thoy went TO work. The result
YOU know. The man is alive and we'll III
| they had left Glover alone long enough
he would probably have died. But we
| have learned that men who have received
| very heavy shocks OF electricity are not
| Of necessity beyond restoration. For that
reason the rules for applying the process
are pOsfcd IN the stations and IN case OF
accident the men go right at work. We
| can't say certainly how many volts ne
| got. III may have peen 100 or LOU or
| more. But he was apparently dead. lie
| got enough. 800,
Eyes. 1 think possibly buchanan could
have been restored, even after the second
application. But you know a man can Dc
| cooked with the electrical current
..Do YOU. as an electrician, favor the
method or execution in Voguet
II do not and never have. There is no
certainty that the shock kills the con-
| demned: that Il puts them ia a condition
where they cannot be restored"
as there any certainty as TO the action
of electricity, any way
| Certainly not. We do not know what
, electricity is. much less what II will do
with any degree of certainty. It's effects
I'm different subjects differ. and diner ia
the same subject under differing condl-
tons. l should like 20 have the expert
ment Of trying TO resuscitate one OF the