Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-11-21
ELECTRIC VICTIMS
How to Help a Person Who is
Stricken.
how TO DEAL WITH LIVE WIRES
A Scientific Study Of Alternating
Currents.
RESCU AND RECOVERY

The mystery that surrounds the effect of
electricity on the human body is subject
of persistent inquiry and experiment by
electricians and scientists. The amount of
electricity that will sometimes pass through
the human body without producing fatal
results is surprising and often unaccount-
able. while at other times currents less
powerful in every way for some reason,
are often fatal.
DIR. Francis B. Bishop director of the
acknowledgements clinic at the Eastern
Dispensary, has made special study of
this phase of electric phenomena.
The alternating current of great amper-
age-high voltage and low frequency"
said DR.. Bishop to a Star reporter. lis the
current that causes the greater number of
accidental deaths. well the current
that is used in the state of New York for
the purpose of executing criminals. The
continuous current, such used in our
lECandescent street lighting, while not
harmless when close-circuited through the
body. does not offer the same degree of
danger as the arc light or alternating cur
rent The number of periods per second.
other things being equal. seems to be the
most important factor in the death-deal-
lrg qualities of electricity. The ordinary
commercial alternating current. with from
i've to eight ampereS. and 500 to 2 900 volts
with periods of alienation from 100 to 100
Fer second. would kill i'll few seconds
any animal on the face of the earth When
the periods are 10o,on,oDO to billions per
SrcoIli, circuit which would be fatal at
the commercial period becomes not ONLY
harmless, but the sensation is most agree
able Dr. Elihu Thomson in his expert
ments has placed himself in circuit with
an alternating current of great frequency
with an amperage of from 15 to 8 amperes
nave rad the pleasure of witnessing
Some OF Dr Thomson's experiments ard
a rt-+.t !,
descent lamps. which We're brilliantly light
ed; and yet the current was most agree
able.
In this connection Dr. J. H. kellogg
says: 1 have been able to pass through NV
Eody currents of more than 5000 miliiam-
Ief'S. when currents of a quantity ten
tunes less would be extremely dangerO,,.
ii the frequency in the place of being 500
$50 20 l,patHb per second were lowered to
100 per second. the usual rate of alter
hating currents employed for medical pur-
ICSes.'
ElectrOcuti0n.
According to newspaper reports" said
Dr. Bishop. they use in New York state for
the PURPOSE of electrocution a pressure of
l,.'O volts. And. according to Dr. Edwin
). Houston. in paper before the American
Electro-Therapeutic Association in 1884, on
Death by the Alternating Current the re-
slstance of the body of the criminal by the
use of the large electrodes saturated win
salt solution is reduced to 2tO or 300 ohms
so, according 20 Ohms law he receives
rom . 10 az emperes, or from 5000 to
1 r nliiia IN, or take ~ ampe-es
criminal has passing through his body
H-2D Watts or 11.25D Joues per second.
squai 10 little more than 10 horse power
'li Watts to the horse power each horse
power being equal to $50 foot pounds per
second, equals IL horse power EQUALS = 80
Ic0t rounds per second Still. DR.. D'Arson-
val of Paris has intimated that our Grim
1nals are Tot killed by electricity and
lea'es us to infer that they are DESTROYED
at inc autopsy. DArsonval gives two
Kills. Fist. by the descriptive and electrolyt-
ic ef1ects of the current; in these cases he
c!alHiS that death is absolute and certain
Second ~ exCitation of nerve centers ac
coinpanied by arrested respiration and syn
cope. without lesion. In these cases he
claims that death is only Apparent"
Question of Contact.
The serious accidents from electric cur
rents are caused by persons coming In
contact with live electric wires while tb.v
themselves are in connection with the
EARTH or with some other conducting ma
terlal that Is connected with the
earth a bare wire suspended from an arc
liSht or trolley wiTe that is poorly ins1-
Rated. or where there is no ins,1Iation NAV
he innocent enough IN Itself and when not
disturbed mas no current of eIeC trIcIty
passing. but when touched by man or ami
nal in contact with the earth the current
X immediately short circ,Iited through the
body to reach the earth. and the am1unt
Of shock that the individual receives de-
EendS upon the amount of electro motive
force. tn" perfect contact and the resist
ance offered by the body as we'll as the
length of time the current passes through
the body The body resistance depends
upon the moisture of the skin or clothing
the perfection of the contact and the
amount OF surface exposed to contact.
"A person whose dry clothing strikes a
4f4l x1iy-
shock than If the clothing were wet or
damp If the hand should grasp live
wire and the hand lie perfectly dry. the
shock would he less severe than If the
hands were damp or wet. The current finds
its exit through the course of least resist
&nce. which might lead through very inn
portant structure and death would lie apt
to claim its victim. The length of time
that a person is subjected to the current
is question of great Importance. as every
second adds wonderfully to the horse
power and foot pounds that pass through
the victim.
How to Rescue n Victim.
Every effort should be made to llberate
him at once How Is this to be done?
First. keep cool; don't lose your head. DO
not place yourself in circuit in trying to
help others out When the victim is a
lineman and up among the wires, or OH
a pole, nothing much be lone until the
current is shut off at the power house.
Should the victim be lying upon the ground,
GraSpinS the wire in both hands,
take dry stick and push the person from
the wire. or wrap Il large dry silk hand
kerchief around your hand and catch hold
of the victims coat tail dr"sS and pull
him or her from the wire. AS an extra
precaution. If your own coat Is perfectly
3ry- you might place it upOa the earth to
land on Under no consideration catch
mold of. tamper with in any way the
wire, unless You are positively certain that
you are thoroughly insulated by rubber
boots gloves. both. Even then it Is
better to pull the victim from the wire.
Remember always that the current follows
the course of least resistance and Is not
going to go out of its path for the sake
of running into you: will 1t vary its
course if you get in the way. unless your
body puts IN more resistance than that OF
another Giro Tit.
Therefore. never, under any circunl-
stances. when you are removing person
from a live wire, allow his body to leave
the earth Or. in other words, don't lit
Aim. Keep him to the earth. for when
his body leaves the earth your body be-
comes the conductor. and you simply add
another victim to the list. An iron rod
or heavy copper wire run deeply in the
ground. in such a way that when the free
end is liberated 1t will spring to the live
wire above the victim, will take the cur
rent from him so that he NAV be pulled