The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-04-29
Rialto Block.
BOTH LEGS BROKEN.
William Russell. q Popular Young
Man, Meets With q Painful
Accident

william Y. Russell. who is called "Bff'y"
b. the members Of the Seattle Athletic
Club. where he is well known and p0pu-
lar. had q fall yesterday afternoon from
a fourteen-foot stepladdsr which resulted
IN the breaking OF both bones In bis right
and left legs just above the ankle. He
was Immediately removed Ia Providence
hospital where DR.. James Shannon and
Or. ]. n. Eagleson operated upon him.
II was r very difficult piece Of work The
bones Of the right leg were broken al
most at the ankle joint. but did not break
through the flesh The tibia of the left
leg protruded through the flesh at point
about three inches above the ankle, show
ing the jagged edges of the bone where
IL had been snapped OF.
II was peculiar accident Russell was
standing on a tall stepladder. putting in
a porcelain rosette. or cutoff. TO connect
the fixtures with the service wire at Will
lam Herdman's saloon. us Second avenue
The wire carried only 104 volts Of cleo
trtcity. which is not enough 10 do any
harm. He got slight shock just before
he fell. The ladder moved away, as Rus
sell explains IL. and he went straight
down 90 the floor. a distance Of about
twelve feet. He struck sausrely on his
feet and then fell against cash register
AT the end Of the bar. Although the shock
tarred him from head to foot he retained
full possession of his faculties and stood
up. As he did so he noticed that his left
leg from point trife more than half
way down from his knee, stuck out TO
one side
There IL a broken leg for certainty"
said Russell TO himself but he had no
idea of how badly both legs had been
smashed.
William Herdman. proprietor Of the
saloon. was near the foot of the ladder
when Russell fell He rushed TO his as
sistanee and then sent out for physicians.
In a short time DR.. J. p. Eagleson. DR..
Dawson and DIR. James Shannon arrived.
DR.. Dawson gave Russell hypodermic
injection, as he vas suffering intense pain.
The patrol wagon was called. and in the
meantime Russell was put under the In
fuence OF chloroform. Just as he was be-
ing carried into Providence hospital he
began to recover consciousness He was
still in terrible pain. but soon became
quiet under the influence of more chloro-
form.
The surgeons found that the tihia and
fbula Of both legs were broken. and had
hard job to get the bones back into place.
When seen last night at the hospital Rus
sell was conscious and said that he did
not care TO have much said about the
accident. "Ail there is to it, said he,
lis that the ladder went out from under
NE ana went DOWN 10 the moor. Striking
on my feet. I think / must have turned
half way around while falling" He said
that the shock he got from the wire did
not amount TO anything. This was veri-
fled yesterday afternoon a short time after
the accident by F. p. ODonneIl an cleo
trioian. He is a great friend Of Russell
and when the question of a shock from
live wire came up he got the ladder from
which Russell had fallen and in the pres
ence OF reporter went up and took hold
of the wires where Russell had been work
ing. He held them with both hands for
some time. He said that he could feel the
current, but that ii was of only l0i volts
strength
There was considerable talk about the
ladder being rickety. Several men who
were In the saloon said they did not think
IL safe for man TO work from. Russell
said last night that il was his favorite
ladder and O'Donnell said he had no fear
OF working on 1t all day.
DR.. Shannon said last night that ac-
cording 10 present indications amputation
Of either leg viii not he necessary Ii is
probable. however, that the right ankle
will be stiff