The Hawaiian gazette., 1898-10-25
Electrical Men qaliIy On Recent
Tragedy.
A olFetRtMct IN THEORIES
Msssrs BUtk sna RowsH Heard.
Measurements -"under,skeFs
wirs"- .ioss INQUIRY.

Yesterday morning the corJners Jury /
met to c0nilnnc the Investigation re- /
lative TO Friday nights tragedy. sup. /
erintendsnt Buck was recalled 60 com
plets his unfinished testimony. He
showed the jury the insulator in which
Vas the broken pin. around which
was piece OF wire which Mr.. Buck
said he believed was the same that was
ON the insulator at the time the acci-
dent occurred; and also a piece of wire
about two feet in length which he said
was cut out of the fatal wire when II
was spliced the next morning. These
were offered in evidence and marked
exhibit "A" and b. respectively. Mr..
Buck believes that the accident was
caused by a short circuit; that the wire
was burned on by coming In contact
with the return wire, which was about
eighteen inches from the one which
caused the trouble. Superintendent
Buck said that the breaking OF the in
suiation pin from the cross piece,
which had been weakened by the ants
bearing out the inside OF the pin, leav-
ing only a thin crust ON the outside,
was the primary cause of the accident;
that there are several other places in
he brought in contact with one another
and short circuited; that the wire used
In the city has very poor insulation;
that all repairs are being done with a
better quality OF material; that he did
not have sufficient help allowed him %
do the WORK as II should be done, and
that there was no inspector for under
writers except in house work. Mr..
nlA fnn Nh hN 1
Cross, expert electrical engineer, and
Lieuts. Edwin 5. Tice and &. A. Coo
ridge, OF the Engineer Corps.
Arthur Whitlock, James G.. Crane
and Male, linemen in the Government
employ, were called to identify the
pieces OF wire which had been offered
in evidence.
w. +. Rowell Superintendent OF
Public Works, was next called, and
gave measurements taken by him at
the place where the accident occurred,
as follows: Distance from Richards
street pole to the engine house 1O5
feet, height OF bracket on Richards
street pole, IS feet inches; height OF
wire from middle OF street, 1917 feet;
height OF bracket on engine house pole
Is feet.
The two wires are eighteen inches
apart, parallel and fastened to brack-
cts which are horizontal.
DR.. Emerson was called and stated
that he saw and examined the bodies
after the men had been dead an hour
and half. There were no signs OF
injury. He could not have told wha'
caused death from the appearance Of
the bodies, as they bore no evidence OF
violence.
Mr. Cross was the next witness ant
was asked by Attorney General Smith
TO state what, in his opinion, was the
cause Of the accident. He replied
The breaking OF the insulator pin,
and that he was led to that conclusion
partly by the evidence and partly b!
the application OF scientific principles
for, to the fatal wire was attached {
tap or new lead for the purpose o
conducting a portion Of the primar!
current in another direction. This tai
was attached to an insulator about ont
foot down the pole from the cross arm
from which the pin broke away ant
as the falling wire was attached to I
pole few feet distant in such a posi-
ton as to form the three into an OBJ
lique triangle. Here Mr.. Cross pro
duced sketch in illustration Of h
theory. The inclination Of the released
wire was to fall inward and downward
but as the short wire very Quickl.
frightened without taking up all tn
slack in the wire crossing King street
gave to it two distinct lines of force
which were upward and outward
which was just what was necessary II
order to throw 1t over the opposite lei
running parallel to 1t, which woult
form natural characteristics of wir,
kink, and would, upon becoming sui
ficiently water-soaked, short circuit a
the two points Of contact and eventual
ly form an are and burn of, precipitat
ing the wires to the ground. Whei
asked what he would advise to avOit
repetition or recurrence of the calam
ity, he said he would remove the con
verter from its present location ant
place 1t on the pole carrying the prim
airy mains as 1t was decidedly agains
the rules OF modern practice to carr.
taps from primary mains across tn
street, but that all cOnverters ar
placed as near the primary mains Of
the poles as was possible, and to carr
nothing but secondaries over a stree
as tap. He then explained the differ
ence between primary and secondar
wires. He said that the primary wire
were the ones in this case which car
ried the high voltage or initial energ
of the generator, while the secondar
carried the current at low voltage. tn
junction OF the transformer was, h
said, to convert the energy conveye
by the primary conductors into lowe
voltage, so that 1t could be used, as
would he impossible to use the prin
airy current In its original condition
He said had the secondary wir'
crossed the street instead of the pr
maries the fatality never would hay
happened, as the voltage in them WI
only so and consequently Harmless
When asked regarding the wire CT
out Of the fallen one, he said in refe
ence to the insulation that 1t was n,
used in modern practice. Wires
use now are known as weatherpro
wires and insulated with a compos
ton OF rosin, asphaltum, and tar ar
covered with an outer covering
braid, usually Of three thicknesse