The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-10-25
Electrical Men Testify on Recent
Tragedy.
, DIFFERENCE IN THEORIES
Messrs Buck and RoweII Heard.
Measurements
Wire"-Close Inquiry.

Yesterday morning the coroner's jury
met to- continue the Investigation re-
lativs To- Friday nights tragedy. Sup
erintendent Buck was recalled TO com
plete his unfinished testimony. He
showed the jury the insulator in which
was the broken pin, around which
was a 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 piece OF wire
about two feet in length which he said
was cut out OF the fatal wire when IL
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 short circuit; that the wire
was burned of 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
sulation pin from the cross piece.
which had been weakened by the ants
boaring 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
Honolulu where the wires are liable TO
be 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 20
do the work as IL should he done and
that there was no inspector for under
writers except in house work Mr..
Buck was closely questioned by Fred J.
Cross, expert electrical engineer, and
Lieuts. Edwin ). Tice and c. \. Coo.-
ridge, OF the Engineer Corps.
Arthur Whitlock, James G. Crane
and Maile, linemen in the Government
employ, were called TO identify the
pieces OF wire which had been offered
IN evidence.
w. T. 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 105 |
feet; height OF bracket on Richards |
street pole, Is feet inches; height OF |
wire from middle OF street. 13is feet; |
height of bracket on engine house pole |
ls feet.
The two wires are eighteen inches
apart, parallel and fastened 20 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 a half. There were no signs OF
injury. He could not have told what
caused death from the appearance OF
the bodies, as they bore no evidence OF
violence.
Mr.. Cross was the next witness and /
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 by
the application OF scientific principles, |
for, to the fatal wire was attached a /
tap or new lead for the purpose OF /
conducting a portion OF the primary |
current in another direction. This tap /
was attached 10 an insulatOr about one |
foot down the pole from the cross arm |
from which the pin broke away and |
as the falling wire was attached 20 a |
pole a few feet distant in such posi- |
ton as to form the three into an OBJ |
lique triangle. Here Mr.. Cross pro |
duced a sketch in illustration OF his |
theory. The inclination OF the released !
wire was 10 fall inward and downward, |
but as the short wire very quickly |
tightened without taking up all the
slack in the wire crossing King street, |
gave to il two distinct lines OF force, |
which were upward and outward, |
which was just what was necessary in
order 10 throw IL over the opposite leg
running parallel to IL. which would
form natural characteristics OF wire
kink, and would, upon becoming suf-
ficiently water-soaked, short circuit at
the two points OF contact and eventual
" form an are and burn off, precipitat-
ing the wires 10 the ground When
asked what he would advise 10 avoid
repetition or recurrence Of the calam-
ity. he said be would remove the con-
verJer from its present location and
place il on the pole carrying the prim-
airy mains as il was decidedly against
the rules OF modern practice to carry
. aT EF.,v