The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-29
SULL|vAN'S own FAULT
Violated Orders in Tampering
With an Arc Light.
RESULT OF THE INQUEST
Coroners Jury Decides Sul1ivan's Death
Resulted From His Own Careless
ness-What the Evidence Was
and What It Showed.

Evidence taken at the coroner's in
quest yesterday afternoon went to
show that Daniel Sullivan, who was
electrocuted at the converters Friday
night, violated the express orders Civ
en- all employees in attempting to re-
pair defective arc electric light, and
in doing so was shocked to death. It
was shown that the general 4rules in
the works are for no men to touch
light when it goes out, but to send
for the electrician. Testimony of wit
nesses went to show, however, that
the rule is violated frequently and that
Sullivan himself had started up the
light perhaps 100 times when it was
out of order.
The jury found that Sullivan's death
resulted from an electric shock brought
on by his own carelessness. and that
the Anaconda Copper Mining and
Smelling company in the future, where
electricity is used in the different de-
partments, should have printed notices
posted warning all employees to abb
stain from touching all wires under
any and all circumstances, any en-
ploye found disobeying such notices
to be discharged instantly.
The jury consisted of c. H. Williams,
H. Redmond, William Faunt, George
Elston, r. D. Crosswhite and Thomas
Boland.
Coroner Hardenbrook convened the
inquest shortly after 3 o'clock yester-
day afternoon. Pat Dalton of 4Os Pine
street, foreman at the, converters,
was called. His testimony was as fol-
lows:
II was not present when the acct
dent took place. My instructions to all
the men are to let the lights alone
iS ha ~ y,
them, and to call Mr. Barnes to fix
them. Once / saw Mr. Sullivan, the
deceased, let down light and start it
up. told him at the time never to
do so again"
Henry H. Nell, assistant superin-
tendent of the works, in testifying,
said
The electric lights and wires are
all placed so that they are out of
reach of the men. The general in
structions to the men are to let them
alone, and if they go out to send for
the proper people to fix them"
j. w. Weir, shift boss under Fore
man Dalton, said:
Soon after I went on shift last
night the light went out. I got piece
of shovel handle about three feet long,
with no iron on it. struck the frame
with it and the light started up
left the stick against post. About
3 o'clock the light went out again. I
looked for the shovel handle. but could
not find it. In the meantime some one
had lowered the light down. AS
came in Sullivan came over with lit
tile piece of wood in his hand, and
said: Joe, let me start that He was
in the habit of starting up the lights
when they went out and thought he
knew more about them than any one
else. Go away with that little, short
piece of stick said l. Then the light
after this was standing outside, leav-
ing in the clay room only the three
pan men-SulliVan, Creedon and Rob-
inson-and the engineer, when the en-
glneer came running out and said:
Come quick: Sullivan has got a bad
shock l went in and found Sullivan
lying on the floor Some one sug-
gested putting him in the sand This
We did. He groaned once as we lift
ed him up and once after we put him
in the sand. We rubbed him and did
all we could to revive him, but he died
there.
II had told Sullivan never to touch
the lights unless he had a long stick
and l also had instructed him not to
lower them. An arc light, when lower
ed, will sway from side to side, and
If man is working at it with a short
stick he is likely to get a shock.
No, Sullivan had no orders to lower
the light He did it of his own accord.
1t is the rule to go after the watch
man when the light is out, but lots of
times the men start it up themselves.
Sullivan has started the light up prob
ably 100 times that way. Yes, the
lights go out pretty frequently"
D. Storrer stationary engineer, who
was in the clay room when the acct
dent happened, said he was standing
at the window when the light went out
the last time, a little after 9 o'clock
Sullivan lowered the light" said he,
land taking a short stick, started to
poke up the carbon with it. I said:
I don't like to see man standing on
that iron floor monkeying with the
light, so / took a short bench and
started for him, intending to give him
the bench to stand on. Just as I did
so the light started to burn Sulli-
van looked at it a second or two and
then seemed to grab at the carbon
and pull away piece of it. AS he
did so he reeled and fell Creedon and
/ rushed to him and carried him to a
pile of earth, where we worked on
him. Then he was taken to a sand
pile and put in it. T notified Weir and
others Finally the doctor came and
pronounced him dead"
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