The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-20
AN ELECTRICAL IMMUNE.
r. j. Crawford Withstood a Shock of 49,
coo Volts and Lives.

+. j. Cr=wford with-tood a Shock of 49,
GOO Volts and Lives
From Tire san Francisco Examiner.
+. J. Crawford. an electrician, has
proved that man may receive lS,G0l volts
OF electricity and live.
Only 1850 volts are turned Oh to exc
eute a criminal. according 20 the New
York laws prescribing capital punish
ment
+. ]. Crawford accidentally becamL a
link in circuit over which 1890 volts
were passing. His feet were on the iron
top of transformer while his head
pressed against live wire above. The
top of his head was burned OF. and so
were his heels. proving that the current
had made connections at both enus Of
him. After the current went oI through
the transformer, il blew cut I'll the fuses
at the tributary stations. stIii further
proving that the Juice" from the over
head wire went through CrawIJrd and
into the transformer under his fe1I.
Yet Crawford still lives.
Science may never explain this mystery.
Mr. Crawford is an experienced cleCtri-
ciaa. and he cannot explain It. II he as
SertS That the full 1906 volts did not so
through him, he admits that he cannot
piduslby theOriZe on where il did so.
There are several distinct proofs On rec
ord that he became a link an a live Cir
cult that a current went through him
from head TO heels; that II weat on, after
going through him, with sufficient sOrce
10 blow OuI a lot of fuses IN vl.ious
parts of the adjacent country apG that
Jnere were 1900 volts on the Wirr when
ii connected with the top of his head
Against these positive facts & tiie1rIzer
may urge all the theories IN 1hcOrydOm,
ana prove no more than Mr.. Crawford
Knows already.
This most unscientific accident occurred
fourteen weeks ago in Sarta Ana CANYON,
elghty-three miles from Los Angeles.
Ihere ~ huge electrical plano IN this
canyon, where a current of $1,000 volts Is
generated and transmitted TO Los Angeles
ever three wires. 1t was one of these
wires passing through the generating
room which Crawford came In contact
with. According TO the division OF the
U,00O volts over the three wires, the wire
striking Mr.. Crawford carried the tre-
mendOus load of 1900
The electrician was standing on 4 trans
former looking after some repairing. He
had completed his inspection of the work
ard Strengthened up preparatory to step
ping off the machine. As his head came
back IL met the vibrant wire, diverting
its awful load of electricity into himself
He had no sooner touched the wire than
he shot off Of the transformer and struck
the floor a cOntOrted. lifeless mass of
burned flesh. WOrkmen who Witnessed the
frlghtful spectacle rushed to the scene
and tenderly gathered up what they sup
posed to be the corpse of their comrade
They laid him out straight and sum
moned a physician. the latter detail being
mere matter of form than anything
else. as they had not the faintest idea of
bringing the stricken man back from the
death into which they had seen him
hurled
His heart had stopped beating. and. ac-
tpETC IN
cutions by electricity. he was as dead as
any criminal that ever left the condemn
ed chair in Sing Sing Prison He lay
upon his back breathIess pulseless with
out spark of vitality left in him.
But duty required that something BE-
done to revive any possible remnant of
life which might have been temporarily
deadened; so the men went to work on
the silent form: proceeding as they would
have done with drowning person. ap-
plying means of artificial respiration and
endeavoring TO revive the action of the
heart.
For over an hour their efforts seemed
hopeless Not tiutter of the heart, not
sigh OF respiration rewarded them
Ii was fully an hour and a quarter be-
fore the Stilled heart responded TO their
ministrations; ther tremor was felt and
the organ of life slowly resumed its ac-
ton; very htfully and family at first, but
gradually gaining strength until it sent
the blood again in its normal iiow through
the arteries of the head. an1 conscious
ness awoke dimly in the electrocuted
brain. One hour and fofty-fve minutes
after the accident Mr.. Crawford sat M
and eviEced himself alive even after he
had been dead according to the law
For the law declares that man is
dead when bis heart ceases to beat.
Mr.. Crawford was taken to Redlands
and put under treatment for mis- injuries
A large fiat wound on the crown Of the
head showed where the live wire had
burned into the skull. Another 1brasioo
was the result OF his fall from the trans
former. In descending he had struck his
head on a sharp object. mourning flesh
wound. which was easily healed. The burn
from electricity was different Men who
know about such things will teli YOU that
scorChes out the tissues and so
makes a break in the flesh and cuticle
which cannot grow together until the tis-
sues are rejuve mated. Mr. Crawford will
need eight more weeks for reiuvenation
before ne can count himself completely
tissued. He has already been fourteen
: eeks regainiEg what these 1890 volts
cooked out Of him in half "A second
Both Of his heels were burned out 10
the bone. They have taken on new flesh
ard become almost as good as ever He
was line weeks in bed, awaiting their
restoration. When they grew well en5,:iss
for him 10 walk on them he came up from
Redlands, and is now at his home In
Berkeley
No lasting injuries are likely 10 result
from his extraordinary experience His
nervous system is ali right and his gem
eral health as good as ever. He expects
20 &c back to his work within two months.
as he hopes his head may be healed up by
that time
Mr.. Crawford IS man of medium
height. weighing about 80 pounds. or a
trif1e less. He is blonde. with a wispy
straw-colored mustaehe ana rather male
The latter may be due to
his long confinement indoors. He is a
college graduate. having left the Tniyer-
slty OF California in the class of 90 He
is one Of the hest read and most clever Of
In the profession. and Is 50
well thought of By his employers. the Los
Angeles Electric Light and Power Com
pany that they are holding his place open
for him, awaiting his recovery these four
teen weeks, not 10 mention the eight more
that are 10 elapse before he can be seen
again In his old position.
Mr. Crawford does not know how II feels
10 BE- electrOcuted. He does not renembe-
anything that occurred between he mo-
ment he Strengthened up on the trans
former and the moment he opened his
eyes as he lay on his back on the ground
nearly two hours later He understands
that he has been dead-as dead for an
hour as he will ever be-but he recoIIects
nothing. either Of this world or any other
to which his spirit may have taken fight
during his temporary extinction.
Does eiectrocUtion Kill beyond recovery,
In New York they turn H. so volts into
condemned culpTit for about four sec
Onas; then they turn of the current and
let 300 volts play through him during tn.
remainder OF the period which the law
prescribes az the regulation shock After
that they take the electrOcutee out OF
the chair and cut him open. He l. seen
% b- dead
What II they should instead Of cutting
him open apply such restore tites az were
applied 20 Electrician Crawford? Would
he be dead then according To law
To be quite fair. let Us say that II Is ab-
soiuiely certain that all the voltage in
tended for a man in the pFOeeHs Of cleo
actually goes through him One