The evening times., 1899-03-08
CLOTHING TORN OFF
BY ELECTRICITY
A Mans Body Burns Black
and Emits Sparks.
Almost Electr0cuted and Yet May
Survive the Shock
Working at u Switchboard ia Il
POwer-HOuse. Hampcl Has IA
Distressing Experience.

New York, March S.-By most remark
able electrical shock yesterday afternoon
nearly all the clothing OF Joseph Hampel.
| thirty-two years Old an electrician, of 1856
Warwick Street, Brooklyn, was burned off
| his body in fraction of a second, his body
was burned black from head to foot and a
hole was burned under him in the floor Of
the Lexington Avenue power house, in
Twenty fifth Street, between Lexington and
Third-Avenues, and yet he lives, and the
doctors say he will recover
Hampel was at work at a switchboard at
| about quarter after three when the acci-
dent happened Hampel was working at
enc end of the beard when there was a
| fash of light which surprised everybody in
| that part of the building and then all the
| lights went out. Instantaneously the pow
er left all the reads below Fiity-rinth
| Street, and Madison Second, and Sixth
| Avenues, and other cars. bereft of cleo
trical supply. had to come to a stop. EIec-
trio lights went cut not only in the build
| ing, but in all buildings fed from the dy-
namos in this power house.
Every bit Of clothing Hampel had on,
| except the overalls and the drawers on his
right leg, part of the right shoulder of his
| undershiTt and blouse and a little piece Of
| his left shoe ana stocking were burned
eff. His body was burned black as burnt
cork His hair was burned OF. The floor
under him was burned. large hole. ap-
pearing, into which he fell
| Hampel got his hand off the circuit. and
| yelling with agony ran out from behind
! the switchboard into the middle of the
| room. where several men were working
! Some of these men say they saw sparks
| OF electricity emitted from HampeIs body
! as he ran. The men rushed forward 10 ex-
| tingush the little flames that were still
eating up the remnants of the mans gar
| ments, and got infinitesimal shocks from
| the mans charged body. As they put out
| the fire Hampel fell to the floor in d faint
An ambulance was summoned at once
| from Bellevue Hospital. Dr. Keppler
| found that the outer cuticle had been
| burned from the mans body. and that
some OF the flesh Of the right side the
right arm, and several OF the fingers OF
the right hand had been burned These
| burns he carefully dressed. He gave the
| man some digitalis TO restore the normal
action OF his heart. and succeeded in half
an hours hard work in restoring him 10
| consciousness.
Asked how he had met with the shock.
! Hampel answered:
Il dent know what happened after il
| came, and | don't know how il came
about"
| DR.. Keppler said he felt fairly certain
that Hampel would not die. and afterward
at the hospital declared the man would
, live.
Two other men received slight shocks
| by the transmission of the electricity
! through Hampeis body as a conductor.
The current went through him TO the near
est metal. handrail around all the ma
| chinery for the protection of the men.
Two workmeu. one filter and the other
| one an electrician. were holding the railing
! 20 feet away from Hampel The hands OF
! both men were burned by the fierce cUE-
rent, and they sustained shocks throughout
| their bodies. DR.. Keppler dressed their
| injuries.
| A few pieces of clothing that remained
were picked up after Hampel had been
| taken away. In piece of the left shoe
| it was found that every one of the metal
! pegs had been melted by the electricity.
| The cause of the accident was apparent
| on an examination. 1t was found that
| Hampel had been using a wrench in tight
| ening screw on the switchboard. In some
| manner the screw was turned backward
| completing the circuit
The enormous power OF the electricity
| and the number of cars run by it lend Gre
dence TO the statement of an electrician in
| the building that he believes Hampel sus-
tanned a shock of . GOO volts
The cars on the different routes were
stopped for only eight minutes. The cause
of the accident was soon remedied as the
distribution Of such an enormous quantity
of electricity did not affect any of the ma
chinery iii the building.