The Washington weekly post., 1899-06-20
AN ELECTRICAL IMMUNE.
4. J. Cr= =wford with-tnad a Shock of g.
COO Volts and Lives.

4. J. Cr= wford with-tnod a Shock of 49,
coo Volts and Lives.
From tire san Francisco Examiner.
Z. j. Crawford, an electrician, has
proved that a man may receive lS.601 volts
Of electricity and live.
Only 800 volts are turned Oh 10 exc
cute a criminal, according 20 the New
York laws prescribing capital punish
ment.
f. J. Crawford accidentally becarnL
link in a circuit over which iS.Gg9 volts
were passing. His feet were Ja the iron
top OF a transformer, while hiS head
pressed against live wire abova. The
top OF his head was burned Of and 50
were his heels, proving that the current
had made connections al both endS OF
him. After the current went OF through
the transformer, ii blew out Ill the fuses
al the tributary stations, stIii further
proving that the Juice from the over
head wire went through Crawford and
into the transformer under his fesS.
Yet Crawford still lives
Science may never explain this myst ory.
Mr.. Crawford is an experienced cleCtri-
clan, a1d he cannot explain Il. II he as
serts that the fun lS,gJ volts did not 80
through him, he admits that he cannot
piauslbly theoriZe on where il did 80.
There are several distinct proofs on rec
ord that he became link an a live tIr-
cult; that current went through Jim
from head to heels; that II went IN, after
going through him, with sufficient iOrcc
10 blow QUE "A lot of fuses in vA.Ious
parts of the adjacent country, and that
tnere were 1880 volts on the wiz" when
ii connected with the top of his head
Against these positive facts &. the0rlzer
may urge all the theories IN ThcUfydom,
and prove no more than Mr.. Crawford
knows already.
This most unscientifc accident occurred
fourteen weeks ago in Sarta Ana Canyon.
eighty-three miles from Los Angeles
there il huge electrical piano IN thls
canyon, where a CurI ent 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
H,CO0 volts over the three wires. the wire
striking Mr.. Crawford carried the tTe-
mendOus load of lS.000
The electrician was standing on a trans
former looking after some repairing He
had completed his inspection of the work
ard Strengthened up preparatory TO step
ping of the machine As his head came
back it met the vibrant wire, diverting
its awful load OF electricity into himself
He had no sooner touched the wire than
he shot of of the transformer and struck
the floor, contOrted. lfeless mass of
burned flesh Workmen who witnessed the
frightful spectacle rushed TO she 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
more 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-
cordins to the tests usually made i'm exc
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 breathless pulselesS with
out spark of vitality left in him.
But duty required that something b.
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 d drowning person. ap-
plying means of artificial respiration and
endeayoring TO revive the action Of the
heart.
For over an hour their efforts seemed
hopeless. Not a tiutter OF the heart, not
a sigh OF respiration rewarded them.
1t was fully an hour and a quarter be-
fore the Stilled heart responded to their
ministrations; then tremOr was felt and
the organ of life slowly resumed its ac-
ton: very fitfully and family at first. hut
gradually gaining strength until il sent
the blood again in its normal ilow through
the arteries of the head AMI conscious
ness awoke dimly in the electrocuted
after the accident. Mr. Crawford sat ND
and evirced himself alive even after he
had been dead according to ,he law
For the law declares that a man is
dead when his heart ceases t. beat
Mr.. Crawford was taken TO Re,ilands
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 abrasion
was The result OF his fall from the trans
former. In descending he had struck his
head on a sharp object. incurTing a flesh
wound. which was easily healed. The burn
from electricity was different. Men who
know about such things will tell YOU thar
electricity scorches out the tissues and 50
makes a break I'm the flesh and cuticIe
which cannot grow together until the It's
sues are rejuvtnated. Mr., Crawford will
need eight more weeks for reiuyenatioU
before ne can count himself completely
tiSSued. He has already been fourteen
' eeks regainiEg what those 1860 volts
cooked out Of him in half "A second
Both of his heels were burned ont 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 nnoi:g..
for him 10 walk on them he came I'D from
Redlands, and is now at his home in
Berkeley.
No lasting injuries are likely TO result
from his extraordinary experience. His
nervous system is ali right and his gen
eral health as good as ever He expects
20 go back TO his work within TWO months
as he hopes his head may be healed up by
that time
Mr.. Crawford Is a man OF medium
height. weighing about 80 pounds. or d
trife less. He Is a blonde. with a wispy.
straw-colored mustaehe. ana rather pale
complexion. The latter may be due 10
his long confinement indoors He is
college graduate having left the Univer-
sity Of California in the class Of %. He
is one OF the best read and most clever OF
electricians In the profession. and II so
Well thought Of by his employers the Los
Angeles Electric Light and Power Com
pany, that they are holding MS 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 5een
again in his old position.
Mr. Crawford does not know how II feels
to b@ electr0Cuted He does not remembc-
anything SEat occurred between he mo-
ment he Strengthened I'D on the trans
former aid the moment he opened his
eyes as he lay on his back on the ground.
nearly two hours later He understands
that ne has been dead-ds dead for an
hour as he will ever be-but he recollects
nothing. either OF this world or any other
TO which his spirit may have taken fight
curing his temporary extinction.
Does electrocBtion Kill beyond recovery
In New York they turn 1889 volts Into a
condemned culprii for about four sec
Onds: then they turn OF the current and
let 800 volts play through him during the
remainder of the period which the law
prescribes a. the regulation shock. After
that they take the e!ectrocUtee out OF
the chair and cut him open. He II seen
TO BE- dead.
What If they should instead 0f cutting
him open apply such restore IiVes ar were
applied TO Electrician Crawford Would
he be dead then according 10 law
To be quite fair. let Us say that IN j. ab-
soiu;eiy certain that all the voltage In
tended for man IN the process Of cleo
trocutiOn actually goes through him One
OF The theories pun forth 70 account for
era WfOFdE escape ~ that his scalp was