The evening times., 1900-07-19
Scared BY LIVE Wires
Baltimore L;neman Frightfully
Burned in Midair.
Non-UniOn Workman Receives p
700 Volts of Electricity and Fails
From Poie-His Clothing Ablaze
and His Arms Burned To the Bone.
Victim Not Expected 10 Recover.

BALTIMORE, July 19.-writhing, burn
ing, and quivering among the wires at the
top Of a o9ie in front of Sc North Gay
Street, Thomas Finneran, ore OF ]. L.
Blackwell & Co.'S non-union employees
hung for nearly three minutes yesterday.
while 2.700 volts Of electricity passed
through his body. charred his flesh and
set his clothes on fire.
Then he dropped nearly thirty feet to
the top Of an awning in front Of Mrs. E.
Welde's saloon. where his body lodged
across two 220-vOlt wires, which carry the
current TO the fans in the building. His
hair and mustache were ahame, as also was
his clothing The fire was communicated
10 the awning and also TO that next door.
Meantime his fellow -workmen stood help
less upon the ground dazed by the plight
OF their companion and afraid TO go to his
assistance.
a gang Of linemen had been sent to cut
in an electric fan at Henry Ortman's cor-
dictionary store, 564 Gay Street. Ac-
cordlng TO Mr.. Ortman, the foreman asked
him which We're the proper wires to tap,
but he was unable to say. Then the fore
man and one or two linemen went to the
saloon and asked Mrs. welde and also her
son-in-iaw, MaXey Gibson, the same ques-
tion.
At last. uncertain which were the wires
he must handle. the foreman is said By
witnesses TO have ordered Finneran up the
pole. Mr.. Gibson and A. McAllister de-
clare that Finneran protested, but that f.
naIly he began 10 climb the pole under q
threat from the foreman. Mr.. Gibson,
VINO IS an electrician, says that the wires
which were 10 be connected with the fan
were on the east end Of the lower cross
tree. Finneran climbed TO the western
end OF the upper erosstree. These wires.
II is stated. carry :. zoo volts
Upon reaching the top Finneran drew
himself between the two deadly wires He
rested FOR moment and then. in turning.
MS right arm came in contact with one
wire. Just then The left arm cropped over
tne other wire and the circuit was com
plete- The high voltage began 10 do It's
work The muscles Of the left arm wers
burned UP completely The right arm was
burned 10 the bone. His face. falling across
the wire, was scared and charred on one
side.
IN a few seconds oniOokers were horri-
ned 70 see flames playing about the unfor-
tunate mans clothing and then in his hair
and mustache. One eye was burned almost
out. The smoke that arose carried with il
the odOr Of burning human flesh.
Then Finneren dropped Like a shot his
body whizzed downward to the awning.
which It struck with terrific force Soon
The awning itself was burning slowly. and
yet, nearby merchants ssy. no move was
made by the other linemer to 90 20 Fin
neTan's assistance. For nearly ten min
utes the body lay there. small blle flames
eating away the WOrkrnau's clothing am;
burning a hole in Mrs Welde's awning.
Then one man. With rubber gloves on. went
UP and cut the fan wires. Turning his at
tenuon 70 Finneran. he wound a rome
around him. Hastily the man was lowered
to the ground Life was not yet extinct
Il IS considered almost miraculous that he
was not killed Instantly.
\ call was sent for the police Ambulance
and meantime Nj McAIlister called for
water and began TO bathe the man. His
agony was excruciating. All this time he
was unconscious.
When the ambulance arrived Finneran
was placed in IL I, required the strength
or several persons TO keep the injured
man down. At the Johns Hopkins Hospi-
TAI II was at once said that his injuries
were fatal. Yet he made a most remark
able fight for life, and this morning. over
hfteen hours after the accident IL was
stated by the attendants in Charge az the
hospital that be might live through TODAY
Finneran IS thirtyfive years old and
came from Fall River. Mass Major w
otuo4 SSmlASNOn- OF the electric company.
said that no official report had reached the
Office OF the company regarding the mat
ter as far as he knew Major Symington
said that the linemen had been sent TO
Mr. Ortman's 20 change the source Of the
supply OF power for his fans. Mr. Ort-
man had been getting the current from an
arc motor circuit which carried :. 900 volts.
and that the change was to be made 20 a
22O-volt wire. He said also that all the
men engaged upon the work were narFaa+-
ly aware that they had TO handle wires
CARVING > r-o1tO