The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-11-05

Her SOiIed Palms.
The electrician was working upon a
light socket. Every little while he would
wet his finger and put it inside the socket.
Then he would hastily take it out with
the remark:
at doesn't take long for 40 voltage
to find you"
While he was working on the socket he
told story. He gave as a reason for
telling this story the following:
"a woman will get into worse places
and come out less hurt than any man
that ever lived
While he let this assertion fix itself In
the mind of his hearers he delivered him
self of this story:
81 was working some time ago where
we had a great many dangerous wires.
Some carried a voltage of 500, some a
voltage of 300 and some voltage Of no.
Many of the wires were so exposed that
If they got loose from their fastenings
and fell where people walked some one
would surely be killed. 1 warned people
about these wires, and l did my best to
keep them firmly in place, but they should
have been buried.
Zone day l received complaint notice
that one of the main feed wires was out
of order and needed immediate attention.
No one knew where the trouble was, and
l spent an hour locating it. At last
found it in stretch of wire running
through semipublic hallway. In order
to work freely and to get the trouble
remedied as soon as possible put dam
ger sign at each end of the hallway and
then took the wire down from its fasten-
ings. l was working, of course, with
such tools as made it impossible for the
wire to hurt me, unless ! was very care
less.
81 had been at work, guess, fifteen
minutes when a woman spoke to me. /
looked up, and there, close to me, stood a
woman about forty years of age. She
had brushed by the danger sign without
paying any attention to it. Of course, be-
ing a woman, that was all that could be
expected of her. She was almost on top
of a redhot sizzling live wire, and my
heart jumped into my mouth. Madam,
l almost yelled, get out Of here and keep
close to the left wall when you go out
"'Young man. said she, I'm not going
out of here until find Henry Brown.
Where is he?
Madam" said 1, 4 don't know Henry
Brown, but you're standing over light
ming and death this minute, and you get
out of here
"'You are impudent,' said she.
"I'm not said l, but for heavens
sake go somewhere else and find Henry
Brown
"'Young man said she, I'll stay here
all night if you don't find Henry Brown
for me-
"Well, there was. had that wire in
hand and an obstinate old woman stand
ing over me, and didn't know what min
ute she might get hold of that wire. l
thought very quick, and then 1 said to
and wait there five minutes until l get
done with this wire, I'll see if can find
Henry Brown for you
'"This seemed to satisfy her, and she
started for the hall, while 1 resumed my
work. did not look at her, but it appears
that she was about half way out of my
hall when she noticed this electric wire
and deliberately stopped and picked it up
in her hand. l did not even know that
she had done this until 1 suddenly heard
her say:
"'My, this tickles me-
lOOhSu up, anu IAeLS lhdL Olu Auuy
stood fooling with that wire and smiling
as if she had a pet dog in her hands. l
couldn't yell at her. Why she didn't in
stantly drop dead don't know and never
will know. l tried to scream, but some
thing stuck in my throat, and l could only
gasp and look at her. Finally she drop
ped the wire and walked into the other
hall. An instant later she called to me:
& 500 40, IL ltr1oeH Nv
my hand from your dirty old wire
81 just showed the wire up into its regu-
lar position, where it could harm no one
who let it alone, and l went out into the
other hall and said to the old lady:
"'Do you know that you ought to be
dead this minuteY
"'No more of your impudence, young
man. said she. You just look at my
hands and remember that am going to
sue your company for damages
"She held up the palms Of both her
hands, and the wire had burned the skin
so quick and so sure as to leave three or
four black lines. l said to the woman:
"That is not dirt, madam. You have
been burned by an electric wire having
800 voltage, and those marks are dead
skin. You will probably carry them as
long as you i've. O1dnr the WIRE nurt
your
"'Didn't hurt me Bit said she, begin
ming to look little scared. Tt just made
me feel as if somebody was tickling me.
don't know a live wire from dead one.'
81 took her down to the Office Of the
company, and they found Henry Brown
for her, and it seems that he was her
nephew. She told him about her expe-
rience with the wire, and he looked mighty
troubled. Before she went away
thought to ask her:
"'Do you wear rubber heels, MADAME
"'You young sassbox,' said she, I
suppose you would like to look. No,
don't wear rubber heels nor iron heels
81 have often wondered since what
protected that woman from being killed
at that time. "-Chicago Herald.