The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1902-01-02
TRAVERSE JURORS.

Richard II. Harris, canaan.
c. A Laughton, Harmony.
Eben Leeman, Starks.
Fred McCollor, Cornvllle.
Horace A. Mason, Canaan.
Albert 5. Parsons, New Portland.
James p. Thompson, Skowhegan.
Charles l.. Tobey, Fairfield.
Solomon Tracy, Mercer.
c. +. Gerald, Palmyra.
sUPERNUMERARIEs.
J. Harvey Mahoney, Pit sfeld.
James Towle, Pittsiield.
The grand jury reported in the Su.
preme Court at Skowhegan Thursday
when 81 indictments were presented,
two of which were not made public and
80 for violations of the prohbitory law.
Following is the list:
William j. Bradbury, Fairfield, nui.
sance; Amidee e. Bison, John w. Sy-
monds, Edward f. Pumlow, Walter
Pierce, George b. Fairgrieves, Richard
w Brown, Robert w. Haines, arren
Tutte and Charles Tuttle all of Skowhe-
gan, nuisance; Rufus Burns, Pittsfield,
Grorge Il. futile, Smithfield, Stephen C..
Durrell, Flagstaff, Joel II. Gray, Scion,
Frank G. Kendall and Selden c. Scam
mon, Fairfield, Martin Muster, Asquith,
Frank NJ. Cotton, Fairfield, Everett b.
Qunt, New Portland. Truman A. With
am, Fairfield, Harry l.. Williams, Hart
land and George E. Washburn, Canaan,
nuisance and three indictments each, one
for nuisance, one for keeping drinking
house and tipping shop, and one for
being common seller, second offense,
against William Howard of Arson,
Charles F. Horne and Cephas NJ. Hilton
of Madison Harry Hilton, Mayfield
for negligent shooting; Perley Wood
kirk, Starks for breaking and entering.
The case of William O'Brine against
the Somerset & Kennebec Company was
entered upon Thursday morning Chas
F. johnson of Watervile for the plain
/ tiff: A. S. Lttlefield of Rockland for
| the defence. This is suit brought by
Mary O'Brine, aunt of the plaintiff, he
being minor when the suit was brought,
for personal injuries received while en-
poyed in the pulp mill of the defendant
company in June 1900, which he alleges
were due to the negligence of the COM
pany in not providing suitable applican-
ces for him to work with.
The amount sued for is $4,000 and the
statements by plaintiffs counsel, are as
follows: O'Brine came to Fairfield from
New Brunswick in 1895 or 1896 and soon
after went to work in the defendants
mill. At the time in question he was
working in the digester room as second
hand. One of the duties of his employ
ment was to clean out the pits into
which the pulp was blown from the di-
gesters, in doing which he had to open
the door of the pit aud step inside. On
the day of the accident, June 2, 1900,
just before supper time, he had occa-
sion to look into the pit, and to enable
him to see the inside, reached up and
took hold of an electric lamp used for
the purpose, attached to a cord long
enough to be carried about the room.
| He was standing at the time upon an
iron platform, and as his fingers came in
contact with the wire, near the lamp,
he experienced severe shock, which
threw him to the floor, rendering him
unconscious as result of which his
right arm has become partially helpless
and his vision seriously impaired, due
to his head coming in contact with the
floor The fact of the accident was not
known until several minutes later, when
workman from another room, passing
that way, detected the odor of burning
flesh, and looking toward the platform,
saw the bodies of three men. When the
trent was turned off and medical AID
summoned, it was found that the other
two were beyond recovery, but OBrine
survived, though receiving injuries
which he claims have untitled him for
work the II 81 of his life.
The plaintiff claims that the system of
wiring adopted by the company was
dangerous and insufficient, that on ac-
count of the defencts in the system a
cur rent of 1000 volts passed into the mill
and through the wires inside, whereas if
due care were exercised the force of the
current should be only 50 volts. The
power is derived from the power house
of the w. d F. Ry. g. 1t. Co, and the
plaintiff alleges that the wiresj used to
convey the current to the mill were too
small, that the insulators we're INSULT
cient, the poles inadequate and improp-
erly set in the ground, the transformers
out of order, that they frequently cross
ed, came in contact with the trolley wire
below them, and allowed the powerful
current mentioned to enter the mill, a
condition of things which he claims
could have easily been prevented by the
exercise of reasonable care, and at a
small expense He also maintains that
he was ignorant of the properties of an
electric current, and it was not part of
his business to know such matters.
A carefully prepared model of the
system of poles and wires and drawings
showing the interior of the mill, were