The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-06-10
Walter K. Martin Warns An
mother as His Hands
Touch Death.
JERKEO BACK TOO LATE
Young Apprentice Engineer al the Raleigh
Electric Company's Street Car Power
House Killed by The Current
From MiIburne This
Morning.

Morning.
One moment of forgetfulness and death
came with the fire of an electric shock.
Walter X. Martin nineteen-years-o old,
with a word of warning fresh from his
lips fell back in silence-dead.
1t was at the street car power house
of the Raleigh Electric Company yestcr-
day morning that by inadvertence young
Martin completed with his body the elec-
tric circuit that meant death for him.
For two years he has been with the
company as an apprentice engineer, and
in those two years it was supposed that
he had learned of the terrific power hid
den in the coils of wire that carried the
electric current.
Yesterday morning Martin was at work
with E. L. Taylor, one of the new en-
gineers at the power plant. They had
been cleaning a shade to go over an
electric globe on the switchboard. Mr..
Martin stepped up on a small box and
attached the shade and then stepped down.
Just back of the deadly switch that
ended his life is the large fly wheel OF an
engine in the room. With his face 20 the
switchboard he was on the right of the
fly wheel The switch board connection
was with the Milburnie plant and Mr.
Martin, pulling down the switch, with
his left hand, said to Mr.. Taylor, who
was on his right, you ought not to
monkey with this switch, or pull it out.
as something might happen and then
pushed the switch up to its holder.
Mr. Taylor had glanced up at the globes
on the switchboard, but in an instant
his eye took in an unexpected position
on the part of Martin, who seemed drawn
forward to the switchboard, both hands
on the switch with head thrown back,
terse and strained while his distended
eyes gazed upward, and a convulslve shud-
der shook his arms and body.
At once Mr.. Taylor reused to instant
action by the position of Martin, the
thought Of his words and the electric
current, seized him by both shoulders and
jerked aim back witI all his force. The
electricity sweeping through Martins
hands into his BODY had him in tight
grip and it was with difficulty that Mr.
Taylor broke the death clasp.
As he pulled Martin away both fell to
the floor, close to the 1ywheel, the body
of Martin on Taylor As the latter rose
and looked for an instant he saw that the
young man was dead. and the horror and
grief of the situation caused him to turn
aside from the dead body. moment be-
fore a moving, living entity.
Mr. F. H. Jeannin, from the General
Electric Company of Schnectady, n. Y,
consulting engineer Of the Raleigh Eiec
trio Company, and Mr. G. l.. Womble, the
chief engineer were quickly with the
body and did all in their power to resus-
citate Martin, but life had gone. Ply
TnTs
E. Hines, who first reached the scene Of
the tragedy, said that death was instan-
tsneous.
The only explanation available is that
Martin. as he showed the switch up with
his left hand, let this slip down from the
non conducting handle and touch the
copper At this time he threw forweSd
his right hand and this touched anoAer
of the copper piece, three of which form
the switch. His body thus became part
Of the current and completed it the elec
trio fire shot through him, bringing death
at once. The palms of both of his hands
we're burned where they had been in con-
tact with the copper conductors.
There was. as Martin touched it, eleven
hundred volts of electricity in the wires
leading to the switchboard, they having
been reduced by a step down transformer
from the six thousand six hundred volt,
which come from the Walter power plant
at Milburne, which now supplies elec-
trieity to the city railway.
1t is hard to learn the time during
which the fatal current shot through
Martin. Some say two or three seconds,
some as high as fifteen seconds. Be this
as IT may it is certain that death came
as the current rushed into his body, and
that hls death was so quicla that its terror
dd not strike him. 1t was instantly done,
say the physicians and electrical men
some Of whom state that 500 volts would
have brought death. a4s sgSSEz
Soon after the terrible accident Mr..
John w. Brown, the undertaken, was
sent for and the body removed to bis
home on West Jones street. where there
had gathered numerous friends to sym
pathize with the grief-stricken father and
other members of the family.
AS the news of the young mans death
spread yesterday morning a great crowd
gathered about the power house Many
were there from sympathy and many
more from curiosity. The terrible swift
ness Of the death call was spoken Of in
hushed ones, the very rapidity Of it max
ing IT matter of amazement.
Mr. Walter Martin was the son Of Mr.
E. III. Martin who was for over twenty
years a member of the firm OF Evans &
Martin. paTTIapn of fhie