The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-02
NEAR TO DEATH
ON TALL POLE
a HoRRIFYING SPECTACLE
NEGRO WORKMAN ALMOST ELEC-
TROCUTED IN MID AIR.

Was Repairing a Defective InsuIa-
tiOn when He Came in Contact
With "A Live Wire-Bravery of a
from Being Slowly EIectrOcuted.
The Accident Was Witnessed by
Hundreds of People.
Those who happened to be in the
neighborhood of Wayne and West
Broad streets yesterday afternoon
shortly before o'clock were Mortified
to see a man at the top of sixty
foot telegraph pole, swinging helpless
ly on a mass of wires, while flashes of
incandescent fire were seen to exude
from his nose and ears.
For a few minutes the man screamed
with agony, but finally only slight
means were heard. Spectators were
Mortified, but were powerless to rem
der assistance.
A fellow employee of the man suffer-
ing the tortures almost of death, who
was on another pole, clambered down
as quickly as he could and climbed the
pole where his companion had been
working a few minutes before. He
gave the name of the man as Robert
Lee Frazier, who is employed by the
Western Union Telegraph Company,
as a lineman.
The man who was engaged with Fra
zier climbed the high pole, passed a
rope around the unfortunates body,
it1cf haY y h e, nd xuafl "
hands held the end trailing from one
of the cross arms. Frazier was lowered
to the ground.
Recovered Consciousness Quickly.
AS the limp, and seemingly lifeless
figure had been lowered about half
the distance to the ground he was seen
to move, and finally regained con-
seriousness to such an extent that when
he reached the ground he was able to
talk. He was too weak. however, to
stand alone, and was carried to his
home in a wagon. The city ambulance
had been summoned, but Frazier re-
fused to ride in it.
AS soon as Frazier commenced
screaming, and it was discovered he
was in contact with a live wire. tel
ephone message was sent to police
headquarters. Supt. Garfunkel and
Morning News reporter fastened to No,
3 fire station, where the big portable
tower is kept, and were soon at the
scene of the accident. The man was
being lowered, however, as the truck
arrived.
Frazier was badly burned about the
hands where he touched the live wire.
Just the amount of current which he
encountered is not known, but physi-
clans stated that had he remained on
the wires a few minutes longer life
would have been extinct.
Completed n Circuit.
Frazier and a fellow workman were
detailed to repair a wire at the pole
where Frazier was shocked, from which
the insulation had worn to such an ex-
tent that the pole had been set on fire
the night before. In some way Frazier
allowed his hand to come in contact
with the live wire, while his foot was
on another wire, completing the circuit,
and subjecting him to the horrible tor
ture through which he went.
Those who witnessed the accident
declare that blue flames were seen to
issue from the mans mouth, nose and
ears, and that smoke rose at times
when he would change his position in
his convulsive efforts
Wnen the man reached the edrIn ne
was a pitiable sight. His face was
drawn and his hands were burned to
the bone in several places. DR.. George
Norton, who was present, ordered him
placed in the ambulance and carried to
the infirmary, but he refused to get in
to the ambulance, his wife securing
wagon, in which he was placed and
carried home.
1t was almost a miracle that Frazier
did not fall to the ground as soon as
he was stunned by the first shock, but
the net work of wires held him re-
morselessly against the current which
was gradually killing him when he was
rescued. The name of the workman
who rescued Frazier could not be
learned, as he left the scene immedi-
ately, although many applauded his