Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-05-18
Earl G Ichrist and Ashby Harris
The Victims of Unfortunate
Accidents.
LINtMAN KILLED ON POLE
Dead" Wires Cut by Gilchrlst saoeed
and Sent 5000 Volts Through Unfor-
tunatc Mans eody-Was to Be Mar
ried in June-son of Confederate
carpetbasaer" Walked Into Fallen
Feed Wire.

Earl GilchrSt n linrman in the ON.
ploye 81 the Southern Bell Telephone
Company. and Asliby Harris, n shin.
ward machinist. were shocked To death
ny electricity yesterday in different
parts OF the city, both tragedies occur
ring within an hour. a cnroncrs jury
examined into both cases and found
ferdicts which merely stated the time.
place and manner of death, no attempt
being male to give the cause for the
unfortunate accidents.
The first death occurred nj 1l:I5
o'clock u. M. on the Chesapeake & Ohio
hallway yard, at the foot of Hunting.
ton avenue, where Earl Gilchrist was
nj work on pole, cui Ting down dead"
wires. negro helper. who was on
the ground below, was the only ryc-wit-
ness to the tragedy. Ii seems that The
llneman had cut four dead" wires aui
was holding them in his hands. In
some way the wires SarGcd and came
In contact with an electric lirhl feed
wire. carrying something over 1000
volts Of electricity
Hung BY Lfe-Belt
In an inslant Gilchrisi was shocked
into inscnsibilitv and was hanging to
the pole ny his lifc-hrlt. with the dead
~ wires clulchcd in his hands And tho
Having no climbers, Tho negro was nm.
able to 70 to the assistance of tho
stricken man and without waste of
time he ran of and brought back ID. c.
Pleasant ami a. l.. Phillips. two other
Ilhemcn who were nj work In another
part of the city. These men mounted
the pole and lowered The body of their
comradc To he ground. Life was OK.
tinct and the clothing was in flames
Life Was Extinct.
Tho body was carried In The general
hospital with all possible haste, the
linemcn hoping that spark of life
might be left. AT The hospital. how
ever, the body was pronounced deal
aead ana II was stated that death must
have been instantaneous.
DR.. b. Il. Gary wns summoned and
an inquest held On the Jury were
Floyd Smith. r. a. Fowler, II. II.
Brnshwood, w r. ballard. l.. II. FraZ.
Ter and j. a. Bragg
After hearing several Witnesses, he
Jury rendered the following verdict:
we. The Jury. find that The deceased
came tn his death by an lcctric shock
while In TN employ Of the Southern
Bell Telephone Company rs n line
man
Before this; inunest was over. The
coroner was notified of The death of
hrhhy Harris lnl. lccping tho Jury to-
Pether. he proceeded to the scene of
the second tragedy.
Was In Wed in June
Gilchrist was nativc Lvnchbmrg,
where he was employed ny the Sonh-
crn Rcll Telephone Company until he
came here several months aEo. lie
was only twcnty-thrcc years old and
WDS In have hppu narrinJ Ia :, v,,,,,,
lady In i.ynchbnrg ON June 3. lie was
q members of ,lnania Tribe. No. l0a
Ped Men, and Council Mo. liG, Jr. o.
u. a. NJ. Of l.ynchburg. ana belonged
10 the local electrical workers union
The deceased is survived by his par
ents, Mr.. ana Mrs John Il. Gilchrist.
of l,ynchbnrg. five brothers aud three
sisters: G. H.. Walter W. Raymond
and James Gilchrisi. ana Misses FL
eanor. Ida and Frances Gilchrst.
The body will be sliinpcl to Lynch
hnrg today for ntermrnt MIR Edward
Gilchlisi. VIII" lives in Norfolk. came
over to this city last night and will ac-
company the body 10 i.ynchbnrg.
Walked into Give" Wire.
inst three quarters of an honr after
the death Of young Gilchrist, Ashhy
Harris Walked inlo ''livr" electric
Several PERSONS saw the accident Int
no one seems to know exactly how The
man happened 10 come in contact with
the wire. Ono end Of tho wire. which
carried over 5000 volts, had droppcd to
! the ground ana was living ON he side.
walk. Some think that Harris caught
hold OF II 10 throw IL nui of his wav,
while others think he stopped on It.
He dropped TO the ground and when
several pcoplc rushcl M he was
stretched fun length, with the wire
acl Oss his body
Used Rubber Blanket
Two Or ihree American sailors were
on the snnt and ono Of them was abOnt
To cut The wirc with an axe, when Il
man rushed out Of n nearly house with
rubber blanket, with which he CAUGHT.
the wire and threw ii To one side.
About this time DR.. j. r. Buxton drove
M and he made q vain effort 10 revive
the man. When il was found that eli
Gigns Of life wore gone, the limp bo,y
was borne into Waxcnhaum's tailor
shoD. whore the cor0ncf's inquest was
held
Shut OFF the Power.
n few minutes after tho accident
some one iclcnhOnch 10 the plant of
the Citizens Railway, Light and Power
Company and the current over the
conlDany's entire system was shut off
until lincmcn had hcen sent 10 the
scene and the dangerous fallen wire re-
novel
The coroner's Jury heard half doZ-
On witnesses and found the following
verdict: '"Thc deceased died on NAV
II. 1905. lie was killed by n Give
wire Of the Citizens Railway. Light
and Power Company, laying on the
ground on Thirtyfnnrih street, near