The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1905-06-22
KILLED BY LIVE WIRE.
Fred Obermann OF this City Meets
Death at Oshkosh While Re-
pairing Wires for the
c. & N. W.

week, Fred Obermann, resident
of this city, who WAS employed as a line
man of the C.. q n w, accidentally
came in contact with two high potential
wires and power of 5000 volts passed
through the unfortunate mans body for
several minutes, causing him to fall To
the ground in imp and unconscious
condition frightfully burned. The
news of the accident was received here
in the form of two telegraphic messages
late in the afternoon of the day on
which the accident occurred, the first
stating that Mr.. Obermann had been
seriously injured and taken to the hos
pital aud the second conveying the sad
tidings that he was dead. The follow
ing account of the accident appeared in
the Oshkosh Northwestern:
The accident happened at the cross
ing of the Ashland division of the
Northwestern railroad and the Oshkosh
Neenah inter urban line of the Winnie
bago Traction company, which is on the
Ridge, or jackson street, road Just out
side the northern limits of the city.
The feed wires of the electric road sup
piled the current which caused the acci-
dent, and " power of $500 volts passed
through the mans body for several min
utes, frightfully burning him and cans
ing him to fall to the ground, a distance
of about twenty five or thirty feet
Mr.. Obermann, in company with John
Milligan, also employed by the Chicago
q Northwestern railroad, and Edward
Hadler, employed by the Western Union
Telegraph company, was engaged in
measuring pole at that place at the
time of the accident. herailroad com
pany intends to set two new 40-foot
poles at that point. The telegraph
wires now used there pass over the nigh
potential feed wires and under the
wires of the private telephone system of
the Winnebago Traction company To
ascertain at what places the cross arms
of the telegraph company should go,
Obermann climbed the pole of the Win
4 oaha "a etion company with tape line
/ ii. naiG - measure the height of the
telephone wires.
He was not seen at the moment he
met with the accident but when Mr..
Milligan heard a sizzling noise, he look
ed up and saw Obermann between the
two high potential wires one resting
against his back on the right side and
the other against his left arm. Milll
gan started to get his climbers to 90 up
the pole after Obermann, and inst at
that moment Obermann fell Previous
TO that the flesh on his arm and back
had been fairly cooked and he was I'M
conscious when he fell. That being the
case, probably accounts for the fact
that he broke no bones in falling, being
perfectly limp and apparently lifeless.
Milligan ut once set to work to restore
Obermann and after some labor he snc-
ceeded in his efforts Obermann was
suffering frightfnl agonies, but no con
veyance could be secured to bring him
to the city until the inter urban car re-
turning from Neenah came along short
ly before 4 o'clock.
The Injured man was placed upon the
car and brought TO the city and carried
to Alexian Brothers hospital, where he
fingered in frightful agony until shortly
before o'clock. His left arm was
burned almost to crisp and in his right
side hear the back was a great, deep
hole burned in by the electric current
Mr.. Obermann left the city on the
day previous to the accident, he having
received orders to go to Oshkosh to su-
perintend repair work on the c. d n
W. telegraph lines in that city He
had been employed as n lineman by the
aforesaid company for several years.
He had large experience in his liue of
work and was II careful, efficient, indus
tTlOls WoIh ul"I. Z Hdl Dteu ~ resi-
dent of Manitowoc for abont twelve
years, the family residing at 1912
Western avenne. He leaves wife and
one child, son about sixteen years of
age.
The sad tidings of the frightful acci-
dent and death of the husband and fa-
ther was u terrible shock to the bereaved
wife and son. Mrs. Obermann has been
i'll for two weeks and was under phvsi-
clans care at the time the news Of the
fatal event reached her Mr. Obermann
was n good husband and kind father.
He was respected by all who knew him
and held in eeteem by many friends,
who will sorrow for his death and sym
pathize with the bereaved family He
was n member of the Knights of Pythias
and of the Presbyterian church
The remains were brought here on
Thursday evening and were received at
the station by delegation from the X
p lodge and from the Presbyterian
church and escorted to the grief stricken
home The funeral took place Saiur-
day afternoon Mt 9 o'clock from the
home and was in charge of the X p
lodge. Rev. johnson officiated
Mr.. NJ. =. Staudt and family will re.
move to Lisbon, North Dakota, next
T Tuesday.