Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1905-06-13


the electric shock received from the
live wire above the bridge where he
was killed. This was the result of the
deliberations of the cOrOner'S jury to
determine the true cause of the boys
death. The story as brought out by
the witnesses at the inquest is here
given.
Climbed to Top Of Bridge.
Julian King, Fred Lain, Wyman
Clock, and Arthur VandenbrOok were
all at the Green Bay & Western
railroad bridge playing. Finding
nothing else to do. one of the number
dared the rest to climb to the top of the
bridge and stand on the top plate.
This had been done number of times
before bg some OF the boys, and they
Saw no harm in trying to do it again,
though they knew that the wires
carrying death were there. King was
nearest the standards up which they
could climb. and reached the top first.
The span they climbed was nearest
the east end Of the bridge and they
were almost in the middle of the span.
Grasped Wires for Safety.
King reached the top in safety, and
took two or three steps along on the
top plate, which is about twenty
inches wide, He looked down to see
how the other boys were getting up,
and began to get nervous. He started
to turn around, and becoming more
nervous, instinctively grasped the
electric wires above his head toT sup
port, not knowing the power stored
up in them, or the consequences that
might, and did occur
1900 Volts Enters Body.
There are three wires above the
bridge, about three feet from the top
plate. One, which was dead at this
time, is the arc light wire. Another,
also dead, is a circuit wire for the
east side. The third is a live wire
used in carrying power to several
motors ia the city. Manager Korde-
nat, Of the electric light company,
which company owned the wires,
testified that there was current of
2300 volts on the wire at the time of
the accident. This is more than the
number of volts used in electrocuting
prisoners in the electric chair in New
York, where only 100 volts were used
to electrocute Czolgosz the assassin of
Mckinley.
Hung From Wire. Then Fell.
King grasped one of the dead wires
first, and then to further steady him.
self and not knowing the danger of
his act, made an attempt to seize the
death dealing live wire. The wire
came between the appraised middle
finger of the left hand and the rest of
the left hand and these fingers were
burned nearly off. AS soon as the
current entered his body, muscular
contraction drew him off the bridge,
and he hung from the wires for a
moment, till death relaxed the
muscles, when he fell to the bridge
twenty-seven feet below. He gaSped
couple of times, his body moved con-
vulsively for "a moment, and all was
over.
Body Taken to Depot.
Lain and Clock ran to the depot
without stopping to examine the
body of their playmate, and notified
the agent, who teiephOned at once for
doctor. Martin ana Cornelius
Van Dyke, of Little Chute, were
about one hundred feet from the
place when the boy fell. and they
called to some section men who were
working on the west end of the
bridge, to come help them carry the
body to the depot, Meanwhile, one
OF the boys playmates had run to the
brewery, and told the news to Leo
King, a brother. Leo ran to the
bridge and helped carry his brother to
the depot, about forty rods away.
Physicians Examine Body.
Dis. Pomainyille and Rockwell had