The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1907-08-30
KILLED BY
ELECTRICITY
George Weatherby, IL, Met
Death Sunday.
RECEIVED l1,O0O VOLTS

mont Bridge Across West River
Body Fell Into Water and Was Re-
covered Two Hours Later.
George Weatherby, Is, son OF
Charles Weatherby Of SO Elliot street,
was instantly killed about O'Clock
Sunday afternoon on the Central YER
mont railroad bridge across the West
river by coming in contact with the
wires which connect the West Dunn
merston power plant of the Twin
State Gas and Electric company with
the local station. About 1000 volts
passed through the boys body, which
fell from the bridge to the river, dis
tance of between 80 and 40 feet, and
was not recovered until two hours lat
er. Young Weatherby, in company
with Jesse Bailey ard Earle and Louis
Stetson, was returning from an excur-
sion up the West river railroad track
when the accident happened. Accord
ing to Bailey's story he and Weather
by were standing near this end of the
bridge when the latter climbed down
from which extends the wooden beam
that holds the wires. Sitting on the
extreme end of the iron arm Weather
by extended one root and touched the
nearest wire. He screamed and fell
forward on the wires apparently
dead. Bailey tried to save his compan-
ion but received severe electric
shock as he grasped Weatherby's coat,
a piece of which tore away as the body
fell into the river. The Stetson boys
and Bailey started for home immedi-
ately after the accident and notified
Chief of Police James Evans who was
coming down Elliot street at the time.
The officer aud a crowd of men and
boys Immediately started for the
scene of the tragedy and reached
there about $50.
John and Guy Tasker, DR.. A. L. Pet
tee and II. G. Rice, who were return
ing from a canoeing trip up the river,
went to a point beneath the railroad
bridge in the Taskers' canoe and be-
gan examining the bottom of the riv-
er by means of long pole with a hook
attached. Frank Ryan dove to the
bottom of the river several times but
was unable to locate the body al
though on the first attempt he thought
he caught a glimpse of it lying in a
deep hole about 20 feet from this end
of the bridge and almost exactly un-
der the cross arm from which the body
fell. Meanwhile the party in the ca
noe had been dragging the bottom OF
the river with an anchor which be-
came caught on a stone near the spot
where Ryan made his first dive. In
trying to dislodge the anchor with the
pole John Tasker caught the hook in
the boys coat and brought the body
to the surface. 1t was Immediately
taken to the shore where large crowd
had collected, and soon afterward was
removed to Bond S undertaking rooms.
The point where the body was
found was directly beneath the cross
arm and at that point the water is
about 10 feet deep. That the boy was
almost instantly killed there is no
doubt, for on the top of his right foot
near the big toe was deep burn
where the member probably came in
contact with the wire. Slight burns
were also found on the left foot and
along the right fore e-arm, the latter
probably being made by contact with
the wire as the body fell. The acci-
dent can be explained in no other way
than that young Weatherby was at.
tempting to reach the wires with his
feet for the nearest wire is fully two
feet from the end of the cross arm. A
curious feature of the occurrence is
that the recording volt meter in the
office of the Twin State company
shows no disturbance at the time when
the-accident is supposed to have taken
place, nor was anything unusual noted
on the instruments at the West Dunn
merston power station.
Weatherby is survived by his par
ents and two sisters. His family came
from Wendell, Mass, about two years
ago and his father was employed for
time by the White River Chair COM
pany. OF late he had been a driver
for the local branch of the Swift
Beef company. The boy had been
working in st. Germaine's bakery the
past summer.
The funeral was held in the Baptist
church vestry Tuesday afternoon at 4
clock, Rev. L. M. Keneston officiat-
ing. The body was taken to Wendell,
Mass Wednesday morning for burial.