Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-22
DUE TO NEGLIGENCE
Jury's Verdict Regarding Death
of Walter Sousa.
HIS OWN LACK OF CAUTION
Evidence That He Grasped Electric
Wire With Bare Hand.
HARRY CANDEE ALSO VICTIM
Effort to Aid Sousa Cost Him His Life.
Evidence Heard by
HIS OWN LACK OF CAUTION
HARRY CANDEE ALSO VICTIM

Due to his own negligence"
g. In word this was the sense of the YER
diet returned by the coroner's jury this
afternoon in the case of w. H. Sousa, the
young electrician who, with Harry Candee
drug clerk, was killed by an electric
shock in the drug store of Lewis Flemer,
iol Maryland avenue, last Saturday even
ing Experts In the employ Of the Poto-
mac Electric Power Company gave it as
their opinion that a current of nearly 1000
volts passed through the bodies Of Sousa
and Candee as the result of defect IN the
transformer which had just been in
stalled in the street conduit manhole day
or two before for the purpose of reducing
the current to the safe base of no volts for
use in lighting the store.
The inquest was held at the morgue by
Acting Coroner Glazebrook. and the jury
which passed upon the evidence included
c. w. Tolson. John Jost and ]. H. Albers.
Attorney George Hoover represented the
Potomac Electric Power Company and At
torney Thomas c. Bradley was present in
the interests of Candees family
The complete verdict, as drawn by the
jury, reads as follows:
We find that w. F. Sousa came to his
death at 7O1 MARYLAND avenue northeast,
July 20. from electric shock from a wire in
said house. The shock which caused his
death was due to his own negligence in not
using proper precautions"
DR.. Beistel the First Witness.
DR.. Matthew J. Beistel Of the staff of res
ident physicians at the Casualty Hospital
was the first witness. He described the call
for the ambulance received from Flemer's
drug store, and said he found Sousa and
Candee lyong on the floor. The staff Of the
hospital worked over both men. he stated
from about I o'clock until nearly 8. when
tahT iaI $L&t %I&Tr
extinct Dr. Beistel said he saw several
small red marks on Candies right arm.
Mr.. Candee warned Mr.. SOusa to put
on his rubber gloves, declared Miss Emer-
aid Hermann. cashier in the drug store as
soon as she took the stand. and this asser-
ton she repeated several times. Mr.. Can
dee told the electrician that man received
shock there the day before but the cleo
trician said he thought there was only 10
volts in the WIRE" Miss Hermann contin-
ued. She could not give a very accurate
account of the accident, she said. She be-
came much excited when she saw the men
had been hurt.
George S. Webb of 7O1 Maryland avenue
northeast. an employe in the drug store,
said that gas had been used to illuminate
the store for long time, but the building
was recently wired for electricity and the
current was turned on for the first time
Friday night. July 10. but the lights did not
work properly. Witness thought the wir-
ing was supposed to have been completed
Supply Company did the wiring.
Witness testified he was not in the store
when the current turned on Friday
night but Mr. Candee, who was killed Sat
urday, told him there slight buZzing
sound in a box in the cellar when the
switch was turned on. Mr.. Webb said an
inspector of the District electrical depart
ment came to the store Saturday morning,
and at the same time one of the electricians
of the National Electric Supply Company
arrived.
No Warning Given.
Did any one give warning to you not to
attempt to use the lights In the store?"
asked Acting Coroner Glazebrook.
mo; not that l know Of" Webb replied.
lone Of the electric supply men told Can
dee that there was some trouble. and he
telephoned to the Potomac Electric Power
Company witness continued.
Sousa came to the store in response to
that CALL Mr.. Webb said. He heard Sousa
say the trouble on the line was outside, be-
tween the street conduit and the store.
Coming to the accident itself. Webb said
Candee called to Sousa, after the latter had
apparently completed repairs, so that the
lights in the store were burning all right.
that something was wrong with the lamp
inside the red globe in the drug store win
dow. and that a man had received shock
there the day before.
did he not say he had nothing to do with
inside work. and ask if there was a soda in
it if he fixed the lamp" asked Attorney
Hoover.
Yes I told him 1 would give him all the
soda water he wanted to drink Webb re-
piled.
Claude Berger Of 1907 G street southeast.
a splicers helper who worked with Sousa
Saturday night described the accident and
said he tried to revive Sousa after the latter
fell
William Spire of 1920 c street southeast.
r,lny-n in no lny 1r,,ey
heard Candee tell Sousa to take the defec-
tive lamp out of the window. and he saw
Candee point out spot on the wire where
another young man had received a shock
the day before.
Spire was standing only a few feet away,
and he said Sousa took hold of the lamp as
though he intended to test the force OF the
shock by putting his little finger on the
brass part of the lamp.
There was no FASH Spire declared.
''Sousa moaned slightly, and his back Seem
for the wire as though to pull it down, put
ting one hand on the wire and one on
Sousas wrist, and he. too, fell"
Inspector-Breen's Testimony.
P. D. Breen, an inspector in the electrical
department. testified the permit c.erk in
the department issued temporary permit
to have the current turned on in the
Flemer store and he went to the estab-
lishment Saturday afternoon to make an
inspection. He found a defective switch in
the basement. and left instruction that 1t
be replaced with another. Mr.. Breen re-
ceived shock from the switch. but not
of heavy voltage.
When he went back to tie store after
the accident. Mr.. Breen said. Mr.. White
head of the Potomac Electric Power Com
pany objected to letting him II. the prem
ises.
w G. Allen. electrical engineer of the
District stated 1t was customary to issue
temporary permits for turning on electric
current In dwellings and business houses
w nat voltage is necessary for lamps In
DlildlnB? asked DR.. Glazebrook
one hundred and ten volts MT Allen
replied @>A'eA
And how much is carried in the cables
in the street,
About 1000"
Test Of Transformer.
Mr.. Alien said he made a tes, NJ n.
transformer which was supposed to re,uce
the current entering the Flemer store n
30 volts. and he said the test showed n
break in the connections somewhere On
that the high current must have passed di
rectly into the building