The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-02-27
KILLED BY Current.
Young Man in Columbia Met Death
in a Moment.
In Turning on an Incandesccnt Light
He Received Shock Which Caus-
cd His Death.

cd His Death.
People should. be careIdl in turn
ing off and on electric lights. Two
Young men were killed in Columbia
! in the last two weeks by being cleo
trocuted while turning Oh lights. The
State says John D. Lake. of Union.
Young man employed a the Powell
: Supply company's woodward at east
Banding street. was electrocuted
Wednesday morning about Gas o.
clock, while he was in the act Of
turning on an lncandeScent light in
the engine room, OF which he was
in charge.
One of Lakes duties was to fire
! the boiler early in the morning and
Wednesday while he was starting a
fire "a negro employe came in and
said that he had just received a Sc
we're shock while turning on light
The young man. presumably think
ing the negro was in errow. or. pre-
hapS, through curiosity. shortly af-
terwards caught hold OF the snap
and the globe at the same time and
cut on the light
AS he did SO his body writhed and
rushed into the room and found the
unfortunate man on the damp
ground with the bulb firmly grasp
ed in his hand, but the wire attached
to it had been jerked from the sock
ct when he fell Elorts were made
to restore the young man and medi-
cal aid was summoned. but Lake
never regained consciousness.
The globe socket which Lake
caught hold of under ordinary cir
cumstances should carry only 113
volts, which is not strong enough
current to produce death. The sur
mise is that there was a cross cur
rent or short circuit somewhere on
the corcuit and that the voltage had
been increased through some connec-
ton in the transformer.
Mr. w. H. Powell says that Tues
day night he received severe shock
while turning on light in the wood
house and that he afterwards jerked
the wire from the socket to prevent
others from getting shocked. We'd
nesday morning other persons re-
ceived quite severe shocks in both
the store room and the wood house.
several being knocked down as they
turned on lights. Mr. Tarrer. who
runs a butcher shop on Blanding
strret, near the railroad. got a very
severe shock Wednesday morning. as
did several others on the same cir
cult.
About ten o'clock "Wednesday
morning Mr. W. NJ. Perry. electri-
clan. tested the current at the Powell
Supply company's establishment and
iound that the wires il the building
carried only the required 1!3 volts.
He expressed his opinion that wires
had become crossed b. the wind or
of the voltage being at least trebled
at the time Of the heavy shocks. ac-
>cording to the voltage Of the wires
being in contact with each other.
The State says This is the second
factaIiIy occurring III the city within
the last week in almost d similar
manner. the death OF young Clyde
;oOuc. who was electrocuted in the
|ba ascnent Of the Granny Methodist
church building Sunday night being
brought about in very near the same
manner. 1t is thought that there is
nothing wrong with the wiring in
the city but the two Instances we're
local cases Of short clrcultlns o.
wires carrying a total OF about l,0oV
volts.
If electric globes and sockets are
in good condition. the high voltage
produced by crossed wires will have
little CT no effect when the light is
turned on. Where globe sockets are
not screwed up tight or where the
copper plated threads OF the globe
protrude, the coming il contact 0!
the threads on the globe with any
mart of the body will produce
shock. Ii the parts OF the sockets
are loose or not properly insulated
shocks can also be received BY be
inc careful not to touch the globe
or the socket. but merely the snap.
no shock will b received.
But ah&ut the best way to insure
against danger is to use only a llSnt
voltage fuse in connecting the wires.
and in case short circuit IS produc-
ed, send:ne higher voltage through
the wires than the fuse Will carry
the fuse will be blown or burned
out and the current broken.
Such occurrences, however. as the
two instances where death was pro
duced are very rare. and little pro
nrietv and care in handling lights is
all that isnecessary to insure against
danger. and citizens OF the city need
NOT be worried on account OF the I'M
..a....ro,,coc. in the last ieM