Arizona republican., 1910-11-05
DANGLING WIRES ARE
 A MENACE TO LIFE
ATTENTION CALLED TO AN UN- USUAL AND UNAVOIDABLE
 CONDITION.
It Is Good Time for People to Keep
 Away From Every Wire Possible.

Based upon information furnished by those who have a knowledge of matters electric and of prevalent conditions in this city, for the benefit of all who would preserve their lives and personal security, it is suggested that every human being in this city. make it point not to lay hold of any wire un- necessarily unless he can see both ends ot 1t, or knows exactly where it comes from and what it passes on it's way; not what it ought to pass but what it DOES pass. That is a good rule to follow at all times but it is d particu- larly important one just now on the approach of d probable period of stormy weather, at a time when every electric company in the city is engaged in constructive operations on a large scale. It makes no difference how in nocent q wire may look. or how inno- cent it should be, it may be loaded"
 There is no intention of reflection on the constructive operations of any company, nor is there intention of ere ating any unnecessary scare It is merely a warning that conditions now are not normal and may not be for some time, and it behooves MT. Citizen to have care for his own welfare Try as they may the electric companies are having a strenuous time Electri- clans are just as human as anybody else, and carelessness at this time might be more than usually disastrous.
 It is stated by The Republicans in formant that in many places the old wires of the Postal Telegraph company are still dangling where they were left when the company went out of business in Phoenix It is also stated that in some instances there are also aban- doned wires that formerly ran to West ern Union clocks that have been re- moved or disconnected In addition to that the two telephone companies and the electric light company are all do- ing lot of reconstruction and new construction.
 The conditions of danger are in part in this new work, often the wires at one end have been left on the ground They are not supposed to be charged but when dangling wire not previous ly observed, runs from one that is charged falling across a new one. one end of which is on the ground, the latter wire is apt to be charged with instant death for anyone who touches it. It is said that very recently such an accidental crossing of wires oc- cured. It was fortunately discovered before anyone was hurt
 Thursday night, or rather early yes terday morning, a policeman found a wire broken after the storm. just q moment before an electrician reached him. The officer was about to seize one end of it and move it, believing it was a guy wire or a loose hanging wire, when he was warned by the ap- preaching electrician. Only for the warning the policeman would now be in the morgue for the wire was heavily charged and the officer standing on the wet ground would never have realized what hit him.
 Again it is necessary in many places for the telephone companies in string ing new wires each to pass those of the other and sometimes to cross the wires of the electric light company. In doing this work sometimes a heavily charged wire is raised a little by means of another wire being tied under it and to something above it, the arrange ment being intended as only temper ary. perhaps for over night; or in stringing the telephone wires they are suspended above the light wires tenn porarily. When a storm comes up sud- denly. as it did yesterday morning, either the wind blows down the tenn porary suspension or the cooling tenn perature takes up all the slack. bring ing the dead and the live wires to- gether. Should there be a leakage in the insulation, which might be effect ed quickly by wires swaying in the breeze. the dead wires would be en- livened by a voltage that would mean death for any one who touches them.
 These are only a few of a thousand