Semi-weekly herald. [volume] (Durango, Colo.) 1907-1917, 1910-03-03
GEORGE scHAEFeR
COOKED TO PIECES


Yesterday morning George Schaffc.',
man of about 60 years of age, was
terribly burned in the power house
of the Animas Power and Water com
pany at Tacoma. Schaffer was not
regularly employed in the plant but
did occasional odd jobs to make Il
little money, and occupied cabin
belonging to superintendent Burt
Johnson He had been at Tacoma for
the past three years and half, and
Mr.. johnson and his family we're much
attached to him.
Sunday morning Mr.. Johnson told
Schaffer to wipe up a quantity OF oil
that had leaked through from above,
and warned him that the transmits.
sion wires in that compartment We're
all live wires. AS Schaffer had often
done this work before and was very
careful man Superintendent Johnson
thought no more of the matter and
went off to another part of the plant.
No one knows just exactly how the
accident happened. One of the opera
tors happened in at the station, just
looking around while off duty, and
saw George sitting on the low railing
which ran around the compartment
through which the wires passed A
low brick wall extends around the
compartment with two ratings above,
one of these being low, and the other
a few feet higher.
Even as the operator saw Schaf-
fer sitting on the lower railing, he
saw the latter sway and fall back
into the compartment throwing his
right hand forward as he did so. He
was subject to fainting and it is sup
posed he was dizzy and sat down.
The operator did not wait hut ran up
stairs TO turn off the. current, know.
ing that H was death to touch Schaf
fer while the current was on. II must
must have been al least thirty or forty
seconds before the wires vera dead,
and Superintendent johnson was sum
moned.
It was a pitiful sight that the res
cuers found Schaffer's body was ly-
ing in the compartme which is
about three feet square. his legs being
outside the railing. When his wrist
struck the transmission wire which
carried $4,000 volts, it turned the cur
rent, which all went into the ground.
Schaffer then lay i'll the circuit thus
formed with the $4,000 volts pouring
through him-doubtless some $4,000
in all, before he could be rescued
The oil meanwhile caught fire and
Schaffer's clothing was in flames He
was terribly burned. His eyes were
burned out and his face turned to a
crisp The entire part of his body
which had lain in The compartment
was cooked. The right arm was burn
ed hard and solid with the electricity.
He was unconscious but still alive.
This was at SAT Sunday morning.
Superintendent johnson Immediately
sent to lockwood for laudanum, and
telephoned Silverton and Durango for
medical assistance. DIR. Henkel and
three men came down from Silverton
in one hour and twenty minutes, max
ing the trip on hand car. DIR. Lackey
drove from Durango to lockwood and
made the rest of the way on hand
car reaching the plant in two hours
and twenty minutes from the time of
the accident.
Schaffer's sufferings were intense
He regained consciousness in about
five minutes after the accident, and
while rational did not seem to know
what had happened. or how the trou-
BILE had occurred. He had evidently
inhaled the flames for he said he was
burning up inside. Superintendent
Johnson gave him laudanum at inter
walls to ease the pain. until the doc
tors arrived.
He was brought to Durango on the
train last evening. arriving at $50.
Superintendent johnson and the ply.
sicians accompanying him When TAX
en- TO Mercy hospital, he walked from
his cot to the bed Drs. Henkel and
Lackey both commented on his mar
vellous vitality-he lived thirteen
hours after being hurt. He died last
night at 10.
The body is now at the Goodman
undertaking parlors awaiting reply
from his folks. His son lives a. Raw
hide, New, and has been wired twice,
but has not yet replied The dead
man also had a wife and daughter,
in Reno, but has been separated from
his wife for the past fifteen years.
Another son lives in Leadville.
1t was a sad and regrettable acct
dent. but so far as is known no one
was to blame 1t seems to be one
of those unfortunate occurrences over
which mortals have no control