Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1910-08-12
LINEMAN WAS KILLED
Paul Danneman Received Electric
Shock of $500 Volts
Fell rs Feet and Died 20 Minutes Later
Skull Fractured by the Fall-Power Not
Shut Off.


While working on electric wires Satur-
day forenoon in the belief that they car
ried no current, Paul Danneman, %. an
emplOye Of the Twin State Gas and
Electric company, received a shock of
$500 volts through his body, causing him
to fall from one Of the company's poles
to the ground between Brattleboro and
Iiinsdale, and resulting in his death soon
afterwards from a fracture of the skull.
line Of poles with cross arms between
this town and Hinsdale carries two wires
for furnishing electric light and power to
Hinsdale village, forming a circuit. Dur
ing storm last week one Of the poles
was blown down, near n. H. Whites
cottage about a mile down the river on
the New Hampshire side, and a new
pole had been put in it's place. On Sat
urday morning Superintendent Leon c.
White, Peter j. Hopkins Raymond Birch.
Walter Spaulding and Danneman went
over the river to attach the wires to the
new pole, and their understanding was
that the power would be shut off at the
electric station in Brattleboro at 1915
o'clock. After waiting 10 minutes to give
little margin of time at the power sta
ton the young men ascended the poles
Danneman going up one of the old ones
On reaching point where he could touch
the wires he was seen to hit one Of them
quickly and lightly with the back Of his
hand, as is customary with linemen under
similar circumstances
Being satisfied that he was safe he
went up between the two wires and put
one arm over the cross arm of the mole
and with the other he began working on
the wires with pliers. While he was thus
engaged with his pliers in contact
with one wire, he leaned back so that the
back of his neck touched the other wire
forming a short circuit, and the entire
current went through his body. His body
W of Ct
sometimes done to prevent a fall in case
OF accident, and he pitched head foremost
10 the ground, a distance of 25 feet
The men went to him and found that he
was alive, although seriously hurt AS
soon as possible DR.. G. r. Anderson Of
this village was summoned and he was
on the scene quickly. Danneman died in
| about 20 minutes after the accident DR.
Anderson stated that the skull was frac-
tured at the base Of the brain and that
the fracture was sufficient to cause death
| The body was brought in an ambulance +o
II. E. Bond & Sons undertaking rooms.
where it was found that there were burns
on the hand and neck made by the
electric current
When inquiry was made concerning
the cause of the accident Superintendent
White stated that about O'Clock sat
urday morning. before going across the
| river, he told Charles Bracket, the elec
triclan in charge of the power station TO
| smut off the power at 1915 o'clock He
| said he supposed it had been shut off and
| all the men with him thought the same.
| he would make no statement as to whv
| II was not shut off. When Mr.. Brackett
was asked if he received orders to turn
! off the current his reply was: IT can't
say anything about 1t; you'll have TO ask
| Mr.. White or Mr.. Adds" meaning f. M.
| Adds, manager of the Brattleboro branch
| or the Twin State company. Mr., Adds
| said he could not say whether the power
| was supposed to be shut off as he had
| had no report from Mr.. White at that
| time. The men waited until 10 25 before
| they climbed the poles
| Mr. White further stated that the men
| never worked on the Hnsdale line with
| out asking to have the current shut off.
| He thought that if Danneman had attach
| ed his body strap to the pole to prevent
| falling he might have been resuscitated.
| as the body prob bly, would have sagged
| far enough below the wire to prevent CON
| tinuous contact.
Danneman came to Brattleboro two
| years ago from Brooklyn, where his
! mother and sister live He was liked bv
! all his acquaintances and he was engag
| to marry Brattleboro young woman.
! His sister is secretary to President I. L.
Meloon of the Twin state company. in his
| New York office. The body was sent to
| Brooklyn Sunday morning.