New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-02-13

PERIL or THE CURRENT.


| That electricity, though good servant, is
bad master has been illustrated by recent ap-
palling accident at Olginate in Italy. where ten
persons were killed in the attempt 10 switch or
the electric light in their houses Flames had
| suddenly burst out through the fuslng OF the
wires, and every who came in contact with
| the current, with the intention OF putting out
| the FIRE, was electrocuted.
This disaster shows that the progress of sci
| ence has its perils for those who are not per-
| fectly familiar with the manipulation that new
| inventions require. The general use OF cleo
| tricity in the United States has naturally made
! that country the scene of large proportion OF
the reported accidents of this type. One of the
strangest of these befen a guard con
ductor," on the Albany & Hudson Railroad.
While he adjusting the mechanism of his
car his feet touched a milk can, thus forming
short circuit. Before he could be released he
was badly burned that he died within half
| an hour. At Reading Penn. a young man was
carrying a piece of iron pipe on his shoulder.
when one end of it came in contact with live
electric wire and he received a shock that
proved fatal.
Not long ago at Pittsburg, a cripple with two
artificial legs found his disability the means
Of saving the life of another person. AS he was
going one day along a street ne saw a man
writing in agony at the end Of a trolley line
l,t volts,
broken from its moorngs and of which the poor
fellow unable to let go The cripple caught
him around the waist and succeeded in Jerking
him away from the wire As the cork and
wooden legs of the rescuer were non-conductors,
the current could not reach the ground through
his body.
An American farmer was driving along a
road after storm, when his horse suddenly
dropped dead. 1t was crossing a pool which
had been caused by the heavy rain. Into this
pool had fallen the end of broken electric wire,
which had thus charged the water with deadly
current. Members of American fire brigadcs are
now carefully warned against the risks of SINH
lar occurrences. when called to fires which are
caused by some mishap to electrical equipments
they are careful not to turn their hose upon the
blaze until they certain that there is risk
of the stream of water becoming electrified.
In Great Britain OF the few fatal accidents
reported in connection with the use of electricity
occurred in a Scottish colliery. A Fifeshire
miner was engaged in fastening piece of
rugated iron a box covering the electric cable
when the nail he using pierced the cable
and he received a shock that instantly killed
him.
Last year, in of our seaside resorts. a
young who passenger in a cleo
tric tramcar was getting out and. in order to
steady himself, passed his left hand along
of the handrails to which straps are attached
Near the door he suddenly felt a severe shock.
and found that he could remove his hand
from the rail, neither could he move MS left
foot A friend seized him and pulled him clear
of the rails. He taken to surgery, where
it found that his left hand was severely
burned 1t is supposed that through some leak
age of current the handrails must have become
charged with electricity.
An accident of a very different kind re-
ported a few months ago at a meeting of the
electricity committee Of the Acton Council II
was announced that of the transformers at
the generating station had broken down through
a mouse getting into it, and that the repairs
would cost G50.-Tit- Bits