The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-09-06
Agreement of Wire Compan-
les for Using One Pole for
All Wires Is Held to Be a
Public Menace.
CORONER WILL MAKE
A THOROUGH PROBE
Contact of a Primary Wire
and a Secondary Wire Is
Believed to Have Caused
Death of O. Rau.

The joint pole agreement which was
entered into by the wire companies.
of the city a few years ago, by which
one pole could be used by more than
one company, is alleged to have been
the indirect result of the fatal acct
dent to Ora Rau, the lineman for the
Municipal Light company, who was
electrocuted yesterday while examin.
ing the wiring in the basement of the
residence of Mr.. and Mrs. Thomas
Martin. 12O Williams street.
That there was but one fatal acci-
dent is regarded as miracle by those
who are acquainted with the details
of the case. There were three others
who were shocked, Mrs. Thomas Mar
tin being knocked over and burned up
on the right thumb, Mrs. John Town
send, Charles street, slightly shock
ed, while ironing with an electric iron.
and a man by the name of Hibberd,
living on State street, who also was
slightly shocked when he turned on
an incadescent light.
Notified Of Trouble.
In the afternoon about one o'clock
the electric light companies were noti-
fed that there was something the
matter on the line in the alley be-
tween Williams and CharIsR Atrsets.
10 peles, 5elaslx
occupied BY the secondary wires Of
the city plant and the primary wires
|of the Light. Heat and Power com
pany there is q dead pole, belonging to
the Central Union Telephone COM
Ipany. which leans few feet, and
which. 1t 10 alleged, pushed the city's
secondary wire within close proximity
OF the primary wires sof the L.. H. & p.
company. AS the pole was very wet
and the day windy. It Is thought that
a contact was termed on the wet pole
between the primary wire and the
secondary wire. which greatly In
creased the voltage carried by the
secondary wire, which at normal is
10 volts. The reason why it is be-
lieved that this dead pole was the
cause of the trouble was that several
times as the wires would sway. flash
es sparkled off the pole. Another
cause of trouble discovered and re-
paired yesterday afternoon after the
accident, linemen say, was on Sheri-
dan street, where, it is alleged, the
high voltage wires became crossed.
When trouble was reported to the
electric light companys, Ora Rau was
sent to the Martin home on Williams
street with Charles Darlington. Mrs.
Martin told him of the accident which
befell her in the basement a short
time before, and the two, Mrs. Martin
and Mr.. Rau, went into the cellar to
inspect the wiring. Nothing wrong
was noticed by the lineman and he
was telling Mrs. Martin she should be
careful not to touch the brass socket
in which the brass part OF the inca
descent globe fits in and forms the
contact.
How Rau. Met Death.
As Mrs. Martin remembers the acci-
dent, he happened to slightly touch
the brass socket as he was pointing
out what she was not to touch. AS he
touched it. he fell over lifeless. and
though he was still breathing, there
was no response to attempts at re-
suscitation made by hnemen, police
men and a physician who soon arrived
at the house. Though the current
came in over secondary wire, it is
presumed that the contact with pri-
mary wire somewhere in the neighbor-
hood made the voltage which passed
through his body about 1900 volts.
There were but slight burns on either
the right hand or foot where the cur
rent entered and passed from the
body. The burns indicate that the cur
rent entered near the tips of the first
and second fingers.
The body was removed to an under
taking establishment and later to the
home, 217 South Thirteenth street,
where funeral services will be con-
Quoted at 2:30 o'clock on Friday after
noon Burial will be in Earlham cem-
etery. The Rev. l. N. Hughes will Of
ficiate. Friends may call at any time,
except on Thursday morning or after
noon. The body will be taken to Win
chester. Ind, on Thursday morning.
where lives his invalid mother, and
then will be returned here in the aft
ernoon- Mr.. Rau was thirty-one years
OF age and survived by his widow.
two brothers and parents. He was
well known in the city. having been
Z resident for several years Formerly
he was employed with the Home Tel
ephone company. but since October
CONTINUED on PaSe U