Evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1907-1913, 1912-07-22
JAMES /. MCBRIDE ELECTROCUTED
BEFORE EYES OF HELPLESS CROWD
Young Lineman Employed By Power Company Caught
In Grip Of Powerful Current And Slowly Tortured
To Dpath--ReSCuerS POWGrIesS TO Assist Him

One of the most distressing of the
many fatal accidents that have occur
red in this section in recent years
happened Sunday afternoon about $50
o'clock at the corner of Burke and
Spring streets, directly in front Of the
home of Mr.. d. NJ. Kilmer, when
James II. Mcbride, an electrician and
lineman in the employ of the Mar,
tinsburg Power Company, was caught
in some highly-charged electric wires
and slowly shocked and burned to
death in the presence of a large crowd
of helpless men and women.
The accident occurred just one
block from Queen street shortly after
the heavy rain and wind storm, which
passed over this section in the alter
noon, and at a time when number
of people were in the vicinity. From
the time the powerful current had
gripped the hapless young man and
he shrieked aloud in agony until the
current was turned off was a matter
of perhaps 10 or Il minutes, and il
that brief time several hundred per
sons hurried to the spot; but all We're
helpless in the face of certain death
and those who were frantically endeay
tring to aid the slowly dying man We're
compelled ~ stand aloof from the
deadly anu mysterious element ana
witness the death agony of the unfor
tunate young man entangled in the
meshes of TIE wires
Was On Repair Work,
Young Mcbride and William HART
son we're sent out in the afternoon fol.
lowing vie storm to make repairs to
the several lines damaged by the wind
Tney reached the corner of Burke ana
Spring streets shortly after O'Clock.
and before young Mcbride asccnded
he was talking about the uanger of his
work on a wet day with Mr.. Kilmer.
His familiarity with the work, how
ever had apparently bred confidence
and carelessness, for he assembled the
pole with a smile, and Immediately
began to make the necessary repairs to
the wires Within few minutes, how
ever, he caught hold of an insulator
which was evidently charged from a
crossed wire, and with a cry young
Mcbride fell backward upon live
wire
Owing to the wet condition of every
thing, the current of electricity that
Immediately flowed through the young
mans body was doubly powerful anc
it is very probable that he was shock
ed into insensibility Immediately, anC
that his first cry was an involuntary
one, as we'll as the means that escaped
him continually until life became ex
tinct.
Immediately after young Harrison
realized the peril Of McBride's position
he ran into the home of Mr.. Kilmel
and endeayored to call up the cleo
trio power house to get the curren
turned of, but the line was in us'
and connection could not BE- had Har
rison then started on run for The
power house two blocks away while
J. Nevin Kilmer ran to tho telephone
exchange at the corner CT Queen stree
and secured tne power house over thu
phone. The current was immediatel,
turned off, but life was then extinc
in the body Of the young man hanging
over the charged wires. The time los
in getting the power house was prob
ably six or seeen minutes, but it j
not certain that the unfortunate younj
mans life could have been saved if tn
current had been turned off imm6
diately after the first shock,