Milford chronicle., 1912-09-27
ELECTRIC SHOCK
KILLS |, INJURIES 5
Policemen We're Reporting to
Station by Telephone.
THE WIRES WERE CROSSED
Wind Causes High Voltage Gable to
Cross One Used by Victims In Phila-
delphia.

deiphia.
One policeman was killed by elec
tricity and five others were seriousl!
shocked in the most remarkable acci
dent recorded in the history OF th'
Philadelphia police department
The policemen on duty throughout
The Twenty-ninth district in West
Philadelphia went to the police tele
phone boxes on their beats to report
to the station house.
AS six of them, separated from each
other by at least four blocks lifted
the receivers the wind caused a high
voltage electric light wire on the cir.
cult to cross the police telephone wire
The contact Of the two wires caused
1000 volts OF current to course through
the six bluecoats, killing one and hurl-
ing the other five to the ground un-
conscious.
The shock was felt in the station at
Sixty-first and Thompson streets by
the house sergeant. He dispatched po-
hcemen through the district TO give
the alarm before most OF the men had
started to report.
George w. Freeman was shocked
and instantly killed at the box at
Fifty-second street and Haverford ave
nue.
The injured policemen are: Joseph
McCurry shocked at Fiftysixth and
Vine streets, severely burned, serious
condition; Neil Mcguire, shocked at
Fifty-fourth street and Wyalusing ave
nue.. serious condition; William seal,
shocked at SiXty-second and Vine
streets, allowed to report again Tor
duty; John Cox, shocked at Sixty-sec-
end and Vine strets. allowed to report
for duty; Walter Bates, shocked at
Fifty-seventh street and Girard ave
que. allowed to report for duty.
Chief Pike, OF the electrical bureau,
and Director Porter declare the ira
gedy should be taken as a lesson by
councils and hasten the appropria-
tons for the placing Of all overhead
wires underground, the only plausible
theory of the crossing of the wires be
Ing that the wires of the Philadelphia
Electric company, carrying a voltage
Of 1000, sagged on the police phone
feed wires, which only contain 159.
Three electrical linemen and a dis
trict engineer and a force OF repair /
men also visited the scene to investi- /
gate.
According to witnesses, Policeman .
Mccall, of the Twenty-ninth district,
approached the box and Fifty-second +
street and Haverford avenue about I
twelve minutes Of three He had on .
rubber boots and succeeded, after be-
Ing slightly shocked, in registering his
pull"
Two minutes later Policeman Free I.
man slipped his key in the same box.
There was a splutter of sparks and
the policeman was hurled against an
Iron pole alongside the phone box and
then reeled, moaned and fell in heap
to the pavement against the bulk win
dow of a grocery store.
Several of the clerks ran out and {
carried the lifeless form of the pO-
iceman inside Some one ran across
The street and summoned DR.. A. f.
Targette. He ran over and for some
time worked over the man, trying to ,
induce artifca al respiration. {
Meanwh.lt another man telephoned a
10 the police station and the patrol E
wagon arrived and took FreemanS !
body to the hospital. There death was l
to have been instanta-
leOus.