The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1912-02-22
1--WE WIRE CAUSED .
death OF FIREMAN !. 7
JOSEPH WHITAKER
Fire Department Has
Lost one of It's -
. Best Men

with the death Of Joseph Whit
taker, which was the result Of his
coming in contact with live electric
wire last night about 9:45 o'clock,
near the corner or Clendenin and
Whitaker streets, the Charleston
Fire Department loses one of It's best
men
Whitaker and Herman Gard
ner, both members Of the depart
ment, had gone to the locality to cut
some wires loose that had been torn
down by a'troc that had been blown
down by the wind, which, in add
ton to having set fire to the tree,
was danger to passing pedestrians
Onfthe arrival they first cut all the
wires loose, and Whitaker was roll
ing them up. preparatory to hanging
them up out of the reach Of any ono
passing, when his hand came in con-
tact with n part of the wire that the
insulation had worn off, and he was
instantly knocked down. Gardner,
who was standing by holding liant
Fern; immediately Knocked the Wire
loose from Whitaker, and asked
him If he was free from contact. He
replied, Yes. but it shocked me-
and fell back dead. Gardner, as
sisted by Max Cohen, carried him in
to the Cohen home, which is near by,
hn
attempted to resuscitate him. Some
while afterward, DR.. Ezra Stump,
who had been summoned, arrived,
and after making an examination,
pronounced the man beyond human
aid.
Whitaker was wearing a pair Of
canvas gloves at the time c.. the &C
cident and after he was carried 1n-
to the Cohen home, Gardner noticed
smoke coming from Whittakers
hand, which was clenched, and on
opening it, it was found that the
glove was smouIdering where it had
been burned by the electricity.
Outside of a small burn on the
thumb, thene we're no other marks
from the Cd htact. except a general
darkness Of the flesh, caused by the
blood -underneath-th the surface The
wire which he came in contact with
was carrying 2,200 volts.
Residents Of the neighborhood say
that the Electric Company had been
notified on several occasions Of the
condition Of the wires in the vicin-
ity where the accident occurred, for
there Was a continual suffering,
caused from the insulation being rot
ted from the wire. The tree that
fell across the wires became ignited
and it was necessary to use a hand
chemical to eXtinguish the blaze.
Whitaker would have been IS
years old on July 4, next, and had
been member Of the department
since May, 1907. He was one Of
the first to join under the new ordi-
nance by which the department is
now regulated. Chief Rand, in
speaking Of Fireman Whitaker. sail
that he was one Of the best men in
|the department; that he lived strictly
up to the rules governing that body,
and that he could be depended on
for any emergency. He was very
popular with his fellow members,
and his sudden. retirement, due to
a call from the Great Chief Of all, has
cast spell Of gloom over the en-
tire department.
Whittakers home is at the corner
Of Court and Kanawha streets, ana
he is survived by his wife, and two
brothers, Edward and william, OF
Jumping Branch, near Hinton The
body was removed to Undertaken
Simpsons morgue and prepared for
burial, and the funeral. arrangements
will be made after the arrival Of rel
atives, who were notified last night