The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-12
HEROIC L|NEMAN
YIELDS HIS LIFE
|NSAV|NG FR|END
B. B. Brooks Meets Tragic
Death in Sight of Hundreds
En- Route to Ball Park
HE RESCUED AARON
FROM A LIVE WIRE
But Touching the Wire Himself, He
Plunged to the Ground and
Skull Was Crushed on
the Curbstone

Nothing in his life became him like
the leaving It." This shakespearean quo
tation is apt in noting the tragic death
of b. B. Brooks. lineman in the en-
and Telegraph company, who was in
stantly killed in rescuing a fellow
worker who had been shocked into un-
consciousness at the top of high tele-
phone pole near Green station, lit
tie before o'clock yesterday after
noon.
Brooks, hero IN overalls" suffered
shock of 2s0O volts and the resultant
fall to the ground killed him. Gilbert
Aaron. to save whom Brooks gave up
| his life, received two shocks of $500
volts, but barring few burns on his
hands and the mental strain he suf-
fered he appeared to have come out of
| his narrowing experience practically
unscathed.
| The accident was witnessed by hun
| dreds of people who were on their way
to Rickwood Field for the opening of
the baseball season. The fatality damp
ened the enthusiasm of the onlookers
for none who was present will soon
| forget the death shrek of Lineman
Brooks, as he took his plunge to earth
following his contact with the live
WIRE
Aaron Knocked Unconscious
According to Police Scout Ivey, one
of the first TO arrive on the scene of
the accident. Gilbert Aaron was work
ing on top of the high pole and was
shocked into Inconsistencies by touch
ing one of the wires on which he was
working. His body, however, did not
fall to the ground. but remained
propped up on cross tree of the pole
There were several other linemen about
and they became instantly aware of the
plight of their fellow worker.
| b. b. Brooks Immediately went up
the pole with length of rope to the
aid of Aaron, who was slowly reviving
Aaron was apparently too Weak to
come down the pole, even with the aid
| of Brooks for Lineman Brooks tied
| the rope around Aaron's body and
passed the end over the crosstree to
the ground, where several people took
hold to lower Aaron to the ground This
done, Brooks started to come down, but
| touched the fatal wire and with
shrek that struck numb the large
crowd that were watching him, Brooks
let go of the pole and clutching fran
| tically in the air he plunged feet fore
most to the ground. His feet struck
the edge of the pole about II feet from
| fha
lily over and causing him to strike the
curbstone on his head. crushing the
| skull like an eggshell and causing in
stant death
| Slowly Lowered to Ground
/ In the meantime Aaron, pallid and
| gaunt, hung 40 feet from the ground
swinging listlessly with the sligh.
| breeze until Police Scout Moser, with
the aid of the several people who were
| holding the rope, let Aaron slowly down
TO those about and he was laid out on
( the greensward alongside of the hero
who Just had given up his life in the
| attempt to save him.
Several ambulances had been called
| by the police when Aaron was first
shocked and a few minutes following
| the taking down of Aaron from the pole
Warner -Smiley's ambulance arrived and
took away Brooks body to the
| morgue and Aaron to the st. Vincent
| hospital. Aaron recovered sufficiently
| last night to be removed to his home
at 622 North Twenty-eighth street
where he was reported at an early hour
| this morning as resting easily.
| B. B. Brooks lived at 905 Third ave-
nues, West End, and his tragic death
leaves a grief stricken widow and a
small child. His remains will be sent
| by the Warner Smiley company 10
Cullman at S:25 o'clock this morning
| for interment.