The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1914-07-15
J Gl'A!NE.!!!A1l.. PHONE .!!N[MAN
: 'ELECTROCUTED;B BODY
HANGS IN M|DA|R
CYRIL eUNsT KILLED INSTANTLY
BY TOUCHING HIGH TEN
SION WIRE.
FELLOW WoRKhEN FELT
SHOCK THROUGH Pole
Had Started Down Pole on Pine Street.
Leg Struck Exposed Line-Received
2,300 volts-SmeII of Burning Flesh
siekening-Pried Loose Corpse Fell
Twenty Feet.

telephone linemAn, was electrocuted
yesterday afternoon at o'clock on Il
I pole at Pine street and Third avenue,
Yin front of the home of J. S. Love,
by coming in contact with a high ten
sion wire.
He was killed instantly by the shock
of 1890 volts which passed through
him but his body clLng to the wire
while his flesh was being burned
black. His fellow workmen on the
ground and on the pole above him
were powerless to help him. When
the death grip was pried loose the body
fell twenty feet to the ground.
G. c. Sage, chief lineman, under
whom Gunst was working, says: "He
and were on the top of the pole. He
started to go down. The high ten
sion line which supplies that part OF
the city with light and power was be-
low us and not more than foot and a
half from the pole. He must have
struck it with his right foot. / felt
the shock as the current hit him, be-
cause his body completed the circuit
and grounded the pole on which we
were working and the messenger from
which the lead covered cable is hung
Had been leaning against the mes
senger it would have got me too.
"T went down the pole and took
piece of canvas with me. Using this
as an insulator by means Of a loop
thrown over his head l pulled him
loose and broke the contact. The
body fell twenty feet to the ground"
The right leg near the ankle is al
most burned in two. Spectators who
were around said that the smell cs
burning flesh was sickening, while the
corpse hung in the air.
Came From Yazoo City.
c.. L. Gunst came to Hattiesburg
about three months ago and went to
work for the telephone company as
a lineman. His parents live in Yazoo
City. His father yesterday was locat-
ed at Browns Wells, where he has
been for his health. His mother and
one sister were in Brookhaven. His
sister is Miss Estelle Gunst teacher
in the public schools at Brookhaven.
His other sister and his brother could
not be located yesterday. The family Is
expected to arrive this morning. Until
kthey arrive no funeral arrangements
could be made.
J In Hattiesburg, contrary to the gen
eral custom in cities, the high ten
sion wires supplying light and power,
where they are on the same side of the
street with the telephone wires, are
strung below the telephone wires. In
Mississippi there is law which re-
uuires that system Of stringing. In
most cities out of the state, however,
the reverse Is true.
=, Cables Below Telephone Wires.
Electrical specialists and municipal
engineers are agreed that 1t is safer
for the public to arrange the wires in
that manner because the power and
lighting cables are of copper and not
subject to rust, while the telephone
wires are of iron and frequently rust
In spite of the galvanized coating and
drop down to the street. Because
nothing is below them they can cause
mo damage. There are also a great
many more telephone wires than pow
Der cables and this also greatly increas-
es the chances in favor Of one of them
breaking.
The matter was discussed at some
length at the meeting last night OF the
Commercial Club.
The Traction Company rushed its
pulmotor to young Gunst as soon as
the news of his electrocution reached
them. but he was dead before he
struck the ground. 2. -
Il sll. n. 3. u /. n Nv 5F't 4 n 'l49lf