Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-07-28
LINEMAN MAY DIE
OF BURNS CAUSED
BY TROLLEY WIRE
Central Unon Employe, on High
Pole, Escapes Instant Death
Miraculously.
1000 VOLTS IN LINE
William Hass, Scorched in Score Of
Places In Accident at the Foot
of Thirteenth Avenue.

William ]. Hagg, aged % years,
1880 Fourth avenue. Moline, lineman
for the Central Union Telephone COM
pany, narrowly escaped electrocution
or death by fall late yesterday af-
ternoon when a wire which he was
holding Stacked and fell on the trolley
wire of the Rock Island Southern In
terurban company at the foot of Thir-
teenth avenue, this city.
The trolley wire carried 900 volts
and Hagg was burned in a score Of
places. He may die as a result. DR..
S. b. Hall, who attended him. stated
that the exact chances for his recovery
could not be determined at present.
At the time of the accident Hagg
was at the top of a pole, seated on a
cross-bar. The electricity grounded
through the pole. but had he been
standing on the ground and had hold
OF the wire, such as he had while on
the pole, he would have been instant
ly killed, so great was the voltage.
Hagg and a crew of linemen of the
telephone company were pulling am
old telephone wire from poles on the
west side of the interurban track, pre-
paratory to installing a new one. The
line was being drawn over the trolley.
Hagg was drawing it along from 9TH
er poles ahead while another lineman
was standing on the ground below
pulling it with a rope attached. Hagg
worked zealously and pulled too much.
causing the wire to slack and fall
upon the trolley line.
Fell Back on Wires.
The instant it did so, he fell back
wards on other lines on the pole and
these drew the current, burning him
badly on the back, wherever he came
in contact with them. The current
entered in his right hand and passed
out of his body at his feet. His one
hand was burned the most, while his
feet also were scorched seriously.
As he fell back he knocked loose
from the wire he had held, thus re-
leasing the current from his system.
One of the linemen rushed to his aid,
climbing the pole and returning to
the earth with him. He was uDcon-
scious for some time afterwards.
District Plant Chief Harry w. Lin
dury was called by the men, and he
made the trip by auto taking the in
JuTeQ man at once 10 LII. f1dll OulCS
and from there to st. Anthony's hos
pital.
Here a thorough examination was
made, and during the evening he was
in a semi-coma condition, knowing
what had happened to him, but not
how it occurred.
May Be Fatal.
Dr Hall stated Iasr NIGHT following
the accident that he was not able to
say exactly whether or not the man
would recover. He explained that it
was difficult to determine his chances,
SO that while he escaped death at the
time, the accident may prove fatal.
In case he does live, DIR. Hall stated
that he did not know whether he
would lose the use of his hand or
feet. He will be confined for at least
a month.
His escape from instant death was
With the high voltage in
the trolley wire it seems only an act
OF fate that the current did not kill
him.
The fact also that he was not
thrown to the ground by the force of
the shock and thus killed or more