Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-12-20
YOUNG ELECTRICIANS
SHOULD NOT FOLLOW
ADVICE IN FICTION
Simple Experiment May Lead
Them to Tap the Wrong
Wire---Ouch---Dead

Youthful electricians are warned not
! to follow diagrams given in stories in
popular magazines relative to electrical
experiments as they are likely to seize
the wrong wire sometime and then
some slow music that Willie won t hear.
A story appeared last week in maya
zine of national circulation which told
how wires might be tapped and mes
sages sent out in the Morse code over
electric light wires. Diagrams were
given and any youthful electrician
might be tempted to try it once any
way. Since the amateur is as likely to
to get hold of wire carrying 10000
volts as he is to tap an incandescent
, circuit of 40 volts the Public Service
commission engineers have issued a
statement relative to the case:
The article entitled "The Third
Light" purports to convey certain in
formation based upon practical elec-
trical standards and practices. In
this, however, it is in error, as there
appears drawing of equipment and
circuit arrangement which is mislead-
ing and not in conformity TO the
thought expressed by the writer of the
article.
The dangers surrounding an expert
ment of this kind by the amateur elec-
trician are many.
The general regulations governing
overhead and underground construction
of the Public Service commission of
Oregon, Section IA, require the ground
ing of all neutral wires of low poten-
tial secondary distributing systems,
and, where the neutral is not accessible,
the grounding of one wire of the sec
ondary or commercial lighting or power
circuit These regulations became eff
fective October |; 1918, and previous
to that date great many installations
of transformers with secondary 1l0-
22O and other voltages) lighting and
power circuits had been installed with
out ground connections. Therein lies
the real danger to the youthful expert
menter, for, should and ungrOunded
transformer secondary or house light
ing wire be used to make the Third
Light" experiment, and the transform
er be faulty or leaky, the person max
ing the experiment might receive the
full 2300 volt current, the result of
which would be the manning for life If
not the instant death of the expert
menter.
Wiring conditions in Oregon are such
that the experiment would fail unless
if were made in some locality where
the transformer secondaries or low po'
tential distributing wires are not
grounded.
The principle involved in tae "Third
Light" experiment while it appears in
tricate, is very simple, and is nothing
more than the substituting of ground
connection for the middle conductor OF
a circuit of two lights in series. 1t is
therefore obvious that such an expert.
ment can be made with batteries and
small electric lights, such as are found
in "flash lights'' and without tae in
herent dangers surrounding expert
menting with the house lighting wires,
whether they are properly grounded or
not.
Experimenting with commercial or
residence lighting wires is not condu'
Give to the success of the Safety
First movement, and it is strongly
recommended that such experiments be
left TO the advanced students or profess
sor and be not attempted by the anna
teur.