The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1917-08-23
ELECTROCuTED BY
A CHARGED WIRE
ADV {. M'FARDAND MEETS AL
MOST INSTANT DEATH.
HOME TELEPHONE EMPLOYEE
Was Operating a Reel When the
Current Ran Down the Telephone
Wire and Through the iron
Cranks Into His Body.

Ady IL. Mct arlanu, aged 90, NO. 0OJ
North First street an employee of the
Oskaloosa Home Telephone Company, |
was electrocuted a little before five
o'clock Monday evening as he was
working with reel of telephone wire
which. in some unexplained way came
J in contact with an electric light head.
Mcfarland had no gloves on and the
reel he was turning became heavily
charged. He was rendered uncon-
| scious but was unable to release his
hand from the iron crank OF the reel
and the current passed through the
PROSTATE body to the ground for al
considerable space OF time. Ten to-
| fifteen minutes or more.
Physicians were summoned quickly
and the pulmotor from the city hall
was applied, but without a sign OF
restoration. The physicians could
/ discovered no indication of pulse
when they arrived.
! The accident occurred on South
Market street at the NJ. & st. l.. via.
duct crossing. Mr.. Mcfarland was in
charge of reel and was stationed
under the bridge. Other workmen
were engaged at a considerable dis
lance from Netherlands station and
on account of a bend in the road he
was out of sight of his companions.
No one saw the accident at the
moment of happening. The PROSTATE
body, kicking and writing on the
ground was discovered by couple
of little girls, Sylvia Grill and Ruby
Kirkendall. The children had been
watching the men at work, day by day,
and had come to know Mr. Mcfarland.
When the Grill girl saw the man suf-
fering, as he evidently was, she went
quite close to him and asked what was
the matter. Are you hurt?" Why
don't you get up?" Cant you talk?"
she asked.
! Receiving no reply and shocked by
the look of agony on the face of the
distressed man she ran to her father
a half block distant, but II was some
time before she could make anyone
understand that something was wrong.
The telephone men hurried to the
pIdCG, tuJ lIc Wire IlldI INC
contact current and released McFar-
LAM from the reel handle but he was
evidently beyond human aid.
Companions Rush to Aid.
Pete Velthouse and Lee Shaver
were working with Mcfarland at the
time of the accident They were near
the building of the Oskaloosa Cream
cry. The little Grill girl, a child of six
or seven years approached Velthouse
whom she knew to be working with
Mcfarland and said, THAT man over
there fell down and he can't get up"
Pete" suspicioned almost instantly
what had happened and he ran to the
assistance of his comrade. unmindful
of the possibilities in the act, endan-
gering his own life, he jerked the man
loose from his position. the wire was
cold when he took hold of it, contact
with the electric circuit having been
! broken.
1t is likely that the "cross" with the
current occurred somewhere near the
Otis Taylor office, the old time Hawk
eye Garment factory for the telephone
in the Taylor office was burned out
about this time by a cross with an
electric circuit.
/ Was Well Known.
| Ady Mcfarland was a well known
man about town. He had had been a
resident of Oskaloosa about nine years
and the greater part of this time he
has been employed as general utility
man with the Home Telephone Com
pany. He could do anything connected
with the work of the establishment
from building a line and installing an
instrument to running the switch
board or firing the furnace. He was
indispensable. He was never ill-humor-
4 ed or cross and had a CHEEKY word for
everyone. He loved children and took
delight in good naturally teasing or
| ''jollying" them. He was on friendly
terms with every child and they liked
him. He had been followed about for
several days in his work on South
| Market street by the Riddles of the
neighborhood, replying to their endless
questions which amused him. He has
even permitted the children to play
about his work and only a short while
before the accident some of the child
rem had been handling the wire
through which came the deadly volt
age that killed him.
Deceased is survived by widow
and three children, two daughters,
Emma, wife of Elmer Barrows of Os-
kaloosa. Laura, wife of Clifford. Barn.
hart of st. Paul, and one son Paul,
who is now in the Dakota harvest
| fields.
The bereaved family has the SYM
pathy of many friends in their sorrow.
Funeral Arrangements.
Funeral arrangements are not def
nitely determined at this time. Efforts
to communicate with the son has thus
! far proven unavailing In case mes