Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1917-08-29
DEBORAH BOY MEETS
TERRIBLE ACCIDENT
Roy Lane, Son of Mr.. and Mrs. An
drew Lane, Suffers Fractured
Skull and FearfuIly Burn
ed by Electricity.
ACCIDENT OCCURRED
AT POSTVILLE THURSDAY
Was Alone in Plant of Postviile Clay
Products Co. Miracle How He
Escaped With His Life.

| We CahC Inc lCiiOWIuS lIOm tue
Postville Review about a terrible ac-
cident which happened Thursday to
Roy Lane, son of Mr.. and Mrs. An
drew Lane, of DEBORAH:
The first serious accident that has
happened at the big brick and tile
plant of the Postville Clay Products
Co. IL this city, occurred Thursday
evening between five and six o'clock
when Roy Lane of DEBORAH, "a years
old, employed at the plant as an e.ec-
trician and general utility man, came
in contact with a high voltage wire
and had 1920 volts of the fiery
fluid shot thru his body, was hurled
violently against solid cement wall,
suffers a fracture of the skull and
fearful burns ali over his body and
in his stupefied struggles precipitates
himself off the transformer shelf and
and falls eight feet onto the cement
floor below, and despite it all by
some mighty miracle he still sur
wives, and it is the prayer of all that
he may pull safely through.
The story as we learn it is in sub
stance this: The factory part of the
plant was shutdown Thursday to
permit some of the boys to attend the
West Union fair. AS there had been
some trouble with the power at the
plant, at about five o'clock Thursday
afternoon Roy went to the transform
er room in the factory building to
trace the trouble, and he went alone,
hence no one knows just when or how
the accident happened. The big trans
formers are set on a wide cement
shelf just above the large motors
that drive the huge stone crushing
and clay grinding machinery and all
other machines about the big plant.
The wires connecting with these
transformers come direct from the
Upper Iowa Power Cos. plant, near
DEBORAH, and carry a current of 49,
200 voltage, and that Roy's head
was evidenced this Friday morning
by the finding of singed hair on the
wire.
At about 5:45 Thursday Peter Ser
vice went to the factory to see If the
trouble had been found, and on near
ing the building heard awful means
as from one in mortal agony. Hurry
! ing in he found Roy on his face in a
pool of blood, with arms and legs
writing wildly and calling out voci-
fcrously the one word Fuse" Peter
hastily summoned the men at the
plant and sent a phone call to Dr..
Kel.eher, who came with his car, and
with the assistance of several men
brought Roy to the hospital, where it
was found he had suffered fracture
of the skull and was badly burned
about the arms, feet and other por-
tons of the body.
Roy was made as comfortable as
possible and word pholed to his par
ents. Mr.. and Mrs. Andrew Lane al
Deccrah, who fastened here by auto,
bringing with them their daughter
Miss Anne Lane, a trained nurse who
will remain to care for her brother
and we sincerely hope her ministra-
lions, in conjunction with the doctors
may enable her to lead him out OF the
valley of the shadow of death and
back to health again.
Roy regained consciousness TINS
morning for time, and today noon
is reported doing as wei, as possible.