Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1922-07-07
SHOCK KILLS O'CONNELL.
Brattleboro Man Was Lineman for Com
pany In Chicopee-Left Here Only
Three Weeks Before.

pany in ChicOpee-Left Here only
Three Weeks Before.
John OConnell, about 40 years old,
who roomed at AZ South Main street,
until within month, was instantly
killed Friday afternoon at 4.45 O'Clock
when he came in contact with an over
head electric wire at the corner of
South and Springfield streets, Chicopee,
Mass, on which he was working. OCon-
nell was employed as q lineman in the
Chicopee municipal electric department
and had been i'll their employ for three
weeks.
The accident occurred near the Grape
sent in for doctor. Medical Examiner
s.. +. Fletcher was first to arrive and both
he and Dr. Z. NJ. Moriarty, who ar
rived soon afterward, pronounced death
due to the passing of the volts through
the mans body. His head was crushed by
the fall from the pole on which he was
working but the medical examiners
statement dispelled any belief that it
was the fall which caused his death.
The body was ordered removed to
Crises undertaking parlofs and friends
of the dead man in Brattleboro were
notified through Police Chief George
Wilson by Marshal Frank O'Callahan.
According to the story of l.. c. Bry-
ant, foreman in the employ of the
same department and who was working
several thousand feet from the accident
O'Connel was instructed to climb the
pole and make a tiein of several wires
The wires which he was supposed to
have connected were dead at the time
Bryantis presumption, naturally, was
that O'Connell had touched live wire
and was killed instantly. Since it was
not known which wire he did touch and
the voltage of the various wires varied
4 ,pt hn n how
the electrical shock was. All the wires
carried heavy voltage, Bryant said 1T
was reported that worn spot in one
of OConnell's rubber gloves was re.
sponsible for the accident, but on further
investigation this report could not be
substantiated.
Firemen at the Grape street station
which is close by were unable to add
any detail to the description of the, ac
cident, although it occurred short
step from the house.
Little is known here about O'Con
nell's relatives, except that he leaves
father in Leominster, Mass, whose first
name is not known here. and sister
whose whereabouts he did not know
when he left here; He was brought, VI
by his uncle, the late John O'Connell OF
West Chesterfield, n. H. Formerly he
worked in Keene. n. H., for the Keent
Gas & Electric Co. About seven years
ago he came to BrattlebOrO and worked
about q year as lineman for the Twir
State Gas & Electric Co. For the past
six years he worked as patrolman or
the Connecticut River Power Cos higl
tension lines until three weeks ago las
| Tuesday. when he went to Chicopee be
cause of better wages and because hi
thought there was less danger working
on low tension lines than on the higl
voltage wires. His wife secured di
vorce from him last year.
While living here O'COnnell roomet
with Mr.. and Mrs! John Madau. of A
South Main street, Mr.. MADAM being al
employe of tlp, Twin State Gas * Eles
I tfic Co, but the home OF Mr.. Alton al
drch of Clark street was his headquar
tcrs much of the time. Mr.. Aldrich
who also is an employee of the Twin Stat
Gas & Electric Co., received a lette
from Mr.. O'COnncll last night in which
he expressed satisfaction with his worl
in Chicopee and said, mo more patrol
! ling for me-