The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1923-07-06
SERIOUS ACCIDENT
At okANoGAN
Ed. YarwoOd Comes in Contact With
a High Voltage Electric Wire and
has Narrow Escape With Life.

mas NARROW EScdp0 WIN Luos
day by the news that Ed. YarwoOd, OF
Okanogan, had been electrocuted Sat-
urday by coming in contact with a
high voltage electric power wire while
engaged in assisting In putting up
decorations ON the eve of the 4th of
July celebration. There were no other
particulars than that Mr.. Yarwc"d ID had
been killed. While not widely known
in OrOville, still Mr.. Yarwood has a
number of acquaintances here who
felt and expressed sincere regret over
his tragic death. Those friends were
much relieved Monday upon learning
that while the gentleman suffered
grlevious injury, he was still alive and
had excellent chances of recovery.
Mike Maloney, who came up from
Okanogan Sunday, stated to the writer
that he was within few feet of Mr..
Yarwood when the accident occurred,
! and while he did not learn before leav-
! ing OkanOgan the full extent Of the in
juries he understood tnat they would
not prove fatal. According to Mr.. Ma
| loney's story decorations were being
placed upon the bank building and a
rope used in stringing the decorations
was thrown across the electric wires.
The two wires were drawn together
and they parted with snap and flash.
Mr.. YarwOod and Raymond Enloe
were standing near together. MIR. Yar-
wood jumped in one direction and Mr..
Enloe in another at the snap. The
wires seemed to encircle Mr.. YarwOod
and he fell violently to the pavement.
Mr.. Enloe gave the injured man I'M
. mediate assistance, probably saving
mis- life. The following account of the
accident is taken from the Okanogan
Independent Of the 3rd:
"Only a dry sidewalk saved Ed
Yarwood from being burned to death
by electricity on Saturday afternoon
when two high tension power lines
lbroke and wrapped around him.
''He was standing on the sidewalk
watching the work of stringing deco
rations across the street in front OF
the First National bank when the pull
of the rope of streamers brought two
$500 volt wires together. The high
voltage In the wires was too much
and with a squirt of flame the wires
lmelted and dropped.
One wire coiled around Mr.. Var
woods foot and the other around hi'
neck In an instant he was wrapped
in a blush flame and fell heavily tt
the pavement.
Some witnesses say that as soon az
the wires struck him, blood spurte'
from his ear. He struck heavily on nj
head, which adds to the seriousness
Of the burns. He lay on the ground 70
nearly a minute with no one able to d,
any thing for him. for the deadly cleo
tricity was still flowing through tn
wires.
at was not until the killing energ
carried in the wires burned the car
rier in two that he was free. By tina
Itime his face had become so black tina
: he was unrecogniZable.
Raymond Enloe, who was standin
! near Mr.. Yarwood, had the wire fal
. on his shoulder also. He brushed 1t OF
) land deserves credit for saving Nj
3 Yarwood's life by Immediately start
: ing the work of resuscitation on tn
, lprOstrate man.
r DR.. L. 8. Dewey arrived on the seen
= in about three minutes. and DR.. c. v
= Lane arrived soon after.
= First aid was administered an
J. about 20 minutes later Mr.. Yarwoc
i had been revived sufficiently so tn;
I he was moved to the Okanogan ho'
s pital. He recovered CONSCIOUSNESS
:. about an hour after he was struck
. the wires.
Il Those who witnessed the accidel
state that it was a miracle that M
e Yarwood was not killed and that OF
ers were not seriously injured. &c
B. Parks was standing with Mr.. Enlt
n and Yarwood when the wires fell, ar
y several others had been talking to Il
n men less than a minute before.
Besides a severely burned nee
e Mr.. Yarwood was burned along h
n back and on his ribs and also on 4
t feet. The terrific power Of the emo
g nous current that passed through N
o Yarwood's body can be imagined fro
the fact that the sidewalk is pitted
Is the two points where the wires touc
ID ed the pavement, at his head AMI
ii his feet. The sidewalk is also blac
g. ened at the point where Mr.. Yarwo
e. had his keys in his hip pocket.
Id AT three O'Clock Monday afterno
is MIR. Yarwood was getting along l
vs. markably we'll. He is suffering &C
as slant aches in the back of his he
Sc and is in continual pains from
burns, but is able to be propped
N and talks with friends. DR.. Dewey
,r presses hope that he will reco'
m without losing any of his right e
vn as was first though probable"
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