Evening star., 1924-01-22
First ElectrOcutiOn Plotted
AS Grim Joke, Writer Says

to the low tension required for in
candescent lighting at. any point.
IhOs. Westinghouse could cover out
tyins and scattered towns and DIS
trlcts with his alternating current
system, and could also drop into the
territories occupied by the Edison
pants In direct competition with the
Edlson companies, but WESTINGHOUSE.
Al tnat time, had no load for his
circuits. except by using the in
candescent lamps and other appur-
tenances which the Edisol COMPANY
ciaimeo TO own and control The all
teFnatlng current motor was not in
Sented and made practical until later,
ana the arc light which was soon de-
Viseo for use on alternating circuits
was too noisy for indoor use. Hence
the Westinghouse company went on
Win the alternating system, infring-
ahg the lncandescent lamp patents.
ana number OF suits were filed
against 1t by the Edison company
tEIec. World. Jan. l. 1887. page -.
Then commenced a campaign. car
lied out mainly by one Harold p.
Brown. supposedly independent
engineer, to discredit the alternating
current as deadly and the Edison
company also issued circulars calling
attention to the danger of alternat-
ing currents. as their advertisements
IN the journals OF the day show II
electrocution was to be adopted, it
could not hurt the Edison company
because the tension OF its current was
! TOO low TO be used. The main pur-
pose of the campaign was to have
the alternating current excluded from
use in the cities and towns where 1t
came in competition with the Edison
plants. by making Il odious, as q
death dealing system, and, OF course.
It's adoption for electrocution would
serve this purpose.
Following through the records. we
find the Independent engineer, Brown,
killing dogs with the death dealing
alternating current and giving the
results to the press &c. World. vol.
II. No. 8. p. SO, and later on. before
the electrocution law went Into effect.
killing larger animals at tho Edison
! laboratories with the deadly alter
mating current &c. World, vol. ~, p.
3l2). Also. we find q good illustra-
ton of Browns propaganda in a let
June $. 1883. repeated in the EIec-
trical World, vol. IL, 3. 40, with reply
notes from the Westinghouse engi-
neers which are interesting reading.
Following Is brief extract from this
letter to the Post:
IF the pulsating current is dan
gerous. then the alternating can be
described by no adjective less for
chile than damnRble .. Its
supporters may say that on account
primary or death current to enter
the house.
"The only excuse for the fatal
alternating current is thae 1t saves
the company operating 1t from spend
ing a larger sum of money for the
heavier copper wires which are re-
quired by the safe incandescent sys-
tenn. That is, the public must sub
NIT to constant danger rom sudden
death, in order that a corporation
may pay little larger dividend
Following example Of Chicago.
the board of electrical control should
forbid the use Of the fatal alterrsat-
ing current"
1, 1888. The safe incandescent sys-
tenn" would not kill. but the commit
tee was convinced by Browns ex-
periments that the deadly alternating
current (Which Is now used in our
houses everywhere) would kill. But
to get the deadly Westinghouse el-
ternators? Westinghouse would not
sell them to discredit his own sys-
tenn. Here is where the independent
ing to the evidence in the Kemmler
case, Brown contracted with the war
den of the Auburn penitentiary to
supply the apparatus and he obtained
two Westinghouse alternating ma
chimes for the state Of New York,
company, but through Frank Ridlon,
a. dealer in secondhand electrical ap-
paratus In Boston. Mass.
Thus was e1ectrocution put over on
the state Of New York as q grim
Joke on the Westinghouse Electric
Company In the effort to discredit
| the alternating current system OF dis
trfbutfon. A few years later the
lion and the lamb lay down together
and II the legislative inquiry had
come along at this period It Is doubt
full II any effort or assistance would
have been given by the electric COM
pAnies to encourage electrocution. .
The Electrical Review, July az, 1883.
page 4. says that "since the Testimony
in the Kemmler case has been pub
lished, many Of the leading journals
| in the state have emphattcafly de-
manded the repeal OF the law. and
II looks now as IL we were not going
to have any electrical executions"
The law has not been repealed. which
shows that It is sometimes harder
to have a law repealed than to have
1t enacted, and that Is good .rea-
son for investigating now the ques-
ton of the best method Of executing
criminals, instead Of blindly follow
ing what was adopted over thirty
years ago, under the circumstances
which have outlined and which can
be verified by any one. taking the
pains to look up the records.
ROBERT WATSON