File:History of the West End street railway, in which is included sketches of the early street railway of Boston- consolidation of the various lines- foreign street railways- the Berlin viaduct- anecdotes, (14574297128).jpg

Identifier: historyofwestend00hage (find matches)
Title: History of the West End street railway, in which is included sketches of the early street railway of Boston- consolidation of the various lines- foreign street railways- the Berlin viaduct- anecdotes, etc., together with speeches by President Henry M. Whitney, and others. Also, expert testimony as to the safety of electric currents..
Year: 1892 (1890s)
Authors: Hager, Louis P
Subjects: West End Street Railway Company Street-railroads
Publisher: Boston, Ed. and pub. by L. P. Hager
Contributing Library: Northeastern University, Snell Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Northeastern University, Snell Library

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aid, Here, you jump out of this, or you are dead. I knew 10,000volts would kill me. It was capable of leaping from one wire toanother, and at a distance of three-eights of an inch, and withoutfirst contacting them. I got hold of the wires, and took the currentin my body. The volume I had at that time, I was satisfied, wassufficient to kill me. But there was an enormous pressure, 10,000volts ; it had the power to jump through the air, and I got the fulleffect turned both ways. It went through me both ways fifty timesa second, this way and that way, and the only effect I felt was thatmy arms were numb when I got away. The Professor was then asked what would have been the effecthad the current been 50 or 100 amperes, and he said he had neverheard of such a case. He believed that a man receiving such acharge would be instantly vaporized — would disappear in smoke.But 10,000 volts would not do that. It would require a lightningdischarge. Cases have been reported, the Professor continued,
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VIEW OF ONE OF THE BABCOCK & WILCOX CO. BOILERS IN THE EAST CAMBRIDGEPOWER STATION OF THE WEST END. See page 83. WEST END STREET RAILWAY. 145 where men have been struck with lightning where they have beenfound considerably burnt by a very heavy lightning discharge pass-ing directly through them, an amount made up of so much horse-power, so that it practically disorganizes and vaporizes the wholestructure. A tree may be struck by lightning, and every particle ofmoisture in it may be vaporized in an instant, and the tree be ex-ploded in every direction, but I never knew of a case of that kind ina man. We are getting beyond any ordinary voltage produced byany apparatus at our disposal that could produce an effect like that. In regard to. the safety of the electrical system in thunder storms,Professor Thomson stated what nearly every one has observed, thatas the number of electric wires increase in a city, there is less troublefrom thunder storms. That is, there are so many points of

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