POWER LEAKAGE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23400, 17 July 1939, Page 12

POWER LEAKAGE

FENCE ELECTRIFIED TWO PEOPLE SUFFER SHOCKS MAN SEVERELY AFFECTED Charged with electricity from ft radio mast stay which -came in contact with a faulty house service, a wire fence around the house adjoining tho Castor Bay store was responsible for two persons suffering shocks 011 Saturday. One of tho victims, Mr. Thomas Arthur Lord, married, aged 24, a labourer, employed by the Housing Department at Castor Bay, was severely shaken, and a boy recoived a slight shock. Taking hold of tho top wiro of the low fence to climb over it, Mr. Lord received tho full chargo of 230 volts. His cries wore heard by a woman in tho house, who sent a friend to investigate. It was found that Mr. Lord was still clasping tho wir'o firmly while lying on the ground and struggling violently. To rcleaso him two men had to pull, him away by his clothing. Although 110 suffered no burning, Mr. Lord was in great pain until treated by Dr. Taylor, of Takapuna. Later he was brought to the Auckland Hospital in a St. John ambulance, and his condition last night had improved to such an extent tbat it was considered to bo not serious. While attempting to climb over tho same fence, shortly after the mishap to Mr. Lord, .a boy, on grasping one of the four wires, was thrown back by tho current. Ho did not require medical attention. Artificial respiration was applied in Mr. Lord's caso by Mr. L. Quintal, a member of tho staff of tho Waitemata Electric-Power Board. An inspection by an officer of the Waitemata Electric-Power Board revealed that there was a leakago of current from a wiro into the iron roof of tho store. A wire stay on to a radio mast, passing over the edge of the roof, carried the current down to tho fence, where tho stay was fixed. The fault was promptly remedied.