Avon, NY Electricity Accident, Sept 1913

YOUNG LINEMAN IS ELECTROCUTED

Avon, Sept. 23. -- JOHN ELLISS of this village, a lineman employed by the Avon Electric company, was electrocuted yesterday afternoon when some wire which he was stringing in some unknown manner became charged with a high voltage of electricity. All efforts at resuscitation were unavailing. The accident occurred about 2:15 o'clock at the sub-station of the Livingston-Niagara Power company in the old RANDALL KINNEY farm in East Main street. ELLISS had been employed for some time in MARTIN P. COYNE'S gang of linemen, which has been at work rebuilding the street lighting system of the village of Avon. Yesterday they were at work stringing some new wire for the high tension line. HARRY ELLIOTT, a lineman, was on a pole near the street. The new wire, which was still on the big reel, needed tightening, and ELLISS, JAMES COYNE and FRED SCOTT took hold of the wire to draw it tight, when the current came through.
COYNE was first on the line and received but a slight shock, but ELLISS and SCOTT were thrown violently away from the line, although ELLISS still held (next line is unreadable -Transcriber) up. COYNE pulled the wire away from ELLISS, but when he did not get up an examination was made and showed that he was seriously injured. First aid was applied, and Drs. PERRY and PRESTON were summoned, but after working over him for two hours, they pronounced him dead.
ELLISS was about 26 years old and had lived in Avon for a couple of years, coming here from Pennsylvania.

The Syracuse Herald New York 1913-09-23
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!