The Electric Well
A routine repair at a Hanford well turns into a brush with death when a frayed electrical cord nearly kills a man deep underground.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
While attempting to remove an electric motor from one of the wells on the Hanford ranch west of town today, Friday noon, Edmund Anderson had both of his hands frightfully burned and came near to losing his life. He was standing on the motor platform about 40 feet down the well giving instructions to Ferd Luhmann, who was hoisting the motor on a windlass. An electric light cord on which a bulb was attached was hung from the top of the well to furnish light, and it is thought Mr. Anderson must have taken hold of this cord where the insulation had worn off, and received the full shock of the current. When the motor had been raised about 15 feet, Mr. Anderson suddenly ceased giving instructions and when his son, Arthur, who was at the top of the well, looked down he could see nothing but electric sparks. He hastily jerked the cord up and this act probably saved his father's life.
“When his son, Arthur, who was at the top of the well holding the cord out of the way of the ascending motor, looked down he could see nothing but electric sparks.”
Workplace safety remains a vital civic issue. While the technology has changed, the danger of working with outdated equipment—or failing to maintain infrastructure—remains a persistent risk for agricultural workers.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.