A Live Wire Takes a Trimmer's Foot
An electric-light worker pays a brutal price for a fall across Tacoma's city wires.
Tacoma, Jan. 9.—Special.—James O'Rourke, an electric light trimmer, who was horribly burned about the hands and foot a month ago by falling crosswise over the city electric wires, had his right foot amputated today as a result of the accident. One of the fingers of the right hand may also have to be amputated.
“James O'Rourke, an electric light trimmer, who was horribly burned about the hands and foot a month ago by falling crosswise over the city electric wires, had his right foot amputated today as a result of the accident.”
Electrification made city work more dangerous in the 1890s, and utility linemen still face some of the highest risks on the job. O'Rourke's amputation is a stark reminder of the human cost behind the wires that powered Tacoma's growth.
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