The Deadly Hum of the Electric Current
A routine building fire in downtown Seattle turns into a terrifying, lethal brush with the new technology of electricity.
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.
A great many people seem to think that all a fireman has to do is to wear a blue suit with bright buttons and sit around in a comfortable engine house. As a matter of fact, a fireman never starts to a fire but he takes his life in his hands. If he doesn't take his death of cold as a result of being drenched from head to foot, he is liable to be crushed by a falling wall or burned to death by an explosion. There is constant danger and hardship in a fireman's life, and they get much less pay for their work than they deserve. Thus spoke a fire laddie to a reporter after a recent experience of the fire department. There was a fire in the one-story brick structure on the corner of First and Columbia streets. At that same instant, the firemen rushed to the room, and there were constant yells as each felt the effect of the deadly current. The room was dark, and the men danced an involuntary double-quick. The supposition is that the water dripping from the wires had caused all the woodwork in the room to become charged with electricity. The men learned afterward that the circuit of the motor was heavy. It was only the presence of mind of the men to put the chemical hose through a window. Had this been done and the brass nozzle of the pipe come in contact with the motor, with the result of the electricity following the chemical lead back, there would doubtless have been three or four deaths.
“A great many people seem to think that all a fireman has to do is to wear a blue suit with bright buttons and sit around in a comfortable engine house. As a matter of fact, a fireman never starts to a fire but he takes his life in his hands.”
This 1889 account highlights the era when electricity was a brand-new, often lethal, and poorly understood utility in Seattle’s rapidly developing urban core. Today, while we have evolved past these 'charged' hazards, the story resonates with the ongoing, dangerous evolution of our city's infrastructure and the hidden risks faced by first responders.
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