NEWSPAPERS: Electrocution of Chester B. Allen, Jackson County, Oregon *************************************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES(tm) NOTICE All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with United States Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by noncommercial entities so long as all notices and submitter information is included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ *************************************************************************** Transcribed and formatted for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Elizabeth Corethers 17 Feb 2003 *************************************************************************** Jacksonville (Oregon) Post, Saturday, 2 January 1909, p. 1 CHESTER B. ALLEN ELECTROCUTED Chester B. Allen, aged 22 years, and a son of James Allen, who is an old timer in the valley met with a serious accident Tuesday afternoon while engaged at stringing an electric power line between Phoenix and Talent. He threw a wire over a pole which crossed with a power wire carrying 20,000 volts of electricity and death was almost instantaneous. The ground where Allen was standing was wet which rendered escape from death impossible. Two physicians were called, one from Medford and another from Ashland but the man was beyond all medical skill and nothing could be done although the body was warm when the doctors arrived. Two other linemen had just dropped the wire an instant before and no doubt they would have been electrocuted only for the fact that they noticed an electric spark in a small puddle of water and stepped to one side. Allen gave the wire a flip and sank to his knees, the linemen asked if he was hurt and he said "yes" and fell to the ground dead. Allen had been warned by the foreman the day before when he attempted to "flip" the wire over a tree.