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Show SALT LAKE IN I ELECTROCUTED I Njpi I Curtin E. Erman Meets In- mm stant Death; Eugene L. SI Gerargen Dies in Hos- Sfl pital Later. mm BREAKING OF IRON H WIRE PROVES FATAL 81 Telephone Line Being Strung jE by Men When Live Wire B Falls Upon It; One B Injured. fl The sudden breaking of a heavy iron St wire which was being 6trung across tho ffll high power wires of thu Utah Copper w company in front of the home of B. W. H Wudleigu, near Bingham at noon yes- ED tcrday, caused tho instant death of jK&l Curtin E. Erman of this city by clec- q( trocution. and injured Eugene L. Gcr- argen so seriously that he died shortly Jh after midnight last night. Arthur Da- 9f s of !Nb. I Cottage court, this city. E was painfully injured. Ho is now- at ; l his home, where he is being attendod by physicians. Gerargen wai on a pole f l near the Jargo spool from which tho ; t? wiro wa3 being reeled, and wiu hurled W to tho ground. Davis was standing j near Erman. Gerargen was rushed to a i iS train for Salt Lake City, but his con- m dition wis so critical that ho was taken : Kg back and died in a Bingham hospital. ' kgj Telephone Line Falls. jj 1 The ti'lephon'' wire was being strung ; 9 by linemen of the Mountain States Tel- ; ajj ephono & Telegraph company. Several M men were working with tho wiro at tho j time of the accident. Both copper and 3j iron wire were being used, but the wiro that caused the accident was the iron '; j wire. Thi line was being strung over j and at right singles with the high powor M line of the 'oppcr company. Pulley i on each side nd some distance abovo tfj the power line wore uacri over which ; yj to drag the wires being strung. Sev- jgljjj eral men wore at either cud of the wire fc and great strongth was being e.xoreiied Kh to pull tho wiroover the pulleys. When tt tho wiro broke, the end nearest to the Bjfj reel fell upon the power lino ami caused Rjjj a terrific current to reach the three men who happened to have hold of the wire. ijjs Erman, who was holding the wire as KS it wns being Tcelod rrom tne inrge spool, was'tho subject of the most direct s ffjj current, his lody acting as a IS "ground." Ho was instantly killod. Wi Gerargen wns on a polo near tho spool, ; KM and tho contact there was sufficient to ' ffl hurl him to the ground. Gerargen was jjj unmarried and lived iu this city. J ffl 'Accounts Differ. f 1 The breaking of the iron wire was bo fig sudden and tho results followed in such S quick succession that nono of tho men Jj M near the scene waB able to give an ac- j curate account of tho accident. William to J. Sullivan, city foreman of the tele- $ phono company, questioned Mr. Davis g fo last night at the Davis home, and was Sljg able to learn enough to nunnise tbe re- ; E maindor of tho details. Nearly every ; g man who was near the scene of the ac- j Igg cident told a different story" of tho af- fc fair. It was at fim thought that tho Wft coil had becomo unwound suddenly, but jf tho fact that tho wire wus broken C weakens this theory. fflgjjj The men who were pulling the wiro & felt no shock whatever and it is sup- posed that thoir end of the wlro was HQ pulled clear of tho deadly current of 9jg tho Utah Copper company's wires. . JEM Erman, who was killod, lived with Kg his wife at 940 South Tenth East street, MM thiH city- Mrs. Erman wont last night M to Bingham to arrango for funeral serv- ices and burial, which will probably bu held hore. Gcrargoa was unmarried. tt Davis is boing attendod at his home W by physicians. , B Mr. Sullivan, city foreman of the te - H ephono companj'. in discussing tho accl- m& dent last night, said: Mm It iB extremely difficult to get a HSM conuocted story of tho a.ffiur. The H thing was done so quickly thnt flH nono of the men near tho spot aro H able to say definitely just how it Mm happened. Tho strongest theory mm thnt I can advance is that tho wire broke and the end connected with flfl tho reel fell upon tho high powor MB wires of tho Utah Copper company. H According to Mr. Davis, the iron vriro was being strung across and HH over tho high power wires and mlM whon the break came, tho end con- MM noctod with tho wires. Erman 'a body formed a conuec- Wmm tton with tho ground and this caused E0 the current to injure both Gerar- HOI gen and Davis. Just how Davis os flm raped serious injury s more than T t i;i j can say. as ho was standing near ! tho cpool |