Arthur W. Mckinney

Arthur W. McKinney saved Fred H. Maxwell from electric shock, Emory, Georgia, December 4, 1930. Maxwell, 34, timekeeper, from a ladder climbed upon a steel frame structure on which there were wires and switches, which carried a current of 19,000 volts of electricity. Unaware that the wires and switches were charged, he started to step over a switch 16 feet above the ground and received a shock, causing the grounding of the current. Maxwell with his leg on the switch sank in a recumbent position on a horizontal cross-bar, which was six inches wide. He was not unconscious but was unable to speak or shift his position. McKinney, 39, electrical foreman, who knew the current soon would be returned to the switch by means of a switch at a distant substation, ascended a ladder to the top of a large transformer near the structure and sprang up on a beam close to Maxwell. Stooping, he grasped Maxwell’s leg and pulled it away from the switch. He then grasped Maxwell under the armpits and drew him farther from the switch. Others helped McKinney take Maxwell to the ground. Maxwell sustained serious burns and was disabled for about three months. The current was returned to the switch 30 seconds after Maxwell was shocked. McKinney was uninjured.