C. Frederick Welch, 37, cable foreman, saved Edward C. Birks, 24, lineman, from electric shock, Waterbury, Connecticut, April 12, 1912. Birks was working on a pole 22 feet above the ground when he came into contact with the uninsulated end of a wire conducting a current of 2,300 volts of electricity. As he was grasping another wire, the entire current passed through his body, rendering him unconscious. Welch, who was at the foot of the pole, immediately climbed to an arm above Birks, intending to throw a rope around him, but when he saw Birks begin to fall, he grasped an arm with one hand and grabbed Birks with the other. He pulled Birks up and laid him across an arm and then tied a rope around him and pushed him clear of the wires. Other men then lowered Birks, and Welch descended to the ground. Birks was revived, but he was badly burned. 9852-785
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