Orman Lee Pettit, 32, laborer, died attempting to rescue Henry C. Paden, 26, clerk, from electric shock, Harrison, Arkansas, February 20, 1931. While Paden, who was on his lawn, was trying to extend an aerial wire from the chimney of his home to a tree across the street, the wire got in contact with one or more wires that were 25 feet above the street and were charged with a current of 2,300 volts of electricity. He was shocked and lay on the lawn, grasping the wire in one hand. It was almost dark. The aerial wire extended on the ground in loose coils and flashed at points of contact with the ground. Flame two feet high rose from Paden. Pettit, who knew the voltage of the wires, cautioned Paden’s wife not to touch Paden or the wire. Standing within five feet of Paden, Pettit severed the aerial wire with an ax. He was shocked and fell face down on the wire, and smoke and flame rose from around him. Pettit and Paden were removed from the wire, but neither could be revived.
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