Multnomah County OR Archives Obituaries.....Waldron, Thomas October 1904
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Sheron Faynor nitwittwin@hotmail.com February 7, 2008, 7:22 am

Morning Oregonian October 2,1904
Dead In A Flash
Lineman Falls From Pole,Slain By 10,1000 Volts Of Electricity
Thomas Waldron, a lineman employed by te Portland General Electric Company, 
met with a horrible death by electrocution while on the top of a telephone 
pole, near Eleventh and Burnside streets, yesterday forenoon. After 10,000 
volts of electricity had passed through his brain, the lifeless body fell a 
distnace of 55 feet. the instant death and the fall only served to mange the 
body.
At the time of the tragedy Waldron was descending from the pole after having 
made some repairs. Other worlmen were near, but none were watching Waldron.The 
first intimation they had of anything wrong was when there was a sudden flash 
and electrical display and they turned to behold the gruesome spectacle of 
Waldron's body,writhing on the pole. An instant later his muscles relaxed and 
the lifeless form fell to the ground. While 1700 volts of electrcity is 
sufficient to cause death, 40,000 had passed through his body.
No one saw the tragedy,but it is supposed Waldron was careless in passing a 
live wire,of which,it is said,he had been warned. His hat brim appears to have 
touched the wire and thus a circuit was formed, the current piercing his brain.
The body was at once removed from the street by Coroner Finley removed from 
the street by Coroner Finley and taken to the morgue.
Waldron was 28 years of age. he left a young wife, residing at 308 Fourth 
street. The funeral will be held tomorrow afternoon at 2 o'clock from Finely's 
undertaking chapel.

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