Lineman’s Death – Dave D

Dear Editor,

The tragic death John Feeks, a Western Union lineman, brought a harsh reality to the general public. We have now seen first hand how deadly electricity can be and I know it has made many people very sceptical about it’s use. I, on the other hand, believe that electricity will bring about a grand and new vision to the world and will change our lives as we know it. That being said I do not believe you should post articles condemning Westinghouse’s electrical system. I believe Westinghouse’s system will be much more efficient because of his ability to send electricity over long distances. While Edison’s system may be more safe, it is cost deficient. His system would require many ‘central stations’ to be installed throughout cities, driving the total cost of his electrical system through the roof. Although Westinghouse’s system has been proven fatal because of Mr. Feeks’ death, I think this will drive Westinghouse to create a much safer system. I do not believe something as great as his AC system should be thrown away because of a tragic accident like this, other inventions such as cars and trains have proven to also be fatal yet this are still widely used throughout our society. I think people should embrace this new innovation while still being careful of it’s dangers.

Very Respectfully,
              Anonymous Citizen

Extra Credit on ethics and business-June Sri

Good business practices do not always involve with ethical behavior. Edison’s involvement in capital punishment was very unethical, yet very profitable for his business. Looking from economic and business world perspective, Edison tried to decrease the demand for Westinghouse’s AC system and increase the demand for his DC system. DC system, as a substitute of AC system, would be used more. Edison did quite a right thing in business world if no ethical issue was concerned.

I think that tactics that Edison used do not directly justify in modern business, but those tactics come in another form that look more ethical. We could see that in modern business world such as an unethical business practices in US health insurance companies. Some insurance companies do not tell the consumer about many health exceptions that would not be covered in an insurance. Some consumers spend all money they gain from work to pay for health insurance, and that when the insurance doesn’t cover their health issue, they could not effort to get help from the doctor. Another example is the bank’s unethical overdraft fee practices. Many banks give a special offer to people with low income. Those banks want people with low income to overuse their money, become overdraft, and do not effort to pay those money back. When those people do not effort to pay back, and they have to find other ways to get money otherwise the dept would continuously increase (which is what banks want to happen). Some people lose everything they have in life because of those depts. Some people commit suicide because they could not find the way to get out of the dept. Bank companies were very beneficial from those overdraft fee from low income families. They get a great profit out of it, but they had a very unethical business behavior. Good business practices do not always involve with ethical behavior.

Linemen’s Death – Wesley C

Dear Editor,

It is well known that the death of John E.H. Feeks was incineration by high voltage electric wires. Rest in peace, fellow Mr. Feeks. I do not deny that Feeks’ death was tragic, but, to throw away something as amazing as Alternating Current is equally a tragedy. There is nothing in this world that is purely good. Every hero has his faults, much like every technology has its dangers. Electricity has proven to be a great power, providing the powers of fire but without the uncontrollability. The implications of AC are vast, and revolutionary. Yes, perhaps some safety precautions must be enacted, and surely, they will be, but to completely deny a technology solely because of one unforeseen incident is outrageous, and the convenience we sacrifice by denying Alternating Current is too much. Now that the horrible danger of our AC is known, we can focus on prevention of another occurrence. Perhaps we’ll wrap our electric power lines with Remember, our technology is new, and very little is known about it, but it is also powerful and great.

Sincerely,
Alexander Carlson

Lineman’s Death – Robert

Dear Editor,

Although the horrible death of John Feeks, a Western Union lineman, was caused by Alternating Current, it does not mean that AC current is less safe than DC current. Mr. Feeks was removing dead wires from a large mass of wires when he received a shock. He then grabbed another wire to steady himself and was electrocuted. He then fell into a large network of wires and was electrocuted again until he died. However, the type of wires that he touched and the type of current running through them are unknown. The reason that Mr. Feeks died was because he was because he was not taking the correct safety measures. While Alternating Current is still dangerous and can still kill a person if it’s voltage is high enough, this fact is also true for Direct Current. AC current is a better choice for our country because it can provide power to a much much larger area then DC current. It can do this by using transformers, which can raise or lower the voltage running through the wires.

Sincerely,

An informed citizen

Lineman’s Death – Ryan C

Through the past decade that the general public has been provided with electricity, be it from an alternating current or a direct current, there have been a minimum number of misfortunes. As with any new technology, there are unavoidable accidents which result largely from ignorance and inexperience as we explore the new capabilities and flaws of the new technology. These accidents are regrettable and sometimes tragic; however, for society to develop and progress, new technologies must be developed and tested. As a concerned customer of the Westinghouse Electric Company, I do not believe the solution to this issue lies in the elimination of a new technology (and thus entire companies), but within the local government to require standards of safety within all electrical companies. We have an amazing new technology on our hands that can only lead to an improved standard of living for the peoples of the great United States and the world, but it is up to us to develop the technology that will aid posterity, not hinder it.

 

Charles Harrison

Lineman’s Death – Michael

Dear Editor,

As a citizen of humanity I write to you now in order to explain the true dangers of Alternating Current. My case should be self explanatory due to the recent event involving Westinghouse’s AC system. Only a few days ago John Feeks, a Western Linemen worker, was savagely electrocuted by Westinghouse’s AC system. This event is one that has long been foreseen by myself and fellow colleagues. Westinghouse has sacrificed the safety of all beings in order to save money in his system. So right now thousands of people are walking the streets beneath an unsafe electrical system that has already viciously killed one man and has the potential to kill thousands more. If we are to continue to use electricity we should follow the ways of Thomas Edison and his DC system. Although DC is still dangerous, Edison has taken the time and effort to bury his lines underground to ensure that his system is far less likely to endanger human kind. Furthermore I believe that the AC system is far to dangerous for use in cities and should only be used in rural areas where there is a low population of citizens.

Sincerely,

Albert Harrington

Lineman’s Death – Cory S

Dear People,

                We have reached a new dawn and it is not the sun lighting us but rather the electricity which flows through our streets and into our homes and business’s. However this new era of power comes with the tolls of litering our cities and neighborhoods with dangerous power lines and telegraph cables. Above us we have constantly flowing AC current which was put there by the Westinghouse power company. In just recent events the life of a lineman was taken by these very power lines. I urge you the general people to not be pulled in by the new technologies of the Westinghouse Power company, AC is dangerous and incompatible with our society. It is simply astonishing to me that we would standby and watch as our friends and loved ones are in constant jepordy because of the power lines which hold AC current. In order to be safe we need to follow the examples set by Thomas Edison, the father of the safer DC current. Edison has already addressed the issues of public safety by placing the powerlines underground so that we will not be in harms way, something Westinghouse power has obviously overlooked.

Sincerely,

Professor Baron Von Dickinson 

Lineman’s Electrocution- Will F.

To whom it may concern,

Electricity has come to a new truning point in our lives today. It is the new fish and chips of today’s technological world. Earlier this week we lost one of our great collegues and workers, John E. H. Feeks, to electrocution high above the ground. Westinghouse’s representatives have argued that if my collegue had used the proper safety equipment, that he would have been safe. Well I say that we are Western Union workers and we work with telegraph lines. Therefore, I do not see sufficent reasoning to use safety equipment. To me, if a company is out of business, their products, in this case the power lines, should be terminated. However, the lines were still hanging and did cause my friend to perish off of this Earth. Not only that, but to go against Westinghouse’s representatives arguments, there have been no tests that have proven that there is safe equipment for alternating current lines. So, if my friend has died, how many other people can die from this. The way I feel is that there is no proven safe equipment and that the state of New York should have not allowed the lines to be hanging in the community. Even if this happened to be a freak accident, it can not be rewound and redone. This mistake was careless and unacceptable for the state of New York and for the Westinghouse company.

Sincerely,

Duane Lyke Cox

Lineman’s Death-June Sri

Dear Editor,

I’m George Westinghouse. I’m sorry for the dreadful accident that happened to John E. H. Feeks. I did not want that to happen. I’m concern about the public safety, and I would like to make a change in the alternating current system to make it safer.  First of all, I would like to organize all wires uses in alternating current system so that they are to be higher above the ground. Secondly, I would like to make new policy for Western Union worker. They have to wear insulated gloves while working to prevent electric shock. In addition to the insulated gloves, I would like to isolate the operator from ground, so there’s no conductive path from the live conductor, through the operator’s body, to ground to prevent the heart shocked, because when hands make contact with object with voltages, current can exist through the body from one hand to the other, current could make the shocked trough the heart. The isolating operator from ground would solve that problem. I still insist that the alternating current should still be used in factories, business, and rural area the way it is before, because alternating current gives more advantages that disadvantages, and also those disadvantages can be prevented. After this new alternating system plan, I’m sure that there would be none accident because of my alternating current system, or if there’s one, I would do anything to make it safer and better for all.

Sincerely,

George Westinghouse

Jonnes, Jill. Empires  of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the race to electrify the world.  New York: Randon House, 2003. 198-214

“Electric shock” Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. 24 November 2008. Wikimedia Foundation. 24 November 2008.  < http://en.wikipedia.org/>

Lineman’s Electrocution – Joey M

Dear fellow citizens,

In the past few years a new technology has emerged that I believe will change the world; the electrical power system. The two major competitors of this up and coming industry are Edison and Westinghouse. Their major difference is Edison is promoting direct current and Westinghouse is promoting alternating current. I believe electric power has an incredible potential to facilitate our live, but is also very dangerous. As many of you know, a lineman, while working with alternating current electric wires, was gruesomely electricuted in the streets last week. This is awful, and I am very sympathetic to his wife and children, but it is also warning of the dangers of this technology. Edison has claimed that electrocutions like this will happen frequently with AC and we should support DC instead. I am of the opinion that in all new technologies there will be significant risks, but we can not let that hold us back. This linemans death should only warn us all of the risks and teach us that extreme care must be taken when working with AC wires.

Sincerely,

Mr. James Hubert Smithington III