Edison Electrocution 2-Kolyo D.

In the previous post we discussed that Edison’s ways were cruel and now we prove the same point by introducing the electric chair scenario in to the picture. Edison hired Brown to make the electric chair using Westinghouse’s system. Brown succeeded in making something terrible. Edison proved his stupidity once again. As we said in the previous post there was many other ways to show the people that AC was not good or DC was better. Even thou it was not. Edison could not bear the fact that AC was more efficient than DC and that it was more practically for everyday use, so he went on and put on these terrible shows of animals dyeing and then he could easily be blamed for the suffering of the first person electrocuted. This just shows us what some people are willing to do to come out victorious. This literally put the war of the currents into perspective by actually taking a life. It is sort of ironic in a cruel way!

Lineman’s Electrocution- Rich M.

Dear Friends,

It has come to my attention that the Great Thomas Edison is assailing Mr. George Westinghouse and his revolutionary AC power system. This assault on the safety of AC power should not be tolerated. Though Mr. Edison may be acting out of concern for public safety I urge him to take a look at the death caused by gas lighting and the safety hazards of his own DC power system. It has been made known to the public that in the year 1888, 64 people were killed in streetcar accidents, 55 in omnibus and wagon accidents, 23 by gas lighting accidents, and all of five by electrocution. If Mr. Edison wants to make the streets safe then I suggest that he focus his time on improving the streetcar system rather that wantonly attacking a competitor in the electric lighting industry who has developed a clearly superior product.  Furthermore Mr. Edison’s claims are clearly based on nothing more than unscientific speculation. This is made clear by the horror show of a execution that killed Mr. Kemmler. For Mr. Edison to claim that because one good man was killed by AC power that it should be banned from public use is ridiculous.

Sincerely,

A friend of the American people

Sources:

Jonnes, Jill. Empires of Light. New York: Random House, 2004. 198-204.

Edison and Electrocution 2- Aysha R

Edison’s position on electrocution was totally unethical. Edison and Brown convinced tons of people that alternating current would kill people instantly. When Kemmer was sentenced to death by electrocution, it was proven that alternating current was not anymore dangerous than direct current was. Kemmer was electrocuted and did not die. Only after being tortured for a while, Kemmer died. After the brutal toture of Kemmer witnessed by hundreds of people, alternating current was established as not as harmful as Edison claimed. Because of Edison’s jealousy, Kemmer died a horrible death. Edison’s unethical behave hurt everyone and helped no one.

Edison Electrocution – Wes Vullo

I consider Edison’s position unethical due to his determination in using Westinghouse’s AC as a tool to kill humans. Bourke Cockran, a stout lawyer, questioned Edison’s knowledge of electricity when it came to electrocution. Cockran took a stand that many would not attempt to take, as Edison was the known “founder” of electricity. Edison told Cockran that he was certain that electrocution would kill a human instantly, and then briefly described how electricity kills a man. Throughout this conversation, Cockran was very questionable to Edison. Cockran believed that electricity might be too cruel and unusual to execute a human being. Cockran was also sarcastic in his exchange with Edison, also signifying disgust for Edison’s ideas. Edison’s testimony as an expert in the Kemmler case stated that 1000 volts of AC could kill a man instantly. When Kemmler was finally put into the chair, he was burnt to death, and the experiment failed horribly. The physicians present stated the stench was unbearable.

Now it comes down to whether or not Edison was misconceived. Although this is highly improbable due to Edison’s knowledge of electricity, it is quite amusing to see Edison’s reaction. Edison rushed to demonstrate electricity as a method of capital punishment, but in turn failed. Misconceived? Doubt it. Losing control and grip of the market of electricity? Indeed.

Edison, Brown and Electrocution 2 – Robert

I believe that the position that Edison took on electrocution was both unethical and misconceived. Edison testified in court that AC current was the best way to execute a person by electrocution. However, he did not actually know if this was true and used his reputation to make people think that he knew what he was talking about. Because of his testimony, Kemmler was sentenced to death by electrocution. However, when the switch was thrown he was subjected to unbearable amounts of pain instead of instant death. After discovering that he was still alive, they electrocuted him several more times, which caused his mouth to start foaming, his skin to begin burning, and his clothes to burst into flames. There was no question that this was cruel and unusual punishment and although I don’t believe that Edison had expected something like that to happen, he still caused a man to suffer greatly just to give his competitor a bad name.

Edison Electrocution 2-June Sri

Edison’s position on electrocution was unethical. Edison hired Brown to create an electric chair, but he used an alternating current system to operate the chair instead of his “safe” direct current system. Westinghouse had no will to use an alternating current to do anything that was unethical and would bring the death to people’s life, but he got the blame for using the electric chair for electrocution when William Kemmler lost his trial.

William Kemmler was the first person who would be killed using an electric chair. Kemmler’s lawyer thought that electrocution was cruel and unusual punishment. Westinghouse agreed with Kemmler’s lawyer, and tried to help Kemmler out. The appeal failed at last, because Edison claimed that electrocution would be fast and painless. The fact was that it was unsure either electrocution would be painless or not painless, there were many people that subjected to huge amounts of electricity and had survived. Only reason that made Edison supported electrocution was that it would discredit Westinghouse and his alternating current system.

Edison and Electrocution Pt. 2- Will

I feel that Edison’s vision and actions to show Alternating Current was dangerous were most definetly unethical. He was trying to show that AC was unsafe and should not be used, but he took it to an entirely different level and put lives at stake. Edison was a scientific genius, but whenever he was opposed, he would become offended and what he did best would turn into something cruel and unusual. If it was not bad enough that he electrocuted innocent animals, he did it to his own species as well. Even when the human experiment did not do the job at first, he continued at it until the man was at his state of death. I feel like if he was that opposed to a change that was not his he could have found a more productive way to solve the problem, like finding proven facts, instead of harming other people in the process. Although the motive makes a lot of sense, the means that he went about proving his point was unjustifiable and cruel. It is not as if he was giving a reason as to why AC was worse, he was just attacking it because he was opposed to it which is an unethical and unhealthy way to handle things.

Edison, Brown, and Electrocution 2 – Elton

Edison wants to show people that alternating current is dangerous and should not be used in the mass public.  He goes into court and says, because of all of his experiments that he has done approximately 1000 volts of a/c would be enough to mummify a man.  Kemmler was the guy who was to be put to death by the new found death penalty.  Cockran was hired by Westinghouse to not defend a killer but to defend his invention which is not ethical or unethical but self fish.  Edison used an assumption that all people have the same resistance and that 1000 a/c volts would be enough to kill, but when Kemmlerwas put to death by the chair it wasn’t enough. The shock only  stiffened his body and slowly cooked him inside. This caused extreme pain and cruelty that showed everyone that witnessed that this was inhumane. Edison didn’t take this into account and was just trying to undermine Westinghouse and become the winner in A/C vs D/C power.  This was totally unethical by any means.

Edison on Electricution – Joey M

I believe Edison’s position on electrocution was unethical, and of poor character. Instead of actually productively searching for a better solution for an electrical lighting system, he couldn’t see past his own direct current. Instead of learning from his competition, he just denounced them to promote his own business. He went to great lengths to associate Westinghouse’s alternating current with the electrocution and death of criminals. He went so far as to actually have a criminal executed using AC, which he claimed would be quick and painless. However, as described in Empires of Light page 212, the execution did not happen according to plan. Edison was responsible for the slow cruel death of somebody because he was so caught up in his business.

Edison Electrocution – Michael

I believe that Edison’s involvement with electrocution was slightly unethical but at the same time was more of just a misconceived way of trying to discredit AC systems. In my opinion the idea for death by electrocution was an ingenious way to execute criminals who committed capital crimes.  Although electrocution was a good idea, not enough time was spent on the actual calculations. This became a major problem later on when Kemmler was scheduled to be killed by electrocution. When the electrocution process began, the calculations were off and the system didn’t have high enough voltages to instantly kill Kemmler. In order to kill Kemmler they had to electrocute him multiple times. These multiple electrocution caused him to have violent seizures, foam at the mouth, and eventually caught his clothes on fire. This aspect of electrocution was completely unethical; no person should have to go through that much torture. I believe that Edison got involved in electrocution in hopes of discrediting AC, but it backfired on him when he put too much trust in Brown’s calculation. Edison’s tactics weren’t completely unethical; he was just trying to protect his company.