Re: Death Row HV Question

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <benmurrell-at-att-dot-net>

All,
On a note with Edison, trying to squash Tesla and Demote 
AC, he elecrocuted horses publicly with AC power.
    Bob
> Original poster: "Jim Lux by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" 
> <jimlux-at-earthlink-dot-net>
> 
> 2400VAC typically...  
> 
> Recall, though, that in this application, they take pains to get a good low
> impedance connection to the "load" (salt water soaked sponges, etc.).
> 
> I'll guess the total load impedance is around 100-1000 ohms, so the current
> would be in the few amps range.
> 
> A pulsed discharge might not kill you outright.  It would possibly stop
> your heart, and then you'd die from heart failure, much as occurs in many
> lightning strike cases.
> 
> While you might (!) survive a direct connection to a pig, there being a lot
> of variables (maybe, you might just burn your fingers off...) it's not
> something you'd want to count on.
> 
> I'd venture to guess that heart failure would be the most common cause of
> death due to electrocution, as opposed to, say, ohmic heating (burning up),
> but, I am sure there is some variability.
> 
> A significant cause of electric shock injury is actual mechanical trauma
> due to involuntary muscle contraction.  If you are climbing that power
> pole, and hit the wire, convulse, and fall 50 feet to the ground, the fall
> would kill you if the shock didn't.  On a more relevant to TC note, if you
> inadvertently get non-lethally shocked, the startle/jerk response might
> cause you to seriously cut or injure your arm/hand, etc.
> 
> 
> Interesting sidelight (tesla related, even)... Edison and Westinghouse were
> in a battle over how electrical power should be distributed. Westinghouse
> was using the AC technology developed and licensed from Tesla.  Edison
> claimed that AC was more "deadly" than DC (lethal current IS lower for AC
> at 50-60 Hz than DC), and got the NY legislature to use AC on the electric
> chair. Rumor has it that he agitated for the term "Westinghoused" to refer
> to the "execution by AC electrocution" process.
> 
> 
> 
> Tesla list wrote:
> > 
> > Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>"
> <Robynsaddiction-at-aol-dot-com>
> > 
> > Hello List,
> > 
> >         You know, I have been wondering what they typically feed the
dreaded
> > electric chairs. That is, what kind of voltage and amperage are we talking
> > about here? Will a pulsed discharge kill you faster than just getting
hit by
> > your PIG? Is a blow from a Pole Pig a definite death sentence, or is it
> > possible to survive such a nasty shock? On which part of the body would
> be the
> > most fatal place for me to take a shock? Perhaps from one hand to the
> other, or
> > would the head be the worst place to be hit. I'm not trying to be a sick
> freak,
> > but I am curious. Thanks to all who have the stomach to answer.
> >
> Richard
> 
> 
> 
B