Re: Grim Safety Reminder

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

Original poster: "davep by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <davep-at-quik-dot-com>

I have seen, off 11kvac (RR Catenary,) sustained arcs to
3 feet or so.  Pans were faulty, would rise, then drop, pulling the
arc out.  My Aunt & Uncle were hiking a power line, saw an arc
to pine tree.  Being Good Doobies, they noted the pole number,
called it in.  Power Co said 'thanks.  Good to know where.  We've
been hunting that one but could not find it.  Too intermittent.

Common cause is 'switching surge', which can put a megavolt spike
on a 200kv line: these travel until dissipated, OR they find a
point to spark over.   Or lightning can do the same.

best
  dwp
====================================================

Tesla list wrote:

> Original poster: "John H. Couture by way of Terry Fritz
<twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <couturejh-at-mgte-dot-com>
> 
> 
> The cable installer may not have been "very stupid". He may have been a
> victim of the stupidity of safety engineers that do not understand the "long
> spark". Sparks from distribution lines can be several meters long. Refer to
> "The Long Spark" page 231 of "Lighting", Volume 1, edited by R.H.Golde,
> Academic Press, 1977.
> 
> I have read of several of these accidents and investigated a couple of these
> electrocutions. The long spark is created under special conditions that are
> not well understood. People can be several meters from the power lines and
> still get zapped. If you operate a Tesla coil outdoors keep in mind that a
> 12 KV distribution line can kill you from further away than you may think.
> 
> John Couture
> 
> -----------------------------
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tesla list [mailto:tesla-at-pupman-dot-com]
> Sent: Wednesday, May 08, 2002 7:00 AM
> To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject: Grim Safety Reminder
> 
> 
> Original poster: "Jonathan Peakall by way of Terry Fritz
> <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <jpeakall-at-madlabs.info>
> 
> All,
> 
> I am a firefighter with the Albion-Little River VFD. Two days ago we had a
> call
> which is a grim reminder to those of us that work with high voltage.
> 
> A cable installer (being VERY stupid) managed to catch the HV lines above
> his
> "cherry picker". When we arrived, he was still smoldering, we had to put him
> out. Literally. One of his arms was gone, just plain gone. The other was a
> stump. His genitals were a small melted lump. 40%-60% of his body had 3rd
> degree burns. In my 5 years with the FD, I have never seen anything nearly
> as
> horrifying. And we see stuff.
> 
> Unbelievably, the poor bastard lived. He has a wife and 3 kids with another
> on
> the way.
> 
> Anyway, it really impressed me. I can tell you that the image of this guy
> will
> be with me for the rest of my life, every time I am employing High Voltage.
> 
> Sorry to inject such a downer note on the list. But it has been on my mind.
> 
> Regards and SAFE COILING!!!
> 
> Jonathan Peakall
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>