George William Torrence

The Clearfield Progress, Clearfield, Pa.,
Saturday Evening, August 14. 1920

GEORGE TORRENCE LOSES LIFE ON LIVE WIRE

OTHER MEMBERS OF HIS CREW WERE SAVED BY PROMPT ACTION OF SUB STATION ENGINEER

CITIZENS MOURN WITH PARENTS

George Torrence, eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. C. L. Torrence, and one of Clearfield's finest and most deservedly popular young men, lost his life in a most distressing accident which occurred at Curwensville yesterday afternoon about 3:50 o'clock.

The deceased, who was a line foreman for the Penn Public Service Company, with a crew of eight men, was engaged in stringing the company's private telephone line on the oles which carried their light and power lines. The crew was working on Meadow street in Curwensville, near the Pennsylvania Station. Three of the crew were on poles some two b locks from where the accident occurred, while the remainder were on the ground pulling the wire from three rolls as it was being strung and attached to the poles by the linemen.

A "Sleeve" on the wire caught on the cross arm of a pole almost immediately in front of the company's sub-station. Line Foremen Torrrence went up the pole to loosen the wire which was kinked and twisted. These poles carry a 2200 volt high-power line at the top, with a secondary or light line below and the telephone wire was being run below the lower line. When the telephone wire was broken loose from where it had caught it jumped or flew up and came in contact with the high power line. It was thought that the young man's body was in contact with the secondary line at the time, there being a slight turn on the back of his neck, and when the telephone wire touched the heavily charged line a perfect ground was established and the death-dealing fluid coursed through his body. With a cry for help he was seen to fall until his safety belt caught him and kept him from falling to the ground.

William Wilson, of Curwensville the sub-station operator, was standing in the door of the sub-station watching Foreman Torrence at work upon the pole and when he saw him fall from the force of the shock he instantly sensed the difficulty and hurrying back to the switchboard quickly kicked off all the switches, shutting of the current on both lines. Mr. Wilson's prompt action undoubtably saved the lives of Percy Hoover of Clearfield, and George Lang, of Curwensville, two of the men working on the ground one block distant. These men were pulling the wire from the spools and when the electricity struck them they were both knocked unconcious. Hooven fell on the reel he was working at and was quiet severely burned about the hands, Face, Feet and body. In fact every place the wire toughed either face of body was burned and had the power not been shut off as quickly as it was he would have undoubtedly been incinerated. Lang was burned about the hands and feet.

Harold Turner, of Clearfield, also had three fingers burned while Robert Wright, Merille Bloom and Emory Lynch, all of Curwensville, also received burns on the hands and feet. Nothing but the fortunate situation and prompt action of Wilson saved a much more horrible tragedy.

Lester Smeal and another workman immediately turned their attention to rececitating Turner and Land and after a few minutes of artificial recesciation succeded in reviving them to concdnienceness. Turner was the first to come around and although so severely burned immediately ran to get a ladder for the purpose of getting Torrence body down off the pole from which it was hanging by his safety belt.

By this time the lineman who were working on poles two squared below, and the only men in the crew wearing "Climbers" were on the scene and one of these, Joseph Smith, of Clearfield, went up the pole and assisted in lowering the unconscious man's body to the ground. He was a large man and considerable difficulty was experienced in getting him down. He hung suspended by his belt for possibly ten minutes, but when taken down was not entirely lifeless.

Several doctors and nurses were promptly on the scene and worked desperately to restore the young man to consciousness but despite the fact that a sustained effort was made until 7 o'clock, it was unavailing and shortly after that time the physicians were compelled to admit the futility of their efforts.

The sad affair seems to have been purely accidental, as the high power wire had only been installed a few weeks ago and the insulation appeared to be in first class condition, while Foreman Torrence and the other linemen were equipped with rubber gloves and all necessary safety appliances. The ground men did not wear rubber gloves.

George Torrence was just 21 years of age. He was raised in Clearfield and was a graduate of Clearfield High School. A magnificent specimen of physical manhood, he took an active part in school athletics and during his school years was a leader of the football and track teams. Quiet and unassulting, genial and good natured, he was one of the most popular boys ? ? has produced and his undirectly ? has cast a pull of gloom over the community whose heartfelt sympathy goes out to the sorely stricken parents and family over the loss of their splendid son and brother.

When America entered the war George Torrence was one of the very first Clearfield boys to volunteer. He served with the justly famous Twenty-eighth Division in France and made a spendid record for himself. He was through all the severe fighting the Pennsylvania boys participated in but luckily escaped from the ? of the battlefield without a scratch.

Upon the return of the Twenty-eighth following the signing of the?, the deceased secured employment with the Penn Public Service Company and was recently advanced to the position of line foreman in recognition of his energy, ? and dependability.

George Torrence is survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. C. L. Torrence, of Cemetery Road, two brothers and two sisters.

His funeral will be held from his late home Monday afternoon at 2 p.m. and will be in charge of the American Legion, the deceased having been a member of John Shade Post No. 6, of Clearfield.