The Deadliest Job in History That Hid Its Danger on a Bare Wire

On October 11, 1889, a Western Union telegraph lineman named John Feeks climbed a fifty-foot pole at Chambers and Centre Streets in Manhattan. He left his rubber boots and gloves at the base. He was working telegraph wire. He didn't need them. A Westinghouse arc light wire had shorted against his telegraph line during a windstorm the night before, blocks away. There was no indication at the pole. Feeks grabbed the nearest wire to catch himself. He died instantly. His body hung there for forty-five minutes while the crowd watched. This is the story of the men who built America's electrical grid between 1882 and 1920 — the telegraph linemen recruited to climb poles carrying voltages they had never trained for, because no training existed yet. The engineers who designed the systems are in every history of the electrical era. The men who climbed the poles are in the Electrical World's incident log, next to the utility, the voltage, and the cause of death. Between the 1890s and 1930s, approximately one in three linemen were killed on the job. The records are in the Smithsonian. The names accumulate. Portions of this video contain edited or simulated visuals for illustrative purposes. Disclaimer: The pictures and clips used in the videos on this channel are a mix of illustration, royalty-free, public domain, or otherwise fall under the guidelines of fair use. No copyright infringement is intended. All rights belong to their respective owners. #IndustrialHistory #AmericanHistory #ElectricalHistory