Joseph McKenna

“ A witness who had experience with the construction of electric railway systems, and was familiar with the action of electricity generally, and had experience in superintending the work of disconnecting a plow from an electric car and adjusting the wires to move an overhead system, testified that, in his opinion as an expert, it would be the duty of a conductor to keep the trolley off the wire until he received some signal from the man beneath the car. ”

“ A leak is when the electricity comes through a hole in the insulation, caused by the wear and tear or from the insulation being old or imperfect.'
The same witness also testified 'that the company furnishes gloves in the pit with which to handle live plows and wires. But it is not customary or required to use the gloves except upon rainy days. On bright days, the car, when over the pit, is supposed to be 'dead,' and you don't take off the plows with gloves; you can't half do your work with them. That danger from electricity is increased from perspiration, rain, or other moisture. ”

“ The cars of the Metropolitan Company, therefore, are equipped not only with a 'plow' and mechanism for the underground system, but with a trolley pole and mechanism for an overhead system. To attach these mechanisms to their respective systems it is necessary to run a car over an excavation on the line of the Great Falls Company known as the 'pit.' The 'pitman' is thus emabled to remove the 'plow' from a car to be transferred from the Metropolitan line to the Great Falls line, and adjust or attach the wires or 'leads' necessary for the operation of the car over the Great Falls line. ”