From: "MaxB"
Subject: Crossing London tube tracks
Date: 03 April 2008 08:52

On 3 Apr, 06:02, "Roger T." wrote:
Up to around 3000v DC off a local generator IIRC (thus the dimming of
the prison lights as seen in many films is a load of old cobblers).
There was a DC v AC competition involving the public killing of an
elephant in the early days of deciding the "best" way to fry people;
prior to that Thomas Edison "perfected" his AC system by killing
numerous cats and dogs in experiments :-
http://www.ccadp.org/electricchair.htm

The local SPCA used to electrocute animals. Then they went to gassing,
now
it's the needle.

--
Cheers

Roger T.
Home of the Great Eastern Railway
at:-http://www.highspeedplus.com/~rogertra/
Latitude: 48° 25' North
Longitude: 123° 21' West

When we lived next to a 750v 3rd rail line, in the days when you could
have an allotment on the bank, our cat used to wander on to the tracks
quite regularly until one day, we assume, his tail swished against the
rail. When we finally caught up with him, there was a horrible smell
of singed fur and a bald patch on his tail. He kept away from the
rails after that.

I always understood that AC killed by high voltages but threw you off
so you might survive, but DC killed with low voltages because you just
stuck there!

MaxB

Reminds me of a time, hundreds of years ago, when I was about 10, and my dad
was repairing the electric iron. He had it in bits, looking for why it
didn't get hot any more. After he had put it back together he plugged it in
and while he was putting his tools away, asked me to touch it. Being
extremely naive I assumed that he wanted to know if it was getting hot or
not. So I touched it. "No. it' still cold", I said. "Oh, but you have sports
shoes on, take one off", he said. I really couldn't imagine how this was
going to affect my appreciation of how hot or cold the iron was, but I took
a shoe off and felt the iron again. "Zappaaloo !!!" I wasn't thrown across
the room, I simply couldn't let go! Dad pulled the plug out of the socket,
and more in frustration than sorrow, complained that obviously the iron
still wasn't fixed.

All this is true, whatever that means.