Jesse E. Young (1890-1916)

YOUNG, BAUM

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 3/28/2022 at 18:49:11

From Nevada Representative September 26, 1916 (page 1)

KILLED AT ELECTRIC PLANT
Jesse E. Young is the Victim

A fatal accident occurred Sunday forenoon at the electric light and power station in this city, the victim being Jesse E. Young, aged 24, who had recently been employed by the Iowa Light and Power company and who was at the time in charge of the station. He was alone in the building at the time of the accident, although Ross Jones, who has long been an engineer at the plant and T. A. Metcalf, now of Belle Plaine but formerly connected with the plant also had been with him just out side. Others of the local electric force were over by State Center, setting a new pole for the high tension line to Colo and beyond to Rhodes and Baxter and they phones in from Colo for young to throw the current off from that line. Young left the others named to answer the phone and then cut off the current as directed, but was heard by the others to cry out. They rushed in and found him unconscious. He was carried across the street to the offices of the Nevada Tractor company where everything possible was done to revive him Local doctors were summoned, another doctor and assistant cam over from Ames with a pulmotor, and n the evening train Drs. Hamilton of Cedar Rapids and Boyce of Iowa City also arrived; but the expert judgment was that he died about noon, and at no time did he respond to the efforts made in his behalf.

The direct cause of the accident seems to be well enough understood by those familiar with the detail of the business. There are several high tension wires running out from the plant to surrounding towns, and by throwing a lever on the main switch board. Young cut them all off. Next he went to the back end of the building and made the necessary changes of cutting Colo off and leaving Maxwell and Collins on and then he returned to the north end and threw on the main lever again so that Maxwell and Collins could get their current. At this stage he probably remembered that he had not put on the Colo wire the proper card warning anyone else not to make that connection, and without throwing the main lever on again he went to hang on the card. In hanging it on he got mixed up with one of the adjacent wires received his shock.

The deceased came here from Garrison in Benton county, where had been his home. He was unmarried and had neither father, mother, brothers nor sisters.* His nearest relatives are uncles and aunts. His boy was taken last evening to Garrison for interment.

*SUBMITTER'S NOTE: According to his death record, Jesse E. Young was born 11 November 1890 in Kansas and was the son of James Harvey Young and Mary Baum. He died 24 September 1916 in Nevada, Story County, Iowa. In the 1910 Jackson, Benton County, Iowa census Jesse is living with Calvin Baum (his uncle?) and is listed as a hired man at age 18.