Packet and Times May 5, 1932
DAVID BARBOUR OF MARA KILLED BY ELECTRIC WIRE.
A fallen power line and a boy’s natural curiosity combined to cause the tragic death of David Barbour, fifteen year old son of Mr. and Mrs. James Barbour (Agnes Flood), Mara Township on Friday morning April 29, when he attempted to find the cause of sparks from a barbed wire on a fence rail.
The boy started out that morning a 7 o’clock to accompany his father part way to work at the home of a neighbour and on his return he was to bring back some sheep. His mother thought that she saw him pass the house with the sheep about 8 o’clock bur when he didn’t return later to do the chores as usual she went to look for him. In the lane she saw a sheep lying on the ground and went over to investigate only to find the body of her young son lying about 6 feet from the sheep. He was terribly injured, one hand and forearm being completely gone, also one foot and all his clothing. The mother tried to move him but received a shock. Distracted, she ran about a quarter of a mile to Routley’s quarry, seeking help. One of the men from the quarry went to the spot and with the help of his sweater removed the body from the charged fence wire on which he was lying. A telephone message was sent from the quarry to the sub-station by Mr. Kehoe. Mr. A. Huffman who was in the sub-station at that time and five other men left immediately on learning of the accident in the hope of being able to use resuscitation to restore life but on reaching the boy found that he had been beyond help for some time.
It is believed that the power line which runs from Atherley sub-station to the Routley quarry and passed over Mr. Barbour’s property fell some time on Thursday afternoon as men at the quarry said the power seemed weak during the later part of the day and that evening David Barbour, the unfortunate lad who had lost his life, is said to have noticed a light in the lane, probably from the fallen wire. He had wanted to investigate at the time but for some reason had not dome so. It is supposed that he again noticed the spark next morning and in examining it touched the charged wire. When he fell he pulled the barbed wire and the top rail of the fence to the ground where the wire came in contact with the sheep , killing it also. The spot where the accident occurred was about 25 feet from where the current was grounded by a break in the barbed wire along which it was travelling and at a point where another
Couldn’t find the rest of this article. He is buried in St. Columbkille’s Roman Catholic Cemetery, Uptergrove. See also p 37 They Came to Mara.