Boy and Girl Narrowly Escape Death When Kite Anchor Hits ‘Live’ Wire

On March 8, 1923, two Bowling Green children were reportedly injured while flying a kite. They had replaced the regular string with a thin piece of copper wire. When this copper wire came into contact with an electrical wire, it gave the children quite a shock. The young girl was flung a few feet backward due to the electrocution. The bolt of electricity passed through the boy. Neighbors reported the young man was stunned for about 30 minutes and he had a bad burn on the bottom of his foot. The girl also had some burns on her hands. If the copper wire had been thicker, the injuries they sustained would have been far worse. The children were able to return to their homes to rest after being treated.

– “Way Back When in Warren County” is compiled by researchers at the Warren County Public Library and appears twice weekly in the Bowling Green Daily News. For more information about the library, visit warrenpl.org.