To Whom it May Concern:
I am terribly sorry about the death of the man. It was very tragic. I send my deepest apologies to his family. But the blame cannot be put on alternating current alone. Yes, it was AC which killed him, but direct current would have the same effect if more volts were added to it. “With a continuous current of 400 volts a dog weighing fifty-seven and a half pounds was killed instantly. That an alternating current of one hundred volts, even when effectively applied, does not kill is shown by two experiments on another dog. A continuous current of 304 volts was applied for thirty seconds, and then an alternating current of one hundred volts for sixty-five seconds; yet the dog was unhurt” (A reply to Mr. Edison-P. 657). It is irrelevant how he died, or by which electric system. You cannot base your decision to shut down alternating current on the death of a man-its unethical. Look at how much progress we have made with AC. It is unbelievable sometimes. Millions of people are using it in their homes and buildings today safely, which cannot be done with direct current. “The reader of Mr. Edison’s article who is unfamiliar with the alternating system of distribution would naturally infer that in practice the same voltage is carried on the house wires as on the mains, as in the Edison system; but such is never the case under any circumstances. In this complete disconnection of the street and house wires found the reason of the positive safety both to life and property enjoyed by the users of the alternating system. It is one of the great advantages of this system that it admits of the use of high voltages for the street mains, and of wholly separate and independent currents, with absolutely safe voltage, for all wires within buildings- a condition which is infallibly secured and maintained by converters, or transformers, located in or near each building” (A Reply to Mr. Edison-P.658-659). We have benefited the world with its brilliance. Thomas Edison is just looking for ways to make alternating current look bad because it beat out his direct current. His unethical approach to why alternating current is not safe should not be considered at all. He will do whatever it takes to make his DC look better than my AC. So please, hear what I am saying, and make the right choice. Don’t shut alternating current down. It is the future. Thank you.
Sincerely,
George Westinghouse
