The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-05-21
ATHREE TON TUMBLE.
"A Heavy Safe Pitches Down a Flight
OF Stairs-.A Strange Accident
With Little Damage.


An iron safe Weighing not less than
three tons, came tulnbling down the flight
of stairs between Nv. r. Johnson's jew.
elry store and Champions book and sta
tionery house in Fries block this morn
ing, shocking anA frightening everyone
in the building with the noise it made,
and shaking the brick structure as if a
cyclone had struck ii. 1t was about 8
O'Clock when the accident happened. and
crowd soon gathered from several
blocks around to barn the meaning of
the laundering noiss the massive concern
made in its preeipitdtio ion A clerk in an
adjoining store came Alshing out with the
idea that one of those 4ectric disturbances
which have become topvrequent of late to
be pleasant had settled upon Rock Island
as q scene of its terrible destruction and
vengeance, and that the bank building on
the corner had been an object OF its fury,
with the prospect of every one in the
block being doomed to horrible death.
Such happily. it was plain to see was not
the case and the huge safe which stood
in the middle sidewalk told the tale of
the disturbance.
The safe is the property of Mr.. 1T.
Kenworthy, who has recently removed
from the second floor of that block to IN
Office in the Burial building on Sec
ond avenue, and Mr.. G. Schreiner
the contractor, who has been
putting in new stairs and
making other Improvements about
the building first named, directed force
of his men to remove the safe, which Mr..
Kenworthy had left until the stairs were
widened, so that less difficulty might be
experienced in removing it. The safe
weighs at least three tons, ana a MINDLESS
had been put up at the head of the stairs
to which rope was attached so that the
safe might be let down gradually. The
rope was wrapped firmly about the safe
and an end fastened TO drum or spool
through which passed an iron rod on the
end of which was crank for winding OF
unwinding the rope, The rod and
spool were supposed to be fastend
tight together, so that turning the
rod by means of the crank would
turn the spool or drum, and thus the safe
might be allowed to descend the stairs a
the will of the men, having the strength
TO guide the crank. A plank had beer
provided for the safe to slide on, ant
when the great iron institution was hal
down, the rod slipped in the SPOOL th,
men held on to the crank, but OF course
that did not prevent the rope from IN.
winding under the circumstances. and
down went the safe, thumpetY, thump
thump, bump TO the sidewalk. II SHOOT
the entire building, smashed the doors
and ripped the moulding and casing of
at the foot of the stairs
Two gentlemen had been stan ding a
the foot of the stairs watching the SAT,
descend, when one of them remarked
'lf any of that machinery should Civ
away, that safe would come down here 81
rapidly that it would be the last of u.s.
Nonsense, replied the other, m
danger. Those men understand thei
business, there can be no accident there
But at this juncture the mishap di,
occur. and the way the latter put dow
Second avenue ont of the way was @
caution. A game of checkers nigh
have been played upon his coat tails.
1t however was marvellous escape o
life and property, the damage to the SAT-
being scarcely noticeable, and to thu
property, nominal. Had any one PASSED
in front of that stairway as the SAT
came down, or had those men not seel
the accident in time, there would hav
heen specimens of crushed and manele,
humanity IN front of that building.