New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-02-02
PRICE THREE CENTS.
HEAD FIRST DOWN A SHAFT.
A PATIENT WHEELED TO HIS DEATH.


AT ROOSEVELT HOSPITAL
fatal accident. not devoid of dramatic I'm
cidents, occurred at the Roosevelt Hospital on
Tuesday near nightfall. Charles Mclean. age
twenty-three, who had been received at the HOS
pital on Monday. afflicted with an abscess of the
h'p was operated upon the next afternoon After
he had been etherized where he lay In Ward 8.
known as the Surgical Pavilion, he had been
taken up to the operatng-room on the
second floor Of the hospital upon the elevator,
and after the operation had been performed
and drainage pines had been inserted,
returned at p. IN. to the charge Of Thomas Mills
and Herbert II. Bennett. hospital Orderles, VINO
had brought hm from the Pavilion, to be taken
The patient, still under the influence Of anss-
thetics. was wheeled by Bennett 10 the elevator
gate upon the carriage used for transferring pa
tlents. Mills unlocked and throw back the gate
there are no elevator attendants at the Roosevelt
Hospital and tnen hurried tc the operating room
to see to another patient undergoing an operation.
The shaft s dark at all hours and the elevator ~
lighted by Qas. but Bennett, VINO had been at the
hospital only week; believing from the move
mens OF Mills that all was rignt, pushed tho car
rage with the unconscious patient through the
gateway.
TRYING TO SAVE THE PATENTS LIPr.
The wheels had passed through the aperture. let.
ting the bed of The carriage down upon the stone
threshold. before Bennett became aware thar
no elevator there. He then made
frantic effort by pulling the car
but Mclean. with his bed and pillow, slid precipi
lately into the shaft. and falling a distance Of
twenty-tnree and a half feet two storles struck
with great force on his head on the stone bottom.
An alarm sounded and Mclean was taken up
still unconscious. Every effort was made by the
he ded In about an hour Yesterday afternoon the
following communication received By mall ana
dated " Roosevelt Hospital, Jany 81, 1885,, was
opened AZ the CorOners office:
A deafh p1erc
cumstances that to call for Coroners nqnesI VIII
the Coroner please call Wednesday morning. If practicable
and obige JAMES r. LArHRoP Superintendent
Deputy Corner o Olleara went to the hospital and
made an examination or McLean's body. ascertain
Ing that death had been caused by fracture of tue
base Of tue skul Bennett WAS arrested by an oil
Ger sent BY Captain hillllea, and was locked up 40
the Twenty-second Precinct Police station on q
cnarge OF nomiclde. Coroner Nugel visited the hos
pltai aud ma e u thorough Investigation of the case
There are two elevators IN the hospital, one hy-
draulic and The other operated by steam. All the
surgeons and attendants OF the hospital arc sup
piled with keys to the elevator doors, and when
any OF them wishes to use an eleN ator the door
is unlocked, an electric button Is touched TO give
the signal up and down the shalt, and the elevator
is drawn down or up TO the required toor as the
case may he. No other precautions TO prcNenu
accidents have been thought necessary
THE EHpLANATION or THE SUPERINTENDENT.
Superintendent Lathrop told the coroner that he
had employed Bennett, who is an Englishman and
has been four years and a half in this country, on
the recommendation of the Rev. DIR. George h.
Baker, superintendent of st. Luke's Hospital, who
certified that he had full confidence IN the young
mans character" Bennett, who Is about twenty
five years old, had been employed fourteen months
in the same caracity at St. Luke's Hospital
Thomas Mills, the other orderly, who was in
charge of Ward ), has been at the Roosevelt llosp
tai since April 1856. He also came from st.
LuIe's.
Coroner Nugent directed that Bennett should be-
brought before him for examination at his office
AT o'clock day If no criminal negligence shall
appear il is probable that he will be paroled.
Superintendent Lathrop declined 10 say whether hs
would reemploy him in Of his final discharge.
No action taken to Mills and he was still
| on duty last evening at the hospital
Charles Mclean, who lost his life by the ac-
cident, w7is Scotchman and has been In this
country since SS3. He was born near Glasgow,
and his father, mother, two brothers and three
sisters live at Rutherglen. Mclean obtained en-
poymcnt in the dry goods house OF Sheppard Il
salesman. But he troubled for two years with
lameness-thc result OF the abscess forming in his
hp-which Of late grew rapidly worse He, there
fore. decided after correspondence with his aunt,
Mrs. Caldwell Of No 723 Tenth-ave., TO come 10
New York for treatment. Accordingly he arrived
here last Friday and went TO board with Scotch
family. named Deans, at No 506 East Thirty third
ST. Here DIR. Buchanan, OF West Thirticth ST.. ad-
vsed him TO go to the Roosevelt Hospital where
the doctor thought he might receive treatment that
would effect n permanent cure. McLean's funeral
will take place at noon to-day from his aunts
house In Tenthavc. and the burial will be in the
Cemetery Of the ENrrgreens
i H. is asserted that few hospitals in Ncw-York
employ attendants for their elevators. Superin-
tendent LathrOp SAYS that 70 employ boys in such
a capacitv at the Roosevelt Hospital would be
educating them I'm idleness."