The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-02-16
TERRIBLE FALL.
4 WORKMAN HURLED SEVENTY.
FIVE FEET TO THE GROUND.
How the Unfortunate Affair Occurred.
The Victim Struck By Lowering Beam
and Knocked or . scafoid-His Fall
Broxen and Instant Death Arrested.

YESTERDAY afternoon, shortly after 2
o'clock, Mr.. Frederick Thornton, aged
20 years, lsbOrer employed on
the hosting tower at the City Hall, was
thrown from the platform on which he
was standing by a swinging beam and
fell to the earth.
The circumstances OF the unfortunate
affair we're these Thornton was stand
ing on the lower plank scaffold beneath
the main platform on which Is the en-.
gine and machinery for working the
stone hoisting machine. The tower is
near 100 feet above the ground, and the
scaffold on which Thornton was stand
ing is about seventy-fve feet from the
basement Of the building. The timbers
which were inserted under the upper
platform as It was slowly raised
by the jack screws, being no longer
needed, were in process OF being taken
| down. Thornton standing on this mar
row scaffold had been warned TO keep an
outlook for them as they were lowered
past him by means of ropes. He was
hammering a nail In place when one OF
these ,lmbers came down. and Just then
the rope turned and the timbers struck
the beam on which Thornton was ham
merin2, knocking him of the scanoid.
| He fell through the many cross timDers
| In the tower. and by some il was thought
that lie fell through 10 the ground In the
basement without touching a cross beam,
but others employed on the tower are OF
opinion that he struck his breast against
one of T. ese cross. beams, and that break
ing his fall was all that prevented instant
death.
Men at once went 10 the basement, and
| Thornton was taken out and the city
ambulance summoned. 1t soon arrived
and the injured man was taken 10 the
residence OF his br jtherin law, No. 2,i2l
east Main street. Arriving there, DR.. W .
Williams was called in 10 attend him. II
was found that he had received bad cut
IN the head, which was sewed up. He
also complained OF fearful pain in the
breast, and gave an account OF the fall
similar TO that herein described. 1t was
impossible for the doctors 10 tell what
were the extent of his internal Injuries
when the reporter left.
Mr.. ]. J. Schlosser, foreman OF the
men working On the tower--to see
whom a TIMES reporter climbed the lad
ders-said Mr. Williams was sober, in
dustrious man, attentive TO duty and
worthy OF all confidence. That lie was
stranger 10 him, having been recently
employed as laborer. Mr.. Schlosser
pointed out how the accident happened,
and while talking the reporter himself
came near being struck on the head with
piece of falling timber thereby narrow
ly escaping a practical illustration as to
how the accident happened.
Mr.. Thornton came from Michigan
about three weeks ago 10 visit brother
in. law here and 10 obtain work. He Is a
married man,
Mr.. Schlosser told he reporter that tho
tower now nearly completed h9d been
erected by men working in all sorts 0i
weather on narrow scatiolds consisting
Of timbers of single planks seventy,
eighty, and ninety feet in the air, and
who were really swinging between
heaven aud earth. This, however, was
the first accident which had happened.
He had left Mr.. Thornton only few
minutes before lie was knocked OF the
scaffold.
Enquiry at le O'Clock revealed the fact
that Mr.. Thornton was still alive.