Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-07-18
HELD HIM IN AGONY
A Man Caught by an Elevator
Platform.
HIS BODY DRAWN IN TO THE WAIST.

Attempts to Release Him by Moving
the Platform Cause Him to Suffer
FrightfuIIy-rhe Wall Finally Torn
Down and the Unfortunate Released
Death in the Flames-A Railway Hor-
ror Reported on the Chicago and Erie
in Ohio.
NEW YORK, July 1S-For more than
half an hour yesterday afternoon a man
hung in the air pinched between an eleva-
tor and brick wall, with broken bones
and suffering horrible agony, while a
crowd stood under him utterly helpless to
succor or relieve him. This strange scene
was witnessed in the wholesale hat house
of A. c. Woodruff g. Co., 252 Mere,
street. The man was Joseph Michaels, "A
years old and porter in the hat house e.
AT 4:3O he got On the freight elevator on
the first floor and started to go to the top
floor. Michaels stood somewhat careless
ly on one side of the platform as it went
up and must have let his right foot dan.
gle over the edge between the side of the
platform and the we'll
Made a Human Wedge of Him.
The elevator slid past the foot and
gripped vice-like on the leg Either Mi
chaels was too startled to stop the machine
or the rope was out of his reach The plat
form ran away up the wall, drawing his
left leg into the same wise and crushing
them and squeezing finally his whole badly
When it had reached his waist and lis
whole frame below that had been horribly
damned and mangled against the wall
the human wedge stopped the machinery
and Michaels hung there, uttering tie
most heartrending shrieks of anguish, the
whole power of the machine still pulling
up against him.
Attempted to Move the Platform.
AT Michaes' first shrek Police Captain
Brogan sent out hurry call for an ambu-
lance and then had the elevator machinery
stopped and tried to get the platform
down SOFAS to release the man. But Il e
instant the platform was moved down II
inch Michaels redoubled his screams. II =
flesh being ali torn ana mangled He O.
clared between his cries and groans that .
move the platform over his hurts again
was worse than to leave him wi e he was
Repeated efforts showed the man was
right
Had to Take Down the Wall.
In this situation the crowd that he'd
gathered We're unable to do thing to
help him, but ran up and down in help
less excitement. Finally Captain Borgan
sent messenger around to Engine house
No. 80, with Instructions to bring three
tiremen with pickaXes and crowbars.
Foreman Nash, of the engine company,
brought the men over himself. Under
his direction they followed out Captain
Borgan's idea, and began to dig through
the wall opposte to where Michaels was
hanging, while the ambulance surgeon
gave Micheals opiates until he ceased to
feel his pain.
Terrible Injuries Received.
At $50 the fremen took out the last
brick and drew Michaels out His right
leg was broken in two places, one being
a compound fracture. Above the knees to
the waist the flesh was almost ground off
his bones. Blood had flown from these
hurts until it was a wonder Michaels was
alive. He was taken to the hospital and
the surgeons, after his wounds were
dressed, said that in spite of them he
would probably get we'll.