Evening journal., 1892-12-05
FOR HEAVY DAMAGES.
Bird Cries "Pease | Pease p
But There Is No Peace.
FORGE CRANE THE CAUSE.

A South Wilmington Man Struck by
Crane, Badly Injured, Partially Recov-
ers and Then suicides-His Executor
Asks for $4,000 Damages-The wife
in Court.
A suit for $4,000 damages for persona
injuries was begun in the Superior Court
this morning by Joseph Quinn, executor
of Harry f. Peace VS. the Johnson Forge
company. Levi G. Bird and Andrew E.
Sanborne represented the plaintiff. Col
onel Benjamin Nields and his son. John
1 p. Nields. conducted tho defense.
Mr.. Bird then offered the letters Of ad-
ministration and they we're admitted in
evidence handsome model Of the fata
Grams and roll was also admitted. The
widow of Pease occupied a seat beside
Mr.. Bird.
The first witness called was William
Pitt, Of Nile, Ohio who worked in the
johnson Forge at the time Of the acci-
dent, on July 20. 1891. He said that
Peace and his brother-in-la law, William
Quinn, were lifting a 7,00O.pound roll to
it's seat He ordered them to do
it. They had almost lowered it
10 It's seat when Quinn cried Look out,
Harry, It Is slipping The witness was
about four feet from the men when the
slip occurred He saw Peace struck in
the back once by the crank handle and
fall TO the ground Quinn was thrown
in the air and then fell 'They could
not possibly have gotten out Of the way,
he said. 'lhe cranks were making
about 400 revolutions a minute. The
roll was twenty-five inches diameter
Z six feet in the barrel and thirteen
inches In the neck. / had never
: een pease use the Grain before
10 was an unusually heavy load for such
a crane. The lifting apparatus was de-
2 fective in many particulars. There were
no collars or chains TO prevent it from
slipping the cogs were worn smooth and
: CREASED, and there was no chain leading
e from the top gear to keep it from
slipping | considered it dangerous to
i, work with. After the accident 1 took
4 my thumb and pushed the gearing from
r one side TO the other, it was that loose.
Y In twenty three years experience / never
Z saw crane so defective. never saw
. a crane, modelled like that, in use any
4 any place except In stone quarry be-
o fore coming here.
q after the accident / asked Mr.. Ma
/. honey IL he were not going to send for q
doctor as Pease was badly hurt. He said
. Il don't know. I'll call see if / can't gel
Z him around
o Bird-''And he was bleeding and un
Z consciousT eyes.
Nields-"But he did get a doctorl'
eyes, n doctor, came-after awhile
Nields-"You spoke of a defect here a
the top. Did it have anything to do Will
q this accident2" "No."
Is Bird-"But it goes to show that th'
~ crane was defective
The Crane Had No Collar.
4. Emiel Richter, machinist employed
in the p. w. & b. railroad shops, prac
Z, tical crane builder testihad that tn
crane at the forge was defective in man.
particulars, especially so in having II
n collars to prevent slipping.
u William Mccullough Patrick Wells
and Joseph Shilling were present at tn
e. time Of the accident They testified t
er the incident and the Effectiveness O
the crane.
The latter stated that the collars o
ay the drum as shown ON the model wer
.a not on the original Sometimes the rope
in slipped off and there was a drop Of froi
'l' six to eight inches
ry Register in Chancery Ferguson offere
al James T. Shallcross, Richard Ferguson
is George M. d. Hart and r. G. Brocksoi
as his bondsmen. They were not preser
ON but viii be accepted when they appea
lie Ii....N tI... t..,I~ d, .o..r. ...,4g l0