Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1893-01-11
A RUNAWAY ELEVATOR.

Exciting Experience of Nine People III
Louisville Building.
Eight men and boy had an exciting
time in the Commerce building at noon
yesterday. One of the elevators got
out of order and threatened to 60
through the roof. The eight men and
the small boy were unfortunate enough
to be passengers at that time. The
excitement lasted but a few minutes
hardly over three-but the time of the
nervous strain was variously computed
by those on board at from one to four
hours, says the Louisville Courier
Journal.
Just before noon two Of the elevators
stopped running; the one nearest to
the front door alone remained in opera
ton. The elevators are worked by n.y.
draulic power, and the force required to
work them was thus tbown on one.
1t was on an up trip that eight men
crowded into the elevator. Two of
them were Tom Craig and Donald Ross.
The door was closed with bang, and
the boy pulled the lever for the ascent.
In a second the throttle, as it were, was
wide open. The elevator seemed
travelling at the rate of sixty miles al
hour, and appeared every second to be
The elevator boy worked manfully at
the lever, and used every means to stop
the Gilt" but the machines refused to
take hold, and the wild career upward
continued. Suddenly the cage stopped
with jolt, and the elevator started
down at the same killing pace it had
been going upward.
Down two stories it dropped, and then
as suddenly began ascending again. By
this time all on board wished they were
somewhere else. They looked wildly
out on the polished floors where safety
was, and for the first time realized what
prison runaway elevator is.
Though the boy at the elevator ex-
restoring to skill and now to strength,
the movements of the elevator became
more and more eccentric.
1t went up 20 feet and fell 10. The
men thought they might have led bet
ter lives. 1t went up 80 feet and fell 10.
The elevator boy thought of some
mean things be had done. All resolved
that If they got out alive they would
walk straight and narrow paths for the
rest of their lives.
1t went up 10 feet and fell 30,
and then 1t dashed with deadly speed
toward the roof, and all the sins that
the 0lSQG cSS0u men ana the one Cag6u
boy had ever done rushed before them
like host Of devils. But it stopped
just in time, and once more reversed
brakes. 1t stopped with cruel jolts now
and then, but always between the
floors. leaving those on board still Gagged
in by wire wall. Time and again it
seemed certain that it would halt at one
of the floors; but it did not, and hope
died again Finally, after what seemed
an eternity Of torture, tie elevator did
stop two feet below one of the doors.
Mr.. Craig was closest to the exit, and
hastily throwing back the door he
leaped upward and out. Just as he did
SO the machine shot upward, and it was
only by hair breadth that he escaped
being crushed and almost certainly
killed.
After his escape the elevator contin-
ued to perform for minute, and then
once more became obedient. The seven
men and the boy got out as quickly as
possible. Ali were very thankful. The
elevator was examined and found to be
in good working order. The elevator
boy got on board and tried it for floor
or two, and, returning, pronounced
everything all right. The elevator
never did this before.