Evening journal., 1893-02-17
ADAMS -CLYMER CASE.
Small Pony-Planers Are Not
Dangerous and Boys Run Them
INTERESTING OWL SUIT ENDING.
Defense Bring ON the Stand the Manu-
facturer of Clymer's Machine, Who
Says That They Are Not Dangerous
and That They Are Operated by Boys
In the House of Correction.

During the session Of Superior Court |
yesterday afternoon the plaintiffs side |
OF the case of Adams vs.. Clymer for
5000 for the loss of right hand, in a
pony planer was concluded. The prin
cipal witnesses heard were Benjamin f.
Strickler and William l. Adams, the
plaintiffs father Mr.. Strickler swore
that nobody, with common sense, would
ever put his hands over the planer. in
order to reach for goods from the other
side Il was dangerous and, If he lifted
the strips back over the knives it was
particularly dangerous. Mr.. Adams
testified that on the day of the accident,
Mr.. Clymer said that he would help the
boy after he recovered.
The Defense Opened.
Mr.. Vandegrift opened for the defense.
He said it was considered very simple
case The defense would show that
Adams sought the employment, was
asked If he knew how TO work machines
of this kind, to which he answered af
frmatively; that he was cautioned not
TO be careless in the handling of that
machine; that the accident was caused
at the time when he was looking out the
window at some girls; that the machine
was safe, less likely TO cause accident
than a sewing machine that the witness
was never instructed TO put his hand
over the machine to draw the work back
that no palmer defense was ever put be-
/ fore jury.
Francis I. Clymer, the defendant, tes-
| tilted that the boy, Lewis c. Adams, had
come to work for him with the under.
standing that he had worked at general
millwork at ]. O. Briers. The machine
to which Adams was assigned had been
in use for seven years before the acci-
dent, and nobody was ever injured on il.
although $50 men have used it. He
worked it thousands of times himself.
Nobody could be injured by the machine
if attending to IT, When Adams lost his
hand in the planer he (Adams) was look
ing out the window at some girls and
paying no attention whatever to his
work Considered it no more dangerous
than a sewing machine
Thomas Hogue, lad Of 1G swore that
ne had used the machine and thought
that there was no danger in it If the
operator attended TO business.
Strong Defense Testimony To-Day.
Messrs Bradford and Vandegrft con.
tinued the examination of witnesses for
the defense this morning. Stephen
Downey. who had worked in and owned
mill-work machinery for years and saw
no unusual danger in the pony
plaiuer ANY intelligent boy who
attended to his work could operate
such a machine with success. When
witness testified to an inspection Of the
machine this morning to ascertain where
the suction was, Mr. Harrington OBJ
iected and lengthy squabble between
! oil Iv Ia
was allowed to testify that a piece OF
paper was blown away from the machine
instead of being drawn in.
Plenty of Work Until Monday.
At this junction of the proceeding.
the court seeing that the case was as
suming larger proportions than was ex
pected, discharged the Superior Court
Jurors from further attendance unit
Monday. 1t was decided to 60 over the
trial list to morrow morn ing.
That Pony-Planer not Dangerous.
Otho Selby. with fourteen years exper
fence in mill-work. testified that tn,
pony-planer at Clymer's was not neces
sarily dangerous
Foreman Patrick J. Mes weeney, Of the
Clymer works, swore that it required M
previous knowledge to run strips through
pony planer. Would put any boy o.
sixteen years old who possessed
average intelligence, to operate the
machines
Alfred T. Coverdale had worked on TIT
machine when 16 ye lrs old, having been
put to work on such machine by w j.
Hume, who yesterday testified that the
, machine was fearfully dangerous. Had
never been hurt by such machine.
Isaac p. Biggs did not see how an at
l tentive and intelligent boy could be in
3 iured when he exercised any degree o.
/ care On cross examination, he state'
9 that for any mans personal safety it wa
t necessary for him to exercise care Will
D operating such machine.
b. john E. HendricksOn, an employe of
e the Clymer company, could not see ho7
e an intellige mt boy could be hurt at thu
machine if proper care was exercised
which was necessary in any machinery
Richard Burton, Jr., of the Jackson
n Sharp Co., swore that while the bo
Q worked for the Clymer Company he W a
q also employed at Jackson Sharp's an
=, frequ emily had to be warned because @
= his p ersistent neglect and careless
i ness while operating his machin
q On the morning of the accident ha
l. warned MIN INlce. None Dut tdrtlta
y boy would get hurt there.
" The Manufacturer Testifes.
Mr.. Bradford called TO the stan
Francis j. Gleason, Of Philadelphia. {
the firm of Z. +. Gleason, who mad
3 the pony-planer at Clymers. II
said that they were the leas
If dangerous of any planning machine
= made and that hundreds are being use
+. in the House Of Correction, Philadelphi
Z He -had never heard of an accideI
e on them.
A. On cross examination witness state
IS that the House Of Correction machine
were not operated by one boy.
Court then took a recess until 2.30 tn
l. afternoon.
10 Everything Serene at Honolulu
~ SAN FRANcIsco, Feb. 17.-The Steam
~.