Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-07-10
FELL FIVE FLIGHTS.
FEARFUL DROP or A CITY HALL ELE-
vATOR JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT.
Captain watt TayIor's Leg Badly Mashed-
business OF the Fire Board-Msnual
Of the Department.

The six members Of the Richmond
Board OF Fire Commissioners. the Chief
and his two assistants, and Superintend-
ent Thompson, OF the Fire Alarm De-
partment. had an experience shortly after
midnight which they will remember
long time The board had Just con-
cluded Its session. which had been n
lengthy and tedious one. and these gem
tlemen had entered one Of the City Hail
elevators to go to the ground floor. Be-
fore this point was reached an acci-
dent had happened. which badly in
jured Fthe left leg Of Captain G. Watt
Taylor. the member Of the board from
Marshall Ward. and threw the balance
Of the party into the widest conster-
nation. Only the most perfect presence
| of mind of Messrs. George f. Paynter.
and G. p. Minor. Of the Fire-Alarm De-
partmsnt. saved Captain Taylor and
Assistant-Chief Shaw from horrible
deaths.
THE ELEVATOR HUNG.
When the gentlemen entered the waiter
| to go down, Superintendent Thompson
caught the rope to manipulate the car.
AS the elevator was passing between the
second and third floors it hung, and could
not be moved. Mr.. Paynter was called.
and he came from the fire alarm quar-
! ters, which are located on the fourth
floor, and realizing the predcament Of
the commissioners and his chiefs, he Sc
| cured a screwdriver and removed the
wire screens from the door of the car.
When this had been done, Messrs. Joseph
l.. Levy. Charles F. Taylor, and Second
. Assistant-Chief Snead crawled out. This
lightened the waiter, and it began TO
move upwardly. 1t ascended the shaft
as high as possible, and then retraced its
way to the fourth hoor-the starting
point Here Commissioner jenkins and
Assistant-Chief Shaw allghted, and Cap
tain G.. Watt Taylor attempted to follow
suit, but he WAS little too late. His
left leg was caught between the top of
the elevator door and the edge OF the
flood and he was severely mashed. But
for the quick work OF Messrs. Paynter
and Minor, who caught him by either
arm and jerked him out as quickly as
possible, he would have been mashed TO
DEATH
WENT UP AGAIN.
The carriage then went a little way and
came up again. Asslstant-Chef Shaw
poked his head in at the door, and only
had 1t pulled back in time TO keep 1t
from being mashed by the passing ma
chine. This only increased the excitement.
Several others were in the elevator still,
and Mr.. Paynter cried out TO Superin-
tendent Thompson to run the car TO the
bottom, and the superintendent 1erked
the rope and the conveyance dropped al
most like a bullet to the basement of the
City Hall, a distance of five floors. The
heavy steel springs at the terminal point
was what saved several persons from
being dashed to death by the fearful fall.
The Departments Manual.
The session OF the board was not a
very interesting one. When President
John II. Frischkorn called the body to
order the following members answered tc
their names: Messrs. Il. G. jenkins, j. Il
Levy, j. II. Sheppard. Charles +. Taylor
and G. Watt Taylor.
The question OF compiling manua
for the government Of the department
was the principal business considered.
John S. Walters was elected a perna
nent hoseman in No. Engine Company
vice j. II. Parsons. who declined e
qualify Mr.. Parsons was then eiecte'
substitute hoseman in No 2, and william
IIeeke was designated Smithsonian II
No. ).
Assistant-Chief Shaw was granted tel
days leave of absence, as were also {.
Burbank and Charles D. Goode.
The Chief was directed to have som
repalrs made to No. engne-house.
The board then went into the considera
ton of the manual. which occupied thei
attention until midnight, at which tim
tbav adjourned