The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-25
IMPALED ON AN IRON SPIKE.
HUaRIBLE DEATH OF PAINTER
JOHN r. HODGES.


A Rotten Rope Broke and Hurried
Him and Charles Burnham to the
Ground al The sIcAIpfn Bufldings.
Hodges Caught on the Iron Rail-
fnE-A spike Pierced His Heart.
He Leaves a Family in Destitute
Cfreumstnnces-Bur Escaped
Win serious Injuries.
4 terrible accident occurred at the Nc
Alpin building. at Barnard and Hull
streets. yesterday afternoon, resulting III
the sudden death of John Hodges, and
the serious injury Of Charles Durham.
both painters.
The men had just begun work on a
swim ing ladder suspended from the roof
when the rope holding one end OF the lad
der gave way. precipitating the men to
the ground. The accident occurred at the
last one Of the new houses from the cor
ner.
The men were just under the caves Of
the house and about thirty-hve feet from
the ground. Hodges. who was nearer 20
the street, fell upon the iron railing. en-
closing the small yard adjoining, and was
impalea upon one of the spikes. Hodges
fen upon his left side and the spike pierced
his body for it's fun length of about I'VE
Inches. The wound was just over the
heart. and the spike is believed to have
pierced that organ. The accident was hor-
rible in all its details. The workmen
on the buildings were almost paralyzed
with horror al the sight OF the writing
body upon the iron railing. Several Of
them were ordered by the foreman TO re-
move the body from the fence as it was
thought that Hodges was still alive The
spike was arrow-shaped and the barbs
had caught in the flesh. 1t required con-
siderable Juggling at the body before tine
man could be extricated. The sight was
a sickening one to those VINO had rushed
to the scene. When the body was taken
from the fence it was laid on the ground.
II was then seen that life was extinct.
Or. B. 5. Purse had been summoned and
attended TO Burnham. who had fallen on
the ground inside the yard. His right
wrist was fractured, and he was badly
shaken up. lie was removed to ST. Jo-
seph lnnrmary in the police ambulance.
coroner Goette, who hau been summoned.
arrived very promptly and took charge Of
iiOdSes body, removing il first TO his UNI
uertak4ng establishment on Broughton
street, and afterwards 10 the dead man
home On Roberts street, near West Broad.
he made an investigation and found
that the accident was due to. the frail
condition OF the rope which supported
the swinging platform. There are two
theories as to the condition of the rope.
Coroner Goette thinks that IL was simply
rotten from long use. A contractor who
examined the rope stated TO a Morning
News reporter that It was eaten out
with acid, the same platform having been
used by the brickmasons who washed
down the walls with acid a day or two
before. The place where the rope parted
was where it was pressed against the
wall and the part naturally became satu-
rated with the acid. Failure to inspect
the rope or TO provide new ropes was
the cause Of the accident.
1t 4 difficult to say whore the blame
hes The men We're employed by the day
by Mr.. Matt OConnell. who is superin-
tending the work for Mr.. Henry McAlpin.
Mr. OConnel was greatly shocked by the
accident. To "a Morning News reporter
ne SAID that IL was the first of the kind
which had occurred to him in his ex-
closed up the buildings and ceased work
Tor the day. as the wOrkmen were en-
urely demoralzed by the accident and
ne did not care himself to continue work
under the circumstances.
Hodges death seemed truly a fatality
He only went TO work on the buildings
yesterday morning at O'clock, and any
one of half dozen little things might
nave prevented the accident resulting
as II did. The place where he fell was
the only place about the buildings where
such an accident could have occurred
The deceased was a workingman of
the poorest class and leaves a wife and
two children without means of support.
The inquest on Hodges was held last
night at his home. The verdict of the Jury
was that he came to his death in the man
ner stated and that the accident was
due to the faulty condition of the rope.
me Jury did not attempt to fix the blame,
however