The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-08-30
DOWN WITH A CRASH.
Came the Madison Street Coal
Elevator and Car.
MURPHY's FORTUNATE ESCAPE.
When the Collapse Came II sent Him
Through q Hole I'm the Wharf,
Thus saving His Skull.

An accident happened yesterday morning
to the Seattle Coal and Iron Company's
car elevator at the Madison street bunk
ers, by which loaded car fell with the
elevator platform a distance OF thirty feet,
throwing Matthew Murphy headlong
through a hole in the wharf to the water,
painfully injuring him, and causing john
Clark and Fred Woodrow TO jump for their
lives.
The car on the platform Of the hydraulic
elevator had nearly reached the landing
above. and on top OF the coal Fred Wood
row was standing. John Clark and Math-
ew Murphy were both standing at the
east edge of the platform as the eleva-
ton was being made. The cause OF the
accident is not known, but Agent F. A.
Bell is of the opinion that one OF the
weights caught on a screwhead or some
other obstruction in its track. This would
cause the loaded platform to cant up
ward at the opposite end. and by this the
large center cylinder was thrown from its
base and broken.
AS soon as the ear began falling. Wood
row jumped 10 the landing. making it
safely. Clark leaped safely TO the top of
the long perpendicular box which encloses
the weights and caught with his hands,
only getting one hand scrapei slightly.
Murphy's Lucky Dive.
Murphy tried to do the same. but miss
ing his object, went head downward to-
ward the wharf. but by happy chance
instead of striking. fell through a hole
three feet wide. passing between two
heavy timbers and plunging into the water
below He was rescued by two men in a
rowboat after fifteen minutes effort.
The patrol wagon conveyed Murphy to
Providence hospital, where his injuries
were attended TO by DR.. Rufus r. Smith,
the company's physician. small bone
in the left shoulder was broken and this,
beside a general shaking up. was the only
injury. Murphy was seen at the hospital
during the afternoon and told. the follow
ing story of the accident;
He Tells How He Tumbled.
I'VE had just started up on the first
trip with one of the large cars loaded with
possibly sixteen tons of coal, and when
up four or five feet the elevator quivered
and about a second after j felt the car
move slightly to the north. Woodrow said
something is up and jumped on top of
the car. BY this time We were a little
over two-thirds up. The car then tipped
badly-to the north and enabled Woodrow
TO jump to the top. l grabbed hold of the
east side OF the hoist and Clark the west,
and almost Immediately the crash came.
1 held on for a second and then fell. From
that time on / remembered nothing but
hitting the water. The men said / held
on TO pile for minute or so. but drop
ped back into the water, where / found
cred until the boat picked me up.
MY shoulder is very painful and must
have swallowed a gallon of that dirty
water. I don't see how l escaped being
killed. but / guess it wasn't my turn
Repairing the Damage.
A force of men removed the coal from
the car in the afternoon and succeeded in
getting 1t safely on the track with little
damage. 1t is impossible 10 estimate the
loss to the elevator until the cylinder is
taken apart at the joints The other por-
tons of the apparatus are not so expen-
s.ve. The repairs Will be completed by
week
Fortunately for the company. the bunk
ers were well filed with coal and there is
plenty to last until the repairs have been
completed.