Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-03-24

30" cummings hs nDW, unu tNlS, u Dulil-
ing OF six stories. was the highest In
New York city. The meeting room Of the
directors was on the top floor
Promptly at o'clock took the ele-
vator up to the sixth floor. got out.
| walked down long hall, turned corner,
ana opened door and stepped In. The
next thing l knew.I was falling down.
Down! down And Before I could eaten
my breath or put out my hands TO save
myself had landed with an awful thud-
Tar, far below. In network OF ropes,
! Iron. pulleys. and machinery. And then
i knew what had happened. Instead OF
opening the directors door I had walked
Into the shaft OF the freight elevator,
next to IT. And here 1 was down in the
cellar All this l realized In the first
second, and that l had fallen down six
stories.
"Of course, I shouted-but no one an
swered. Then a most horrible thought
came over me. Suppose 1 should not be
| heard at all. The building was practically
deserted. Below me, hemmng me in my
tight quarters. was the freight elevator.
and not a soul in the cellar or anywhere
around. lifted up my voice and shouted
] cried Help! help, help"-so many times
that ! grew hoarse, and had 20 stop TO
rest. My hands in the darkness had found
came pain. My feet were numb. but after
the first minute they began sending
shivers up my legs to my spine. Again l
shouted. And again. But there was not
even a dark echo to my cries.
RESCUED.
Meanwhile the directors had met up
stairs, and were transacting their busI-
ness. One Of them. In passing the open
elevator shaft-door, had closed and locked
It. Several times they spoke of me, and
wondered where / was Finally, most
important point was reached, one that
! required fun vote; and the president
stepped out into the hall, with the re-
mark: IN go down stairs and take a
look for Clews' And as he passed the
closed door he heard my cries Tor help;
whats the matter?' he shouted
down.
III felp was all I could answer from
my pit, as | began to grow faint with
pain and the relief of being found.
Then came the long work Of getting
me out OF my wedged position. The
freight elevator was of iron. and could
not be taken apart; and the position
occupied above it prevented them from
reaching me. Finally. l gathered all my
strength together and held fast to the
elevator rope, while they pulled me up
TO the top floor. That was the only open
ing. Then they lifted me out, and for
| weeks / lay raving in delrium. with my
feet cut into ribbons from striking the
iron and the ropes. Even yet / feel the
effects.
But the horrible part of the story-the
part that drove me into de.irium-was
the Fats. The building was alive with
them. and as l stood there in that awful
! position / had TO fight them off with
both hands. ] did not dare to faint"
Lieutenant II. c. Duval, the right bower
OF Chauncey NJ. Depew, who distinguished
himself so nobly in the Brooklyn strike
tells this story OF an athletic escape from
death, story worthy the Manhattan
Athletic Club
THRILLING RUNAWAY.
at happened In Brookly, four years
ago" SAYS Mr. Duval, "and in the same
quarter Of the city where the great strike
was enacted. 1t had been showing
heavily, and / said TO my wife: Let us
take the new horse and cutter and go out
for a spin She agreed, and we started
up across Brooklyn's lovely heights and
out into it's unmatched suburbs. Inc
day was bright, our horse was Keen, anu
we were in excellent spirits.
Just as we shOt around corner
coal-cart backed toward u.s. and before we
could get past the driver opened ms
chute-door and the coal came running
out with whzZ-Z and whlrr-r. IL
startled even us "A little. and as Tor the
horse, It drove him clean crazy. Away
he dashed as fast as a perfect set OF
thoroughbred legs could carry him. tried
TO pull him in. but my left rein broke;
and so We went dashing along, turning
corners as his hishness pleased, and skim
vehicles making
kind OF shaves all the time. BY my side
cllnging to me was my wife, nearly faint
ing with fright.
"I can stop him.. I cried, Don't be
afraid And before she could prevent me
/ was climbing over the dashboard and
right on the horses back. Straddle
vent OF tire horse. harness, and al
Leaning way forward / caught the bride.
gave IL a yank-and all would have been
we'll but for an awful swerve as we
dashed around corner. of into the
snow I went right under the horses feet
and the cutter went over me. AZ my
wife felt the cutter bump over my body
she gave an awful shrek of horror and
jumped out. 700.
LAUGHED HEARTILY.
Meanwhile. / sat up and rubbed my
eyes-just in time to see her come bOunc-
ing out. She sat up and began rubbing
the snow out OF her face Are you hurt|
7 called as soon as | could get near her.
And then we both laughed heartily and
started after the horse. He-poor fellow
fared worse than we. for at the corner
he ran into a tree and broke so many
ribs that we had him shot But there
were no tears at his funeral. We were
too busy rejoicing over our own narrow
escape from harm.
WHITE a MASCOT.
Deacon" S. V. White. the WalI-street
man who got religious title from his
connection with Plymouth church and
his friendship with Henry Ward Beecher,
considers himself a mascot. Il have been
In danger OF my life a thousand times"
ne declares, And every time / have not
only come through the danger unscathed
but have brought all the Others through
In the same way.
i remember being once I'm n hoteI IT,,
cleveland when the cry Of fire was raised
1t was after midnight, and the GUESTS
were wrapt in sumber. | was on the ton
moor and when | dashed out OF my room
INTO the hall I found the flames sweep
ing up the elevator shaft and licking the
stdsr"ays. Fortunately there was n
small winding iron fre-escape. and down
this climbed as far as | could. Ar the
third story ii grew too hot to be com.
Iortable and, seeing a nice awning below.
Jumped down into its friendly arms
AS II happened knew the location Of
the rooms pretty well, and I instructed
the nren~s where to place their ladders
Anu every one escaped-not a soul miss.
ing '0ui iiisS-
-. Another time I was travelling in tho
"est. We were In Mississippi. and cover
ihS ground at rapid pace. All OF n
sudden the train seemed TO 90 off tho
track, and then came an awful confnsion
WIN upset cars. steam and fire from
the engine, and shouting I climbed out
or a car window and looked for INV
friends In another car. Pretty soon thew
climbed out too. And when we were All
sathered together upon a little hill into
which a derailed engine had carried us
we counted noses-and not one was
missing from the whole car.
NOT a MAN ON HIS TRAIN.
But the strangest thing happened NOT
iar from New Orleans. Our train WAC
Speeding along at over thirty miles an
hour When, without warning We dashed
rlsht INTO another train coming arouna
curve We completely telescOped the
train. This time there were eight killed
outright, but not man upon my train
was even scratched. AS we resumed our
journey. after some delay, | related NV
experiences to the other na eSaupers and