The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-03-17
CRUSHEDBY THECAGE
Tragic Death Of Joseph H. Al
bright, the Elevator Man.
HIS BODY TERRIBLY MANoLED.
He was Caught Myssersousiy Between
the Cage and Wall. In the Seattle
Bank Building.

II
VINO had charge OF the elevator ID tbs
eeatsls National bank building a. tse COR
ner Of Yesler ayesue and South Ssconc
street. met horrible death yesterday af-
fernooa at us o'clock. Through some
n7isisap Re was caught between the floor
of tne elevator cage and the panel OF
the door TO she elevator well Oh the SEC
ord f1oor, crushed 10 that his apiS 81 col
unnn was broken 70 pieces ard other In
1sriez ihfiicted too grasrsofne TO be more
than mentioned, and then pushed down
70 the transorns on the frat floor. where
hs8 body became free and fell 70 the bot
torn OF the well fifteen feet below. Close
sy foIiowlng the accident an immense
crowd gathered about the entrance TO
the building and Wild rnsnors were cir
cuiatad. none OF which bore a senbaance
10 the trush.
About March w. n. Mayo, the old
elevator boy. gave notice 10 Major W. Il.
Harlan. who has charge Of sfss building.
that he intended TO return to his hofne sn
Missouri. ard wanted someone To take his
place IN this way Joseph II Albright,
mechanic who i've OF Madison street.
cart Of the power hose. became an appii-
cant for the position. The salary was
only 80 month. bat Mr. Albright Desired
the position because II was indoors.
Major Harlan accepted his services and
Instructed itfn u learn his duties from
Dir Mayo. the retiring elevator boy. hat
10 remember that engineer a. j. WILL
iams was chief In charge. Mr.. Mayo re-
masnsd with Albright four or FIVE days,
during which tins he learned the work
iHgs of tbs elevator, wAich WORKS on q
pivot; that II. the controlling lever moves
from a central point efthsP 10 right or
left according as one desires 10 80 up or
down.
The Elevator Man Disappears.
Yesterday Mr. Albright was in fuli
charge Of the elevator and was getting
along fairly we'll although he vas rot an
EXPERT az making good stcpa and land
ingE. 1T II minutes past Il George Wood
went from the FIRST To the top floor. At
that time everything was all right and
air. Albright was In good spirits. few
minutes after this j. l.. r. Snyder az
Eenton. William J. Richmond ara Themas
=. JofeH, OF Roslyn. who were attending
hMsetlag of a coal company on the third
floor rang the bell aud Albright same up
and took them down 20 the ground aeor
As near as can be figured just shout this
time Miss Grace Vance rang the bell from
the sixth hoor and Albright started up In
answer.
Mr. Snyder with his companions had
only reached the pavement In front of the
patiding WHEN he heard sound OF failing
glass from the elevator we'll He rushed
back aud saw tho elevator cage slowly
descending 20 the basement without any
one In H. The aiding door OF the first
fcor landing had been thrown off lgA
track and he could see plainly that Az
bright was not at his post of duty. though
his hat WAS In the cage
Inat terrible accident had happened
was evident not only to Mr. Snyder but
otner people on the floors above Miss
Gtoweli one Of the business college teach
ers from the sixth story heard a thnmn
and jar down below and exclaimed that
some accident must have happened On
tne second floor Il. r. Mccennauehy
heard the noise and. running out of his
olnss. saw that TIE lower part Of the door
10 the elevator we'll had been broken out
ena thrown nearly across the hail.
Tie Body Is Found.
In the meantime Engineer A. ]. Will
iafns. who was coming downstairs when
the accident happened. rushed to the
hssemant. where the elevator cage was
quietly resting on the base post He
looked down into the pit below and saw
the form OF man lying AT full length on
ms baek In order 10 get nj tho body IL
was necessary TO start tho cage mn So
Williams called for help and. Assistant
Janisor T.. 3. Savard answered tho call.
IhrouEh the efforts OF the two men and
thief Janitor kingsbnry the apparently
Iifalsss body OF Albright was raised 10 the
basement floor and then taken on the
ireight elevator to the ssconf floor and
AtRtStA't
l1ambsth's Office. Drs. Criehton and Glib
son were hastily summoned and al
though there was AM life - the bruised
and battered body the spark soon went
out and Coroner Askans was summoned
when he arrived at the building he found
an immense crowd eoagrugated around
the main entrance specializing as 10 how
the accident happeNed and how many
were Killed. All manner Of wild stories
were afioat. all equally Incorrect Coroner
Askafn ssbowed his way through the
crowd and. after viewing the body had ID
taken to Ratterworth's undertaking.
rooms. The sight OF n dead wagon IN
front OF a business heck was another IN
eentive for passersoy 10 stop. so Ivy the
time the body VAS on Its way To the
nndertakerE the crowd had assumed truly
formidable proportions, The people who
we're fortunate enough In get Into the
doorway could rot understand how the
elevator Was running np and down as If
nothing had happened II did not coin.
essfe NJ all with the theory OF broken ma
shinery and fall from the sixth roog.
How the Hoiy Was Aianaied.
After the body was removed from the
box Coroner Askau discovered the fall
extent of the injuries. which were some
thing terrible. The dead man had been
crushed against the elevator walls uatsl
the spinal caiuna near the small If the
clothes were torn aud on the hack az his
head were severe bat rot fatal bruises,
covered with eiostrSi blood In one or TAO
places the scalp had heen ripped up and
The Tapping pieces Of nesh were held In
place by blood
Following the examination OF the
woiinds the coroner returned 20 abs,
building and. IN company with Mai Har
Ism. examined the basement where she
body wss found. and thea vent carefully
up the elevator we'll Hsakfge = critical In
spesttcr of the marks visible on the well
frota tho second fcor aeNn ReEtnutar
81 the second floor Il was seen that tht.
lower panels % the elevator wei tgos,r had
been forced from their Places by some.
sudden ANA violent blow ard thrown Part
way across 9he baif MaS Harlan has
the pieces of the Broken door ia his pcs
sion row Just below the door. whore the
plaNteFlng commences. were stgns 81 a
body having bern dragged sgawn Thp
pla<seFtuE VAS broken sn some places
and the cooaner cs1t oat a ficoc 81 cloth
thai @as we4ReA ia one az the breaks
Where the plSStesine easts and the s~an-
sers &C the ground floor door - ic~>atesa
MAS found an explanation 81 the falltnr
ALIASES thas 1F- Snyder heard Tfle tran.
SAM Is made ef glass vtsA dlasneal I-..,
~ogS as a protection oa the outside ar
hail shfs sAthF2Khts bassy smashed the
sraGsofa. pushed tire sron work on; sna
II All probability fsll away fro7ss Tie Gle.
vasor car as This iosns a;s1 weHt - tht
basement.
The elevator ana It's machinery were al3
ftAhs - every part A short tfy9se after
tie asetteWt INST Fntelisgepeex reporter
Fo5a sg Il a8A ~ netssai eoaxs there Yx-fts,