The San Francisco call., 1896-07-21
CRUSHED TO DEATH
BY AN ELEVATOR
John Geary's CarelesSness
Costs Him His
Life.
HIS SKULL FRACTURED
Leaned Over a Shaft in the En-.
porium and Was Instantly
Killed.
W. E. JOsLYNs STATEMENT.
Elevator-Boy Surrendered to the Po.
lice and Was Charged With
Mansiaughter.

John Geary, a teamster, 81 years of age,
employed by Morton & Co., was crushed
to death by a freight elevator in the EN-
porium yesterday afternoon. There was
only one witness TO the accident, ]. God
ley, shipping clerk, and he is of the
opinion that Geary met his death through
his own careIessness.
81 passed the elevator Just moment
before the accident occurred" said Mr..
Cooley, "and / noticed Geary STOPPING
over the shaft, shouting to some one in
the basement. Suddenly the elevator,
which had been standing at the floor
above, started down. Geary continued
shouting to the party in the basement
and appeared not to hear the elevator
approaching.
Before 1 had chance to warn him of
his danger, the elevator struck him, evil
IDENTIFY crushing his skull and his body
fell into the basement below. A mum Der
OF persons soon learned of the accident.
among them a woman, who tainted from
excitement. The Coroner's office was no.
titled and the body was removed to the
Morgue.
w. e. Joslyn of the Emporium last
evening made the following statement
concerning the accident:
al do not know the name of the man
who was killed, but know that he was in
the habit of coming 10 the store to deliver
goods. He was there for this purpose
when he was killed. The elevator is in
the back of the store, on the Jessie-street
side. 1t has door which slides upward
from the street level. Inside of this door
is chain, which was put up across the
door short time before the accident.
''The elevator boy pu. iJ up just before
he started to go up in the elevator at 5 lis
P. N. Then he went up to the fifth floor.
On the outside of the door, on the street,
in plain view, where it must have been
read many times by persons having bust
ness at that place, was warning of dan
ger.
II was near by, in my office, when the
accident occurred. The delivery man
drove up, raised the sliding door only
enough to put his head within and then
shouted TO some one downstairs that he
had load of goods.
81 suppose his idea was to save him.
self the trouble of going down below to
tell them what he had. The elevator is
run by electric buttons. The elevator-man
was at his post attending to his duty II e
could not know that any one had his head
below the elevator. IN fact in putting up
the chain he had taken an additional pre-
caution but this was due to the fact that
the store was SO soon TO be closed. The
delivery-man did not look upward or be
would have seen the elevator coming
down. / cannot see that any cause ex-
cepting the unfortunate mans own lack OF
care can be assigned for the occurrence. It
was very sad affair, and of course we
all feel badly about it. The elevator-man
is 21 years old. He has been with the EN-
porium since it was opened and he is care
full and competent.
"Now, while I am speaking of this, /
wish to contradict story which appeared
in the Examiner which was wholly un-
true. 1t was published in that paper that
passenger elevator fell three stories last
Saturday night. In the first place the
elevator goes up only two stories. The
real fact is that the elevator did not fall
at all, so that the Examiner story is all
wrong. The elevator under which a man
was killed to-day is not a passenger ele-
vator and is never used for passen GERS
r. ii. Murray, the elevator-man, surren-
dered himself at the City Prison. He was
charged with manslaughter and was re-
leased on his own recognizance by Captain
Whitman.
Deceased, who resided at 430 Clemen.
tina street, leaves widow and one child.
Mrs. Geary is prostrated with grief over
the death of her husband. Her friends
are doing all in their power to cheer her
up, but she refuses to be comforted.