The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-04-23
A FALL OF 1913 FEET
MILO HARDwICk, A PLAsTERER ON
THE MAJESTIC BUILDING, KILLED.
Supcrstftion OF Ambulance Doctors
Led TO n Serious Accident-An
Old Man Hurt.

terday afternoon, at 8 o'clock, and was al
most instantly killed. He was a plasterer.
In the employ OF contractor McGarver,
who has the work on the building. The men
had quit work and were coming down
TO the ground. Hardwick was on the ninth
floor and stepped TO n ladder TO descend.
The ladder Is IN one OF the elevator shafts.
He had taken only two or three steps OF
the ladder. when he was seen TO fall. II
Is not known whether he slipped and missed
n rung of the ladder or whether a runs
broke. The ladder Is an old affair. made
of scantling and small strips of wood,
such as are used In all new buildings. and a
rung may AVE broken Off with him with
out those who came down afterward being
able to know whether II broke then or had
been broken before.
His fellow-workmen saw Hardwick fall,
and those below heard their cries. At the
third floor a scaffold was built In the shaft
Of the elevator. on which some other men
had been working five minutes before. In
falling Hardwick crashed through this
s~caffold. breaking the one-inch plank of
which 1t was built into sp.nters. Striking
this scaffold caused him to veer to one side
in the descent n he struck the edge OF
the floor below. then dropping into the
basement. He did not utter a sound after
falling.
The City Dispensary was notified immedi-
ately and Drs. Dunning and Wright hurried
to the building with the ambulance. A
slight examination indicated that Hardwick
could not live more han a few hours, at
the most, while they doubted IL he would
live long enough to be removed from the
building. Contractor McGarver told them
10 get him out as soon as possible and to
the hospital, where he wanted all In the
was placed in the ambulance. but died be-
fore the hospital was reached.
This Is the first death that ever occurred
the dispensary seem to have a supersti-
tious dread Of having a death in the ambu-
lance. and this has thrown a pail over
the whole place. 1t was partly on account
of this dread of a death in the ambulance
that the driver was going at such a rapid
gait as to knock down and inJure another
man.
Milo Hardwick lived with his father,
George Hardwick, a gardener, just west
OF Mount Jackson. He was unmarried.
AMBULANCE KNOCKS A MAN OVER.
In taking Hardwick to the hospital the
driver of the ambulance hurried a great
deal more than the case demanded, for it
was seen at a glance that the injured man
was far beyond any possible effect of med
ical attendance. AS a result a man was
run over and severely injured. At the COR
ner of Illinois and Ohio streets the am
bulance driver attempted to turn a little
to one side to avoid a carriage, but in
stantly turned back, apparently having
changed his mind as to the course he would
take. Acy Eden, an old soldier, seventy
four years OF age, was crossing the street
at the time and the shaft of the ambulance
struck him in the side, knocking him down.
In falling he struck his forehead against
the asphalt pavement, causing a consIdera-
bic cut over the eye and on the scalp.
There were bruises all over his body. When
picked up he was in a dazed condition.
and did not fully recover his senses until
he was taken TO the City Hospital.
taken into Bedford's drug store. at the cor
ner of Indiana avenue and Ohio street,
where 1t was found that his injuries were
not serious in themselves. although in a
man OF his age these injuries are danger
Gus. 1t was thought at first that one bone
of tho right forearm had been broken,
but an examination at the hospital showed
that the arm was simply bruised.
Drs. Dunning and Wright, who were in
side the ambulance with Hardwick, knew
lance stopped. The driver says that as
ne was going west or Ohio street, with
the intention of turning north on Indiana
avenue, he saw a woman going south in a
carriage. He rang the gong, but instead
OF continuing on her way and allowing the
ambulance to pass behind her, which would
have been the natural thing to do, she
stopped still as soon as she heard the
gong, and stood almost in the middle of
the street. This, the driver says, neces-
STATED a change on his part He had sup
posed the woman would continue on her
course and he would then have had plenty
of room to pass behind her without slow
ing up, but when she stopped IL made II
necessary for him to change his course and
pass in front of her and tax the west
side OF Indiana avenue, instead of the
the carriage he suddenly came upon Mr.
Eden, who had stepped from behind 1t,
not knowing the ambulance was near. The
shaft struck the old man, and the driver
stopped as soon as ne could He did not
know whether the horse stepped on Eder
or whether the ambulance passed over him.
He and DR.. Dunning think it improbable
that the ambulance passed over him, for
with its load, 1t then weighed over 2.0N
pounds, and 1T would surely have broker
some bones. When examined at the hospi'
tai a cut was found on one leg, which
seemed to have been made by the heel ol
a horseshoe, while there were other bruises
which looked as If they had been made
Eden lives at No.. 3M North Capitol av
enue. He is seventy-four years of age, ant
has a wife, who is only a few years youn'
ger. They live alone. After he recovered
consciousness at the hospital Mr.. Eden saiC
he desired to remain there until he could
care for himself. His wife is too old anC
feeble to undertake the care of him. Th'
physicians do not think his case is neces
sarily serious, blu cannot predict wha
complications may arise in injuries to
man of his age. There has been consider
able complaint in the past of grand stand
ambulance driving.