New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-06-08
SIX MEN DROPPED IN A HEAP
FALL OF AN ELEVATOR IN THE FED
ERAL BUILDING.

ERAL BUILDING.
THE CAR WAS WEAK CREAKING THING AND
THE PASSENGERS KNEW THAT IT COULD
NOT SAFELY BE ovERLOADED-ALL
THE MEN BADLY HURT
An old freight elevator in the General Postomce
Building fell from the second floor TO the cellar at
II a. m. yesterday because II had been overloaded
and every of six men who were part OF the
load received serious injuries The men VINO were
hurt In the fall of the old at fault. prop
ably. because most OF them knew that the elevator
was a weak and creaky affair that could not De
overloaded with safety.
Oficias in the building have been trying TOT
years to get from the Government OF 'he 'h''eu
States a sufficient appropriation to have elevators
OF the strongest and most approved make placed
In the building and 20 have other improvements
for comfort and safety. AS rule, inc ros.oi
authorities at Washington have favored o'i's io
such an appropriation. knowing that the revenue
from the New-York Postoffice is large ehouen ~
Justify the expense Of keeping the building IN soou
repair but the parsmony of congressman iroi
the West and South and their feeling agaihs. Ne '
York have led them to defeat such pii's nc -,
vestigation Of yesterdays accident prooaois W."
show that a timely use OF money IN repairs 'e
have kept the old elevator going some years io'e'
although the weight on ii yesterday was EXCESSIVE
George Teller has q contract for repairs 10 '''e
courtrooms on the fourth and hfth hoors Vi ",e
building and the old freight elevator on inc 'i'"
ST side Of the building has been used lot carr !'"e
ND materials for his workmen Ihe hooi Vi ''''
car was ten feet square, and the car was
supposed TO have carrying caPacI's Va
1000 hounds The workmen placed seven vi
eight bags Of cement on the car just "
fore Il a. IN. yesterday. and then hve men ~, VI.
the car along with the elevator man. Inc "e's''
OF the cement was about twelve hundred POUNDS,
% .ba ciyp
nm TO considerable over two thousand pouhus'
When the car started from the bottom vi 'ie
shaft 1t went slowly and creaked CONSIDERABLY "s
~ tho strain too much for the ehsie' anu
when 1t got TO the second floor II stopped anu "e
gan to sink back as If the engine had given out
For q second II sank back slowly. and then II
dropped with increasing speed to the bottom OF me
shaft. - >or>,c,,,u,
The men in the car. feeling it drop under them,
caught hold of each other wildly and they all It"
IN heap when the car reboundcd from the bottom
Of the shaft After the rebound he cables snapped
and let the car settle back al the bottom or the
shaft Then the men all tumbled out on the ceiiar
floor together. Most of them were insensible theh.
The crash of the falling elevator was heard all
through the building and caused much excitement
In a few minutes there was large crowd OF men
in the cellar of the building. while larger crowd
collected at the Mail-st entrances Ponce reserves
were called from two precincts, and amouIahceS
were called in haste from the New-iork HUDSON
Street and Gouverneur hospitals. The six men
who had fallen with the elevator were ATTENDED u!
the surgeons and carried in the ambulances to the
hospital in Hudson-st. When the extent of their
Injuries had been ascertained the following list was
made up:
THE INJURED.
BRDsA Frank aSfs STsen and NJ Up Up
cox James Old Of Mddet9%n IN r.
s nanr bruises nn and serious internal injuries
DALEY George W, age twenty eight OF Eastoh; henn
f sisTnS ' iniurs si'''' '''''
LrFFLER Joseph sixty oa Of No ago SISh-s
SsyI 81 NO. T 59 9Ss BrGoEn
MURPHY aged tohrs Of No and s a,i2Sa n
An Investigation of the accident was begun yes
terday by A. b. Fry. the chief engineer ana su-
perintendent OF repairs in the building lie said IN
I'm my judgmen, the car of the elevator had been
overloaded It was examned mona ha ia as 1borongb
elevator people and pronounce 70 De ID 9,
order As far can learn the car s,drtgI hors
the ground 9 S ear Ine st the When the
reached the mezzanine floor. or soon aiterWaIu ',e
settle Ii did not down with sufficient J, Spf sSa
TO throw out the safety catches WniCn ac' !" '
same manner as governor on an engine
BREAKING OF THE CABLES.
.,, onDears tina, the cables did no, part until after
the elevator had struck the ground Inen tle ca
bIes parted at the drums. This can be explained by
the fact that after the elevator struck 'ne hooi
there was rebound. This sudden jerk acted on 'he
cables and they snapped short off at the drum. /
have little doubt but that the weight on .e
was more than II expected TO Wltnstano, manu-.
The elevator was inspected although not man, 20
-actured by the Otis Company ana a mon" , ID
a was pronounced in good condition II was i"' T
"a n he used exclusively az freight elevator. imo
steel cables twO-thirds of an ncn in d!ainee,
ror,ad The car which ran TO the top OF the DulIGhe
while the other passenger elevators on tne ~ rhc
sac of the Postofice stop al the fourth moo!
sue 81 The presence OF the mall clerks on the ee.
eapnr althoueh they have been warned against
N II.