New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-09-12
NOBODY KNOWS THE CAUSE.
MYSTERY ABOUT THE ELEVATOR ACCI-
DENT IN THE TRACT SOCIETY
BUILDING

The real cause OF the frlghtful elevator accident
In the American Tract Society Building, that re-
suited in the loss OF two lives Friday evening seems
TO be still In doubt. The remnants OF the car and
the cables and other machinery connected with 1t
were so smashed and twisted and distorted that
1t is impossible to just what part OF the
mechanism was at fault
Henry Landau. janitor OF the American Tract
Society Building was arrested yesterday morning
by detective from the Oak-st. police station and
taken to the Coroner's Office In the Criminal Courts
Building, where he made a statement 10 Coroner
Foeber. The jari;or's statement revealed little Of
interest that published in The Tribune
yesterday morning. Landau said that he under
stood that there was something the matter with
the car and that the engineer was in the car with
the elevator boy trying to repair the damage. He
stood In the lobby OF the building. he said. and
heard the engineer say something TO the elevator
boy, ard as the shot up TO the top OF the shaft
he stroled toward the big door. which stood open.
lie had hardly reached the door when he heard a
fearful crash. and knew that the car had fallen.
The Coroner paroled the janitor In the custody OF
Henry a. OBrien counsel for the American Tract
Society
The engineers OF the Crane and Otis elevator
companies. both of whom had apparatus in use on
the that fell. made an investie ton OF the
ruins yesterday spending the entire morning and
most of the afternoon In the work but when they
had finished they unable to account for a
number OF facts they ascertaned. II was found
that the cables that supported the car were broken
short OF about eighty foe, from the point where
they were attached TO the car. What broke or cut
the strands of these cables is what puzzles the ex
perts. There eight Of them. any one Of
which was strong enough 10 support the weight
Of the car and more besides II tho wreck Of the
elevator and its machinery not complete
there might he some chance Of finding out what
broke the cables
A Tribune reporter saw rcpresentatv es Of both
nd 49, lie Mos
noon. and both of them were united in declaring
that only Careessncss in operating tho elevator was
responsible for tho accident. They said that their
engineers found that the testimony OF the watch
man OF the building proved that in some way M
known 10 anybody but The victims OF the accident
the safety catches operated on the last downward
trip OF the car. man named Casey. watchman OF
the building IL responsible for this statement. The
safety clutches could be operated in TWO ways
either automatically. when the car exceeded GER
tain speed. by ope that through the car
by the SIDE OF the elevator boy. When these
clutches had operated they could be released only
ny unscrcw'ing them from inside the car with
lever made for the purpose. This the engineer did,
In spite OF the advice of the Waterman. who says
he advised him to leave the where II was until
the elevator experts could attend to II themselves
In the ruins of the elevator yesterday morning the
engineers found the lever still inserted into the ap-
paratus desgned to unscrew the SAFETY ~ clutches
ton The deduction drawn from this fact Is that
and left the free 10 move. ordered the boy to
run it up the top Of the shaft without first try
ing the lifting machinery to see If 1t was in order
shot downward. the safety clutches were powerless
operate. .
There 10 be way OF determining whether
the became uncomfortable on the upward trip
and crashed into the top of the shaft rebounding
to the bottom. whether Ii made the upward trip
in safety and became unmanageable on the way
down. 1t Is supposed to have fallen about two
hundred and seventy feet or from the nineteenth
floor Both the victims were wounded on the tops
of their heads. but that does not prove that they
were hurled against the top OF the shaft. for the
wounds might have been caused by the fall OF all
the wreckage upon the car. . -
The representative Of the Otis company said that
this was the first fatal accident that had happened
in connection with any OF the Otis elevators In this
city and he confident that It would not have
occurred had reasonable care been employed or an
experienced man had the handling Of the elevator
The tenants Of the American Tract Society build
ing appeared a trife timld about trusting them
selves 10 the elevators Yesterday morning. and
many of those whose offices were on the lower floors
took 10 the stairs in spite OF the heat. But some
were heard TO say that such occurrences lower the
value Of Office accommodations in the building
where they take place.
General Coils said yesterday that after pre-
vous accident the elevators In the Tract Society
building. in which all the offices OF the Department
Of Public Works are. he had an investigation made
bv three engineers. They found some weak points
in the machinery. and suggested changes which the
Tract Society made. There was nothing the mat
ter with the machinery. unless some part OF II had
been removed or changed by the workmen In adj
justng.