The Portland daily press., 1897-09-02
FELL SEVENTY FEET.
Terrible Death of NIellen o'srien Yester-
day Moo n.

Yesterday noon man who was engaged
in washing windows on the seventh story
of the Congress Square hotel lost his
balance and fell 20 feet to the pavement
below, crashing through an awning in
his descent with such force that the
canvas was rent apart and the iron ribs
bent and torn from their fastenings.
Death was SO sudden that it is probable
that the victim of the accident had no
time to realize his dreadful fate. He was
dead when the first of the Mortified by
ISLANDERS reached him, his neck having
been broken when he struck the iron sup
port of the awning. Few persons caught
glimpse of the falling figure, but there
were many who heard the noise of the
breaking awning and saw the body as it
lay on the sidewalk. There was no loud
shout of warning or alarm. A gentleman
who was near by said that it seemed to
him as if the spectators were too Mortified
to make an outcry, but there was sound
which resembled groan. Then several
men ran to where the body lay and carried
1t into the drug store of Mr.. n. p. S.
Goold The window from which the man
fell was directly over Mr. Goold' S store,
and it was the awning of the store
through which the body crashed in it's
descent. The man lay on his back and
there were few marks on his person to
show that he was dead. The left side of
his head was badly bruised and as the
body was raised it was seen that the neck
was broken. He had struck the awning
on his head and shoulders and then
dropped to the sidewalk. The awning
broke the force of the fall and it was due
to this that the body was not mutilated.
services were not of avail. He could only
tell the by-standers that the man was be-
yond human aid. In the hotel the 1rst
intimation of the accident was given by
the noise of the fall. The victim was
alone in the dining room at the time OF
the accident and so it will never be known
lust how he lost his footing and pitched
out of the window to plunge down with
frightful rapidity to his death on the
pavement below. The upper sashes OF the
windows were lowered and it is supposed
that he was leaning out over the lower
half of one of them when he lost his
balance If that is the case he must have
fallen head foremost.
The name of the unfortunate man was
Mellen O'Brien, son of the proprietor
of the Union boarding house at the West
End He was about nineteen years old
and had been employed in various places
about town. A few days ago he obtained
employment as window washer at the
Congress Square hotel. Yesterday morn
ing he went into the dining room and be-
gan to wash the windows. He was left
alone at his labors and was not seen again
before the accident unless some passer in
the street below caught glimpse of him
at his work
A man named Thayer was standing on
the south side of Congress street and
watching o Brien who was at work
washing the windows of the hotel and
witnessed the terrible fall of the unfortu.
nate young man. Mr.. Thayer said that
o Brien tried to pull the screen of the
windows up and that it stuck little
He gave jerk and the screen came out
much easier than he expected, causing
O'Brien to lose his balance. He fell to
the ground with the screen clasped in his
hand.