The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-08
P. O. ELEVATOR DROPS.
SIX MEN WHO WERE IN IT MORE
on LESS INJURED.

hsuOU Founuu-khnu NOT AuCh Over y Tou'b
Weight on Board-The Accident. However,
IL Believed 20 ne Duo 20 OverlondinE.
Ono OF the elevators in tho Post Office building
dropped about fifty foot yesterday, and ak mon
who were In It wcro injured moro or loss So
riously. 1t was thought at first that one of
them, Capt. James ]. Cox, who has been in the
postal service since the close of the civil war
and Ia chief examiner Of clerks for promotion.
would die, but later In the day tho hospital ply
sicians said no would probably recover. Tho
other injured men arc: .
BmDsAIL, FRANK H., 80 years. of Brewster, N. Y;
clerk in tho railway mail service; both heel bones
broken and lip lacerated.
DAILY, GEORGE w, 81 years. of Easton. Pa; clerk
in the railway mail service; thigl, broken.
LurF1En, JOSEPH, 90 years, of 400 East sixth street;
elevator conductors; right ankle broken.
McGovERs, THOMAS w, IS years. OF l87 Sanford
street, Brooklyn; laborer; both legs broken.
MURPHY, JOHN. AZ years, Of 14sADean street, Brook.
Ign; left ankle broken and internal injuries.
Tho elevator which dropped was ono Of the
two freight elevators which run from tho top
floor to tho endorsement. 1t is on the Park row
side, and has been employed recently In carry
ing up plaster and other light building materials
used in repairing and making alterations in the
court rooms on the upper floors.
Shortly after IL o'clock yesterday morning the
' bItitcu NY VII u iodu vi elBht buShp VI
cement, Weighing about lao pounds each, and
with Luflcr. the conductor, and the two labor
ers, who were in tho employ Of George Teller of
100 Nassau street. the contractor who has
charge of tho repairs. Tho elevator went
up as usual until It reached tho meZ.
canine floor. between the first and second
stories. Here It was stopped by three
men. One was Capt. Cox, who wanted to DO
taken to his Office u~pstairs. The others were
Birdsall and Daily. who had Just got in from
their runs to Easton and Brewster respectively.
and were on their way to superintendent Brad
ley's ofice to report.
Postmaster Van Colt said Yesterday that the
freight elevators are not supposed TO carry any
passengers except workmen who have freight in
charge, but there does not seem to have been
any specific order on this point. At any rate,
Luffler stopped the car and took the three men
on. At first the elevator wouldn't start again
with the added weight, but it began finally to
rise slowly, and It had gone up. nearly to- the
1ss' t 5isGG; when Of the i 'us sSs e dTESS 6 foo 6G
of the car Is of wood. and, as IL struck the con-
crete SUaed fiGGor RIM at at the Ihsta bottom fs9s of tn, the shat :;d i re,
by which the elevator is suspended came crash
ing down through the top of the car; which
elevator. These cut the heads and faces Of. tho
six men who were tumblcd in q heap on the floor.
Patrick O,Connor, who at that hour was in
charge Of all the engines in the endorsement,
heard it fell and stGHs T the shafts Bottom. and ID
as he ran toward 1t. he heard groans and saw a
cloud Of what he supposed was steam coming
six men entaneIed in the cables and COW
from the broken sacks. and which had
made the cloud he thought was steam. All
out. and in a few minutes six am6ulances were
on hand to take them to hospitals. A big crowd
imsmediately collected in and around the Post
Lufier was taken to Gonverneur Hospital and
A. B. Fry Of the Treasury Department., chief
engineer and superintendent of repairs. began
cause of the accident. His examination was
three days before he makes a final report to
was caused BY the overlooking Of the elevator:
handling Of a freight elevator. to load it up to
think Of putting more than 1900 POUNDS into
one Of these elevators, and John Freel. who
tells me that he was Instructed not to take on
moro than 200. pounds Of dead weight, such as
building i 3 material nate 9 halL;tirlhha have e no personal kpowl
within my supervision, and 1 have been here
From my Investigation. I do not believe that
the accident was one of those In which there is q
drop to the bottom. The two cables by which
the elevator was, suspended are broken of near
the drum in the basement. This drum is run by
connected by an 11:inch belt. The two cables
are thr~ee.quarters OF, an inch in diameter. and
consist OF three stands. presumably steel. These
cables wind on and off the drum, from which
they run to the top of the elevator shaft, over a
bull wheel, and down the shaft to the car.
THE drop Of the car might have been caused
by the belt slipping, but the indications are
that that, was not the case. In my opinion. the
car was loaded to such an extent that 1t over
came the power OF the engine. When 1t struck
again IL naturally snapped the cables off. Idc
not believe they were broken until after the car
struck. The drum and some of the other ma
CINE seems TO he all right.
" do not think there was any trouble with
the steam pressure. which is furnished by the
New York Steam Company. When this elevator
was put In, about six years ago, the steam pres
sure was only sixty pounds. IT has been III
run the engine. and the engineer tells me that
because OF this increase the valve 10 ordinarily
FEAT U %ss t2 Ge's case sS0 this " m Sn "a q Or t Course Ts{ !
wouldn't do TO give the engine too much pres
sure; uo.... u,. :,
& Co.. who have. a contract to inspect all tn,
elevators IN the building. Their last Inspection
was on April IA. when they reported 1t al
Charles W. Dayton. who was Postmaster up t.
a,few days ago. said yesterday that the sam'
Nobody was hurt. but Mr.. Dayton applied to III,
Treasury Department for new elevators. Som,
OF the passenger elevators were renewed, blu
freight elevator on the Broadway side, which Il
a duplicate of that which dropped yesterday
proceeds with spasmodic jerks, and is cvidentl,
antiquated.