New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-12-07
AN INSURANCE MAN KILLED.
WALTER HAYDEN GRIFFIN CRUSHED IN
A FALLING ELEVATOR


FALLING ELEVATOR.
HE WAS SECRETARY OF THE UNITED STATES FIRE
COMPANY AND HAD JUST ATTENDED MESi-
IVA or DIREcroRs-THoMAs ". CAULD-
WE'LL AND GEORGE Fl. SMITH d.
REcroRs OF THE COMPANY
HURT IN THE SAME CRASH.
Rv an accident TO the elevator in the pui!ding az
Pine and William SITS. occupied by the unned
States Fire Insurance Company. Walter Hayden
Grifen, secretary of the company was instantly
killed and Thomas W Caldwell. a director OF tne
company sustained injuries from wn'ch ne VIII
nrohahlv die George ". Smith. another director.
and A member Of the firm OF Smith HICKS. hre
underwriters received painful. but NOT fatal IN
juries.
IA 70 the cause OF the accident accounts differ
Tho n ,ssongors who escaped injury say tnat the
car was stopped so suddenly at the ground moor
that the supporting mechanism was broken ana
Coll NTH tho cables to the bottom OF the shaft ana
crashed through the top OF the car Dennis SUM
van the young man in charge OF the elevator says
that the cables snapped at the seventh noo'' "o"
ing the car to fall and bringing the supporting
mechanism and the heavy counter "e'e" ~
upon II afterward 49,
There were eight persons in the car "heh mo
accident occurred and II was miraculous mat
more OF them not killed or injured meet
the directors or the tnl'eu S'"''N " -
surance Company was called for 30 O'Clock ana
Gov n,aca in a room on the eighth floor Of the
huilding The meeting ended at a little after
o'clock and the directors began TO step OUT INTO
the hall as the elevator. which is the only one IN
the building. passed up 10 the top. or eieV'h'h
floor on It's way down the car stopped al the
ninth floor TO take passenger named julius H.
Cohen At the eighth floor the car was entered ny
Walter HAYDEN Griffen. secretary Of the company;
Thomas w Caldwell. d. Thurston. William l..
Moore. Edmund A Hurry and George H. smith all
directors OF the company. Samuel NJ Graft vice.
president Of the company. had said tnat ne "ou'n
walk down for exercise. end left the others lor
that purpose.
STARTLED BY THE CRASH.
| A moment afte,ward loud crash startled the
OCCUPANTS Of the building The clerks in the Offices
Of the United States Fire Insurance Company,
which are on the ground floor OF the building.
rushed into the hall TO see the car mass or
! tangled wire beneath which lay two bodies. the
other passengers and the operator OF the car nav
inc rushed out Mr.. Griffen's body was carried
into the offices. His skull was crushed in ana ne
was dead Mr. Caldwell's skull was also Fractured
the back Of his head being crushed IN. tie was
conscious when lifted up. but he became uncon-
c,ous rho next moment. Mr.. Smith rushed into
the office with blood pouring from a wound In his
head but fortunately his injuries proved not TO be
extremely serious.
r,l,reman was hurriedy summoned. and he
D ALL al
pital Mr.. caldwell was taken to the hospital
whore II was said that he could not live Mr..
GriNen's body was removed 10 the Old slip ponce
station in charge Of ". w. Underhill his brother
in.law and the president OF the company. MT
smith was taken to his home. at No 32o East
Fighty-sixth-st.. where II was said last night that
! no was suffering somewhat from shock. but that
his wound not serious
hig crowd was attracted by the sound and
news Of the accident. and n detail OF poHceineh
4 Of he
The elevator was run by electricity ana was ouiIt
~, tho OILS Elevator Company Mr.. Belknap. man
ager Of the company said that the elevator had
been in the building since lSso ana mat ne I'd"
received telephone message from the suPe'''
,ense,,t ~ the building only ten minutes before the
| accident saying that 1t had just been inspected
Nobodv could be found in the building however
who had seen an inspector at work upon the e'e'
vator.
WilIiam r. Gait son Of the vice-president OF the
United States Fire Insurance Company. said that
there had been much trouble with the elevator re-
GENTLY once II had come down so rapidly that the
electric light bulbs had been broken He thought
that the sudden stopping Of the car ha 6d HaSe
the cables and that the falling welghls anu .a1''
had caused the injuries the passengers received
THE CONDUCTOR PARoLED.
Dennis Sullivan who was running the car when II
fell was arrested and arragned at the Centre-s'.
police court before Magistrate wentworth lie said
ne had been employed at the building only week.
but had had previous experience lie ueSd'eu '''"'
the car had fallen from the seventh floor. and had
thus snapped the cables Magistrate Wentworth re-
manded Sullivan TO the Coroner. who paroIed MIN
in the custody o. his counsel - - $1,000 "a
Walter HAYDEN Grifen was forty-one years ola
He was well-known among insurance men IN TINS
civ His home was az No. 223 West One-hundred-
andsixth-st Besides being secretary OF the nlted
states Fire Insurance Company he nad othel ousl--
nos interests OF importance He was a member o.
The New-York Athletic Club. \ widow survives
him - - ,,,, - ,o o,a raaraa In
New-York CITY his father being William a. Cauld-
we'll a we'll known china and glass importer "lth
his family he went TO Morrsiown about ten years
ago building a beautiful home in Eln-st ad)on-
inc the home OF his fathers sister: MIS- l.. {.
Rshop Although not In robust health. Mt CduId-
well look an active interegt in the affairs OF the
town and county. He is an ardent Republlcan ana
has been urged times TO take public ofiice. but
+ has steadfastly refused Al the lime the new Bap-
fist Church building erected he gave largely
Of his means and much time to its supervision
Trustees Of the church lie is member Of the
Morrstown Country Club and OF the Board OF Di-
4 rectors OF the Morristown Young Men Christian
Association. On account of physica! frailty ne mas
srent his summers In the Adrondacks or the Berk-
shire Hills and only recently expressed himseIt as
being in good health. Mrs caldwell was MISS
Carrie johnson. Of New-York City.
For many years Mr. Caldwell has engaged In
the practice OF law In this city. having an once at
No II Pine-st. He is graduate OF Princeton IN
the class OF 81, and a member OF the Lawyers ana
University clubs