The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-04-12
Almost ,Instantlyatthe Riverside
I. Coke Plant.
a DERRl OvERss FEET HIGH
TO THE GROUND. pREcrp.
1TAT1NG JAMES sttLLrvAS,ANp
GEORGE FRITZ. employees OF
\ THD PITTSBURGH BRIDGE co.,
ONTO PILES OF IRON on THE
GROUND WITH TTuoHTFUL
FoRcE-THEY WERE HoRR1-
Z BLY, MANNED AND DIED IN a
FEW HOURS.
FEW HOURS.

Benwoot was the scene yesterday OF
another deplorablc fatality, this time
occurring at the Riverside coke plant.
Two men were thrown to the ground
by the fail Of n 'jlr' pole, u sort Of dcr-
rick. and their deaths came within q few
hours OF the accident. The men were
James Sullivan and George Fritz, and
were employed BY the Pittsburgh Bridge
Company, which has the contract tor
the erection OF the Riverslde's coke
plant. Y,
The accident occurred about 1:15 yes
tterday afternoon. The two men were
up on the top Of the pole. u distance OF
about sixty feet. The pole was part Of
the apparatus used for hosting struc-
tural iron. It Is supposed that some Of
the supports beneath, or the guy line,
must have slipped 70 cause tho pole TO
fall, and this theory Is generally accept
ed. Several people saw the pole with
its two occupants suddenly fall, and
were horror-stricken the next moment
i to see the two mangled forms on the
ground. The top OF the pole Just touch
ed the foundation wall inside the en-
closure. and Sullivan was dropped
few feet away on a pile OF the iron
building material. but Fritz was hurled
over the wall onto q pile OF Iron rails,
and almost Instantly killed. N.
Fritz died half an hour later at the
Emergency hospitals, whence he and
Sullivan had been removed! Sullivan
fingered until 2:45 o'clock. All the med
icaf attendance possible was called into
requlsition. Drs.l Eskey. Alley. McDon-
aid and Downing, OF Benwood, and DIR.
Taylor, of Wheeling. doing their utmost.
Fritz's back was broken, one leg was
broken in two places. and he was in
jured internally. The principal injury
Sullivan sustained was to his head,
which was cracked open, and his arms
and legs were fractured. while he also
received Internal injuries.
The men were Strangers to Benwood
people. having come to work at the
Riverside only short time ago. Fritz
started to work yesterday morning, al
though he had come TO Benwood several
days previous. Sullivan had been
working at the plant for six weeks.
Little was known as to where their
homes were, but s. E. Pearson, the fore.
man OF the force OF twenty-five men
the Pittsburgh Bridge Company has at
the Riverside, Is Of the opinion that
Fritz halls from Pittsburgh, and Sulli-
van from Ashtabula, o. The inquest
was held over the bodies at the Emer-
gency hospital by Coroner Henry Rid
die, and verdicts rendered In both cases
charging the deaths to neglect Of the
Pittsburgh Bridge Company.
K Foreman Pearson stated that the ac-
cident was the only one he had come
in contact with in his ten years expe-
Renee of structural iron erections, and
he deeply regretted the nffalr. He was
at a loss to account for the fall OF the
derrick, as he was absent at the time,
being at the Emergency hospital where
another Of the men was being treated
for fall an hour previous from the IA
tai pole. Edward Frederlcks. the man
injured, In some manner allowed his
clothing to get caught while he was half
way up the pole, and losing his grip he
came down like shot. He received a
bad shaking up from his fall, and n Sc
we're scalp wound. He was able. how
ever. to walk around yesterday after
noon. 81