Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-04-12

Another fatality occurred yesterday
at Benwood George Fritz and James
SULLIVAN, two employees at the River
SIDE coke plant, We're fatally injured by
falling from a derrick, and died ron
after.
The accident happened about a quar-
ter past one O'Clock. Fritz died twenty
minutes afterward and Sullivan lived
for about an hour.
The men were employed by the Pitts
burg Bridge Company, which has the
contract Of building the new coke plant
at the riverside. Fritz and Sullivan
were on top of a big "gin-pole" fifty
five feet high, which was being used
to hoist into place the heavy struct-
ural iron work for the construction of
the laboratory Of the coke plant Ac-
cCrding to the story Of those who saw
the accident, the men, or those in
charge CT the JOB. were partly respOn-
sibe for it.
The huge derrick on which they were
seated was supported by four guy
lines. Fritz and Sullivan wanted to
change the position Of one of the
lOpCo " dllOtIlNI DIOCh, ana Ill uOlIS
this they loosed the rope entirely, ex-
pecting the derrick to be supported by
the other three ropes. A strong wind
just then struck the derrick on the
unsupported side, and the derrick was
hurled with great force to The ground.
There was not the least opportunity
for the men to save themselves. as the
ground beneath was covered with
stone walls, bricks, ironwork and ma
terial, Of various kinds used in the
construction of the buildings of the
coke plant. Fritz fell outside the
foundation wall Of the laboratory
building and struck a pile of neavy
iron His back was broken, left thigh
broken and he sustained other injur-
les about the body Sullivan fell in
side the wall on a pile of stone. His
left leg and arm were broken ard his
skull BABY fractured. He also re-
ceived internal injuries of a fatal char
acter. Both men were carried to the
Emergency hospital, and Doctors Es-
key, Alley, Downing and Mcdonald
endeavored to give them all possible
relief until death soon came to end
their sufferingS.
Fritz was young man apparently not
over twenty-five or tWenty-three years
of age. He had been working at Bell
aire and is said to have started to work
at the coke plant only yesterday morn
ing. Very little is known about either
men. Foreman Pearson, who is SUI
perintendent Of the construction of the
coke plant, was very much affected by
the unfortunate accident, and said that
it was the first time that any person
in his employ had been killed
He stated that Fritz's home was sup
posed to be at Hyde Park, Pittsburg,
and that he had an aunt living at No.
81 Bigelow street, Pittsburg. who
had been telegraphed for. He did not
know anything about Sullivan, except
that it was reported that he had at
one time worked at Ashtabula, Ohio.
The bodies of the two men were taken
to Becker's undertaking establishment,
where they will be kept uncii relatives
can be communicated with. Sullivan
was about 80 years OF age, and is said
to have at one time been a sailor in
Uncle Sans navy
Yesterday afternoon Squire Riddle, Of
Benwood, held a corOners inquest
over the bodies of the two rCn and a
verdict was rendered IN accordance
with the facts
At the inquest eleven witnesses were
examined, and it was shown that the
accident was due to the carelessness of
those in charge of the job, as one of
the, guy ropes had been taken off and
the pole left without proper support.
The verdict of the jury was that James
Sullivan and George Fritz had met
death by the falling of the gim-pole,
through the negligence of the manage
ment of the Pittsburg Bridge Com
pany
Just a few minutes previous to the
falling OF the derrick, Edward Freder-
lex, another employee, had a narrow
escape from being killed
The rope by which the two men had
been lifted up from the ground had
been dropped and Frederick climbed
the pole to take up the rope. He did
so, and was coming down again when
his trousers caught an oAstrHGtiQp, and
he fell distance of about twenty feet.
He escaped however, with a severe
scalp wound and a few bruises.
1t was gust week ago yesterday
that the boiler explosion at the Wheel
ing steel works, at Banwood, occurred
which also cost the lives of two
men. Benwood has had her share of
fatalities lately.
I,Et1H nE NkRs GE-TNfaN