Evening journal., 1900-06-20
HOTEL WALTON
ELEVATOR FALLS
Three Delaware Men Injured
in the Crash
DIR DIR. BURTON 00NEE 00NEE az AAE VICTIMS VEIc(TIIMIEsS,
Mr.. Hunter is the Most Severely In
jured His Leg Being Broken.
They Fell Seven Stories
r.. IIRE BURTON BURTON OEEE OONEEE 9FF on VIGCTTIMHSS VVITGCTTIMHSS

Dr. Hiram r. Burton, Of Lewes.
delegate to the Republican National
Convention: Former Representative
William Hunter, OF Harbeson. and
George e. Magee, of Milton, this state.
were injured by the fall Of an elevator
in the Hotel Walton in Philadelphia
last night
Dr. Burton had a rib fractured: Mr..
Hunter received a compound fracture
Of the leg; Mr.. Magee had his leg badly
bruised. Seven others We're injured,
but. nome Of them seriously, this, per-
haps, being due to the fact that the
elevator was filed and that the occu-
pants Of il acted as buffers for one an
other.
Other injured were:
Walter Burton, Dr. Burton's brother
of Washington ID. c., slight flesh
wounds.
J. G. Pringby,-a delegate from Okla
homa seriously hurt
Brenton r. Hall, delegate from Beld-
ing, Mich. severely injured.
DR.. Cameron, Of Texas, painfully in
jured.
Marcellus West Washington. ID. c.,
left leg broken.
l.. r Whiting, Texas. back bruised
and legs strained.
III. L. Pope, Of Baltimore. scratches
from the flying fragments OF the mir
rors in the car.
The accident happened n few minutes
before midnight. AT that time the ho-
tel lobby was crowded with mixed
political crowd OF delegates and sight
seers, to whom the crash OF the falling
car was deafening.
STORY OF THE ACCIDENT.
The operator of the car tried to stop
the elevator at the seventh story to let
out a passenger, but found that the
mechanism was out of order.
He Immediately gave warning TO the
passengers and made every effort pos
sible to regain control Of the electric
motor But his efforts were in vain.
The car descended at a rapid rate and
struck the bottom Of the pit with ter
rifle force throwing the human freight
in heap, entangled In the broken iron
and torn cables
The noise and the cries of the wound
ed Immediately attracted the attention
Of the large crowd I'm the lobby All
hands set to work to render all assist
ance possible. and when the injured
men were removed ambulances were
sent for.
REMOVED TO HOSPITAL.
Mr.. Hunter was taken to the Jaffer-
son Hospital, and the others were put
under the care Of physicians in the
neighborhood. The wrecked elevator Is
the same one that met a similar acci-
dent few days ago.
A PASSENGERS STORY.
DR.. Cameron. one OF the least in
jured, who received badly confused
and sprained arms and legs. described
the accident to a reporter as follows:
II got in at the tenth floor with three
other men. AS far as l can rsmem-
Der, there were already three in the
car ] felt a sudden jolt iust as / step
ped in. but thought nothing In particu-
lar of it. When we reached the seventh
the elevator boy attempted TO stop for
more passengers
Suddenly we feltthe car give a Jerk.
and instantly we were flying past the
openings at an awful speed. All were
terrified, but we could not help our
selves. We heard what we thought
were heavy pieces Of iron falling on top
Of the elevator.
Almost before we knew what hap
pened the car stopped with shocking
suddenness I cannot describe. It was
horrible. / was thrown out OF the
door several passengers fell on top of
me- For a minute my legs were pin
ned, but l got them loose. One of the
drums, / think il was from the side OF
the elevator, fell through the topJust as
the car stopped.and struck me on the
head and side.
At the time Of the accident a com
mittee meeting of much importance to
the delegates was going on on the
tenth floor, and many were making use
OF the elevators. Early in the evening
orders were given to the elevator boy
not to stop at any one of the floors be-
tween the first and tenth on the up trip.
Delegates and others having business
on the floors other than the tenth were
compelled to take the elevator nearer
the office desk. The car that fell was
the one nearest the Locust street en-
trance to the hotel.