Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-06
ELEVATORS AND THE HEART.
A Chicago Doctor Believes Those Whs
Run Lifts Will Suffer-

aun Lifts VIII Suffer.
From the Denver Republican.
Inc case of the runaway of the elevator
at the Brown Hotel on Saturday night
which resulted in the temporary penning
up of guest and the pilot, is explained
On Saturday evening. when the accident
occurred, 1t was thought the trouble was
with the cable. But the examination of
the elevator disclosed the fact that the
only damage done elevator, cable or lever
had been done by the collision of the ele-
vator with the top of the shaft. The
trouble was thus placed upon Monte In
man the pilot.
A sudden attack of heart trouble is said
to have caused a temporary paralyzing Of
the arm, which refused for the moment to
push back the lever. Inman will not admit
that this was the only cause of the acct
dent, and insists that the lever was out of
order but when a physician was consulted
he asserted with great positiveness that
the case described to him was one of an
attack of heart failure. He went on to say
that this trouble is common among elevator
pilots.
Especially is this true in such high alti-
tudes as this, said DR.. r. H. Brown of
Chicago, the physician who discussed the
matter at the hotel. THE sudden ascent
and descent and often the shock of a too
hasty stop tell on the action of the
altitude of a mile above level. OF
course. the faster the elevator goes the
more aggravated will be the heart trouble
of its manipulation, and in a high building
the chances of serious results to his health
are more certain than in lower building.
The air at the top of the shaft in a sky
scraper' is lighter than at the bottom, and
the rapid change from one altitude to the
other made SO often has a most serious
result. 1t cannot be otherwise. The ordi-
nary transient in this part of the world is
affected most uncomfortably by walking
upstairs at fair speed. The ascent in an
elevator at many times that speed does
more harm. The guest at the hotel the
visitor to the public building does not mo-
tice it much, but the pilot who remains
in the elevator for hours at a time day
after day is permanently injured in due
time.
Il was an interested visitor to the state
capitol on Saturday. But a few hours be-
fore the accident at the Brown Palace Ho-
tel 1 was conversing with the pilot of the
state capitol elevator on this subject and
he told me that he was already feeling the
during the day obliged to leave his post
and secure the services temporarily Of
some other state employe to do his work
until his heart resumed its normal action.
This is the same story told me everywhere
CO. 1t is one of the threatening results
of what We call modern improvement,
which. In other words, Is the refined man
ner of self-torture and risk of life and
faster and thus make a few dollars more
than we otherwise could do. There is
point Of speed beyond which. a matter
of protection to life limb and health ele-
vators and al other vehicles Of locomotion
should not be allowed to go. The mad
rush in this country. of which the frightful
speed of the elevator and the bicycle
'scorcher' is typical, must stop somewhere.
1T was only few weeks ago that / was
called to attend a man in Chicago who had
been suddenly stricken down. and who died
before I reached the house. could find no
reason for his death except that the action
of the heart had been bad but upon inquiry
learned that for two years he had been
an elevator plot. There was then doubt
in my mind to what caused his demise.
His family finally accepted my statement
that he died a martyr to the modern i'm
provements' which make life so easy that
the great public does not get proper health
full exercise. His last words were Top
floor"