The Washington times., 1901-07-24
CRUSHED BENEATHGIRDERS
A Little Girl Killed While at Play
in a Lumber Yard.
Mary CisselI Meets Death Under =
Pile of Heavy Timbers-Two of Her
Companions Dangerously Hurt
One May Die mt Hospital.

F1le OIL Heavy TfmberS-EWO OF Her
Companions Dangerously Hurt
One May Die at Hospital.
Mary. Cisseli. the pretty eight-year-otd
| daughter of William CisseIi, an employe
| OF the navy yard, now lies a corpse IN
her parents S home, 309 l. Street southeast,
| while Lizzie Davis, ten years old, and
Mabel Jones. eight years of age. are both.
| in a serious condition, as the result OF
| having been thrown from pile of lumber.
and nearly suffocated by being buried be-
| meath a number of ponderous wooden
| girders, while they were playing in
Thomas w. Smiths lumber yard, corner
| of Fourth Street and Georgia Avenue
| southeast. last night
The CisseH girl was instantly killed.
her head having been badly mashed by
| the heavy girtler. while Lizzie Davis, her
! little playmate. lies in semi-conscious
| condition at Providence Hospital, suffer-
| ing from concussion of the brain. together
| with painful injuries about her body. 1t
was said early this morning by the hos
| pital surgeons that the Davis girl was
| In critical condition and might die at
any moment. Mabel Jones was more
| fortunate than her little playmates, how
ever, and is now under medical treatment
at her parents home, 720 Seventh Street
| southeast, suffering from. broken fore
arm and painful but not serious injuries
about her head and body.
| The three girls have always, 1t was
| learned last night, been boon compan-
| ions, and were to be seen daily engaged
| in their childlike play. Shortly after
o'clock last night they met as usual and
! went down Fourth Street toward the
2 - IL hon hal an
hour they returned and were seen by,
Watchman Jordan, who is employed in
| the lumber yard, to enter a walk leading
into the place. At the point where the
little ones entered huge piles of girtiers
are piled up on both sides Although
Jordan did not take especial notice of
| them after they entered the yard, it is
| thought that they attempted to- climb
upon one of the piles of lumber and had
succeeded in getting halfway up when
one of the huge girders was loosened and
rolled down upon them, followed by sew
| eral others.
The first intimation that Jones had of
| the affair was when he heard one of the
| children cry for help. followed by the
| crash Of the falling lumber. He ran at
| once to the spot, followed by several citi-
| zens, and there before his eyes was ter
| rible sight. The little Cissell girl, who had
| evidently mounted the lumber farther up
| than her companions, lay in pool of
! blood on the ground, her head crushed
| almost beyond recognition. while across
| both her head and body lay several of
| the ponderous girders. She was already
| dead, and, in the opinion OF many. who
| ran to the scene, had been killed in
stantIy The first girder to start had
evidently struck her legs and thrown her
| to the ground. where the heavy timberS
! fell with full force upon her head and
| neck. The Davis girl was found lying in
| an unconscious condition. with one of the
! girders lying across her head. while an
| other lay across her body.
| Luckily for Mabel Jones. the spot where
| she fell after having been forced from
1 the lumber pile was a hollow, so that.
owing to her small size, she lay euried
| up in this hollow with one of the girders
resting on one of her arms. Her cries
| for help were heart-rending. and Jordan.
together with Sergeant Kaucher and Po-
! liceman Delaney, worked frantically until
/ they had removed the timbers-
In the meantime the patrol wagon of
| the Fifth precinct galloped madly 10 the
scene The two girls, together with the
! body of the little one whose life had fled.
were placed in ii and taken to the Cisseli
| home where, without ceremony, the man
| gled, bleeding body of the little girl was
| carried into the house. The scene was
| heart-rending one, the father and mother
breaking down and giving vent to their
| sorrow In cries.
| The mother of Mabel Jones. who had
| received news of the accident. came rush
ing up and was frantic with JOY upon dis
! covering that her child had escaped with
| only fractured arm. The little Davis
| girf's parents were notified of the acci-
| dent and realizing that their child's
| life could be prolonged only by rapid
| and efficient work of the surgeons. went
| at once with her to the Providence Hos
| pital. Upon arriving there the surgeons
| lost no time in making fun examination,
and heroic efforts We're made by them to
| save the little ones life. She was placed
| in one of the wards. and although she
| soon regained consciousness, her injuries
are OF such a nature that the surgeons
| say she may die.
| The police of the Fifth precinct rem
dered excellent service toward assisting
| the injured children to the hospital, as
did Mr.. Goldsborough, Watchman Jordan.
and several other citizens whose names
| the police secured, who assisted in re-
moving the gigantic timbers from the un-
| fortunate chiidren's bodies.
| The affair created great excitement
among the residents in the vicinity, and