New-York tribune., 1902-12-17
DIRECTED HIS OWN RESCUE.
Nerve Shown by a Man Hurt in an Ex-
traordinary Way.

One Of the most renarkab BILE accidents ever re-
ported by the police of this city occurred last
night in the Fidelity and Casualty Building
No. 81 Cedar-st., when q workman had MS right
leg crushed between the floor OF the elevator
and the eleventh floor of the building The man
is George J. Endler, thirty-five years old, OF NO.
400 West Union-st. West Hoboken, N ]. He
is employed in the building as handy man
and assistant engineer. 1t required the efforts
of eighteen firemen and four policemen to ex-
tricate him from his position. He was not un-
conscious and directed the work of rescue al
most entirely himself, and he suggested the
plan which finally secured his release.
Endler was working on top of one OF the
passenger elevators, Tightening some nuts Inc
elevator stood at the fourth floor, and the sliding
door giving entrance from the elevator to the
hallway was closed. Endler says that in tight
ening a nut his wrench slipped, and he was
thrown forward. In reaching out to save him.
self he grasped the rear supply rope and the
car shot down. Before he knew what had hap
pened the car had reached the bottom of the
shaft and, being automatically reversed, started
to ascend. Endler says that he confused
that he hardly knew what he was doing. He
gained his feet and tried to grasp something
that would stop the car. His foot slipped and
he was hurled against the sliding door at the
fourth floor. He was thrown with such force
that the door gave, and IT was torn from It's
rollers Then in some almost inexplicable man
ner his body rebounded, and the car shot
onward was thrown inside OF the car.
The car was brought TO stop, and his leg
was caught between the car and the floor.
Policeman Jennings. who is on the Cedar-st
post was called and he summoned Captain
Conway and eight men of Engine Company
No. 6.
The flooring of the story was of concrete ana
that of the elevator was Of steel. The leg was
caught in such position that if the elevator
had been raised lowered the leg would have
been torn from the mans body. AS 1t was,
when they opened the sliding door opening TO
the elevator shaft Endler's right leg stuck out
straight from a cramped position.
Captain Conway tried every means he could
think of but could not extricate the man.
Then he sent one Of his TO telephone for
help from Hook and Ladder Company No. 10
in Fulton-st- Lieutenant Sweet and ten men
responded with the apparatus. Lieutenant
Haggerty, of Engine No. 9, suggested that the
only way was TO cut out the concrete flooring
Then Endler suggested a plan himself which
was successfully carried through Between
the top of the sliding door the tenth floor
and the ceiling for a space OF about two feet is
an iron grating. Endler's right foot was
against this grating and prevented the car
from being lowered The injured man sug-
gested that II the grating was torn away ana
the car suddenly dropped the leg would have a
clear space to swing in and he could be drawn
inside the car.
This was done. Endler all the time directing
the work and the man was taken to Hudson
Street Hospital, where he is in serious con-
dition-