The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-05-03
Two Mel, Dashed to Death
in New YORK.
CROWDS WITNESS ACCIDENT
Victims We're Atop of Big Strong Box
Which Was Being Hauled Up Into
Skyscraper, When the Rope Broke,
Hurting Them to Earth

NEW YORK, May 3.-Everybody who
has ever watched the operation of hoist
ing safe up to one OF the high stories
-of a tall building has wondered what
would happen IL the rope would break
This is exactly what did happen at the
corner Of Cedar and William Streets last
night, and two men we're killed, the safe
was smashed as though dynamite had
been exploded in it, its contents were
scattered for blocks, and the huge build
ings all around shook with the shock
when the three-ton safe hit the curb.
The massive steel box was being hoist
ed from the ninth to the fifteenth floor
Of the QueeE Fire Insurance Company
Building. and the rope broke when it got
20 the top of the tenth story The two
men who were killed were on top Of the
safe. going up with it 10 guide it Far
below in the street an obIivious man kept
the lever pulled back so that the full
force OF the hosting motor was on. while
the men clinging to the top of the safe
we're shouting and reckoning him to shut
of the power, for the safe had caught on
2 cornice and the power was pulling the
rope thin.
He Marve3ed Not.
The man on the street had done his
work SO often that hosting a safe was
routine thing, and the men on the safe
He was about the only man on the street
within a block who had not marveled at
the creaking of the great rope
When the rope did snap it popped like a
pistol shot
The two men on 1t were Frank Drum,
OF No. Prince Street, and Paul weinber-
ger, OF No 169 First Avenue The safe
was fully three seconds falling and the
men stood on 1t during it's descent. never
uttering a cry, until the safe struck
projection On the third floor, which threw
them headlong and dfshed them to death
on the pavement There was the usual
crowd about watching, and everybody in
that crowd saw what happened and turned
sick as tbs safe and the two men dropped
Two Men Ride Up on Safe.
The safe was the property OF Louis
Sonnenberg, a lawyer, who was moving his
Office from the ninth floor to room 1907.
on the fifteenth floor wagon equipped
AtA "a SACSLA II A4V4otA-A AAASSS4 a. VIZ
the William Street side OF the building
shortly before O'Clock, and a crew of
men fixed the rigging from the sixteenth
story. one floor above where the safe was
to be moved.
When all was IN readiness for the hoist
ing. Drum and Wcin5eFger mounted the
top of the safe TO guide it on its upward
journey. The safe was taken out from
the ninth floor all right and passed it in
safety.
It's Edge Catches or Cornice.
The man at the motor now had full
power on, and the safe was going up pref
ty rapidly. When near the top of the
tenth floor one end OF the top, Of the safe
caught in the granite cornice,- which pro
trudes several feet. Drum and Weinber-
ger called to the man at the motor to stop.
but owing to the noise of a passing wagon
he did not hear them The motor kept
whirring around, bringing strain on the
rope that was bound 20 break it.
The creaking Of the rope from the ire
mendous strain could be heard in the
street.
Motor Pulls Rope in Twain.
Drum and Weinenberger could be seen
making frantic efforts to get q foothold
or handhoId on the cornice.
All this happened in second Before
anybody moved to help the rope parted
with shOtIike report and the safe, with
the two men, came crashing down
In its descent the bottom of the safe
struck the top Of the granite eorHice at
the third story, throwing the men of
and landing them on the other side Of the
street.
Victims Fall To Death