The Savannah morning news., 1902-09-23
CRUSHED TO DEATH
I. SMITH FOUND ON ELEVATOR
CAGE OF CITIZENS BANK.
DIED FEW MINUTES LATER.
CAUGHT BETWEEN TOP OF CAGE
AND ELEVATOR WEIGHTS.

Had Climbed Up side of Cage and
Was Looking Into shaft When Ac-
ciden4 Occurred-Elevator Was CD
ing Up at Time-Suddenly Became
damned With shock That Was
FeIr All over BuiIding-Janitor
Prom Provident Building, Attract
cd NV Noise end Falling object,
First TO Discover Boys Plight
smith an EmplOye of Bradstreet'
Funeral TO Take Place This After
noon.
With his head crushed out Of all
shape and neck broken, James l.
Smith. q white boy Is years old, was
found hanging from the top Of the
cage OF the elevator shaft on the frst
Hoor of the Citizens Bank Building
Yesterday afternoon about O'Clock.
The injuries had been received from
the balance weights Of the elevator
which had jammed the young mans
head against the top of the cage.
The body, limp. but with little life
still left hung in the position in which
il was found until the elevator man
could be notified and the lift lowered
sufficiently TO release the head. Then
the body fell to the floor. A few min
utes later life was gone yet the re-
mains stayed where they had been laid
on the first landing at the foot of the
steps for half an hour. when they were
removed by the wagon of T. Hender-
sons Sons.
The accident, or rather. the causes
that led to it, may be said to be in
applicable At least no reasonable
theory OF what led the young man to
place himself in so dangerous a posi-
ton has yet been offered. His head
was caught at the top of the cage,
which is some eight or nine feet above
the floor and which could only have
been reached by his climbing.
Looked Down the shaft.
one theory advanced is that for some
unknown reason he wished TO look or
call TO the cellar, and as the elevator
was several floors up and the gate on
the FIRST floor closed, he climbed to the
place where he met his death. A fact
that would tend to bear out this theory
in part is that when found the face
was turned downward; the weights
had struck the back of the head and
neck.
The people in the Citizens Bank
building were first made aware of some
accident by a crashing sound and a jar
that was distinctly felt. even in the
offices several floors above the scene of
the accident. II. j. Gordon, the eleva-
tor man. WAS in the lift going upward.
ard at this particular time between the
fourth and fifth floors. He supposed
that some part of the apparatus
was out OF order and was stlil
trying to get the machine to go up
ward, when someone from below
shouted TO him TO stay where he was
and later. ordered the elevator TO be
lowered so that the boy could be taken
down.
Many Gathered at the Scene.
BY the time almost that the accident
was discovered there was a general
exodus from all parts of the building
TO the scene. The people staying in
the building were not the first TO reach
it, however. So far as could be learned
the first man there was A. X. Beard,
the colored janitor of the Provident
Building. He was standing just out
side of that building, he said. when
asked about the matter. and was look
ing directly in the entrance of the Cit
liens Bank. when he heard the crash
and saw something drop.
He went across the street at once,
where ne saw young Smith hanging
from the cage. The thing that had
dropped proved to be the unfortunate
boys hat. Mr.. Mills b. Lane, pres1-
dent of the bank. who also had heard
the noise. came out about the time
Beard reached the place. but he did
not at first discover the boy, and was
ringing the elevator bell to find out
from Gordon what the matter was
when he learned of the real cause of
the noise.
The first inkling that anything out
of the ordinary had occurred was con-
veyed to the upper offices, that is to
those of the S. P. Shotter Co., by a
small boy, whom the porter of the
company jocularly asked how many
men had been killed. "One." said the
boy. 'he was hanging by his neck
when ! came up" No credence was
given the story at first, but in a very
few minutes il was found that the
story was only toe true.
Brother saw the Body.
OF all those who gathered around the
boy no one in the first few minutes
recognized him. 1t was only as he
was breathing his last that a young
man suddenly pushed his way through
the crowd to where he could get a view
of the PROSTATE body, then burst out
sobbing and moaning and begged to
know if his brother was dead. Sym
pathetic persons led him away from
the scene and told him to go home
again. and that he would be told of
the accident and disposition of the re-
mains later. 1t was from this young
man that the dead boys name and add
dress were learned, and also the fact
that he was employed by Bradstreet's,
the Office of which is in the building
in which the accident occurred.
Mr. Bush. manager of this company,
learned of the accident a short time
after 1t occurred. He said that young
Smith had left the Office only a min
ute or two before the accident The
office had not been closed, but Smith
had told Mr.. Bush that he was going
out for a short time and so had gone.
When next heard of he had been taken
out of the shaft practically dead.
The young man was bright And ca
pable, said Mr.. Bush. tie had been in
the Office for two years, and was due
to get raise of salary within the next
week or two. The tragic happening was
a severe shock to Mr. Bush. as it was
in fact to every person in the build
ing. Little work was done after IL hap
pened.
The young man boarded at 124 Gas
ton street, west but the remains were