The sun., 1903-05-12
FALLING BOX KILLS WOMAN.
1T SLID OFF A TRUCK AS SHE WAS
WALKING PAST.

Miss Eleanor T. Weilee. . stenoErapher, the
Victim Of Unusual Accident-The New
Rule ~ 10 Unloading OF Trucks at the
Curb Cause OF BOX Striking Her.
Eleanor Tompson Welles, % years old,
stenographer. was killed in Broadway
yesterday afternoon by a heavy packing
case falling from a truck. The accident
occurred almost opposite the New York
Life Building, in which the law firm of Went
worth Lowenstein & Stern, by whom she
was employed, has offices. She was evil
IDENTIFY returning from lunch at the time,
She left the office about noon to go to
lunch. When she did not return message
was sent to her home, at 1872 West Twelfth
street, and the girls father. Charles A.
Welles, who was formerly an editor, but
Ia now connected with the Ammonol Chemi-
cal Company at ls East Seventeenth street,
telephoned to Police Headquarters to find
out il q girl answering the description Of
his daughter had met with an accident.
He was told no, although this was three
hours after the girl had been killed.
The body was in the Hudson Street Hos
pital for five hours before it was identified.
The girls underclothes were marked w. "
her. gold watch was engraved with the in.
scription IT. NJ. W" and she had slip of
paper marked u. l.: McNaughton, ios
who is a dentist and had been treating the
girls teeth was sent for by the police and
he looked at the girls body He wasn't
positive that 1t was Miss Welles and went
to her home and got her father. Mr.. Wclles
almost collapsed when he made the identi-
fication.
There is no police record to show that
a woman was ever before killed in a sim
liar manner In the city streets.
The accident happened in front OF 355
Broadway and at least hundred persons
saw it. crowd gathered that blocked
the Broadway cars and there was great ex-
citement in the dry goods district for some
time. 80
The wagon. which was two-horse truck
belonging to the New Jersey Transporta-
tion Company, was standing parallel to
the curb when the case slid off. There is
an ordinance which prohibits truckdrivers
from backing their trucks up to the curb.
Deputy Police Commissioner Piper, in his
effort to facilitate traffic in Broadway.
has given instructions that trucks must
unload while parallel to the curb and not
with cars or traffic.
The case. which contained hardware
and cutlery, weighed about 25O pounds
and was consigned to Strauss Bros, & Co.
Two cases had been taken from the truck
and there we're six on it, including the one
That fell. -Four OF the cases were on the
truck platform and the other two made
a second tier, close up to the front Of the
truck. The case which toppled off was
on the inside, or next to the curb.
Driver William McHugh of 4ci Newark
street, Hoboken, says that he was un-
loosening a rope which was tied around
Z he cases preparatory 10 taking OF the one
for Strauss Bros. Il Co., when the case
which was overhnnging started to slide
on Mchugh made jump to stop it, but
was rot in time. and the case gra2ed the
side of his head knocking of his hat. Tho
Leonard street police say that the rope
broke and the case fell without any warning.
1t was just about l clock and there were
a number of persons on the street return
ing from lunch. Miss Welles was walking
up Broadway and was directly underneath
as rs, the he, case as ,, fell s 1t struck her on
street and horribly mangling her head
and face Two policemen carried her into
a store and she later taken to the Hudson
Street Hospital She died five minutes after
getting there.