Evening star., 1903-06-30

ACCIDENT
Gage Dropped From Fifth
Floor to Cellar.
CARWASOVERCROWDED
WITNESS SAYS INTOXICATED
MEN CAUSED CALAMITY.
Twenty Three Persons Were Aboard
When Shaft Broke and Dropped
Them to the Bottom.
CARWASOVERCROWDED

A dispatch was received from Pittsburg,
kPa., last night as follows: The breaking
of shaft on the first floor OF the A. j.
Heinz Company.s plant in Allegheny to-
day released the ropes supporting large
freight elevator. on which twenty-three
persons were crowded. The cage fell from
the fifth floor into the cellar. distance OF
forty-five feet, and every one on the ele-
vator was injured. 1t Is thought that at
least two will die.
The list Of injured:
3 John Cherney Allegheny; both legs
broken; will likely die.
Mrs Edward Holman. Mount Hope, N
j.: injury to spine; will probabf, die; at
Allegheny General Hospital
Joseph Weber. Allegheny; both legs
broken; condition serious.
o. p Thompson, Allegheny; leg crushed
Mrs c. r. Sammons, East End. Pitts
burg; spine injured.
Imogene Redman. Paris, Ky; ankle
sprained and spine injured; at West Penn
Hospital.
H. A. Morrison. HazeIwood; compound
fracture Of right leg.
Mrs A. Lotha, Allegheny; concussion OF
spine and ankle sprained
William Koncana, Cleveland, ONO; ankle
sprained and spine injured; at Allegheny
General Hospital.
c. Howak Cleveland ankle sprained and
injury to spine; at West Penn Hospital
Mrs A. Vodraska Allegheny; cut by n.y.
ing glass.
badly bruised at Allegheny General Hos
pitaL o,..,1,,
of spine; at Allegheny General Hospital
Mike Demko Cleveland; leg sprained;
at West Penn.
John Zajosky Cleveland; ankle sprained;
HOSDital
Mrs. william Mitchell, Hazelwood; leg
fractured in two places.
Mrs Victor Bailey EiaZelwood; leg frac-
tured.
John Brotsky, Pittsburg; ankle sprained.
Steven Jasco, Cleveland: ankle sprained;
taken home.
Mrs. Minnie Spring. Gienshaw; ankle
Sprained
Mrs. E. W. Thornton, Hazelwood; COM
pound fracture of leg
Mrs. George Sherlock. Hazelwood; COM
pound fracture of left leg.
Work Of Frolickers.
When the accident occurred the elevator
uas evidently oyercrowded According to
that was told this evening by DIR. ]. 8.
Phillips physician at the plant the antics
of two men on the elevator. who were IN
toxtcated caused the disaster. Dr. Phli-
lips says the two men crowded on the car
after being told by the operator to stay
with the result that the shaft snapped ana
left the elevator without control
According to the story told by Wllilam
Koncana. dry goods merchant OF Cieve-
land tonight at the hospital, there was ho
disorder in the crowd.
al thought there were too many on the
car" he said when I saw how crowded
we were. and as soon as the car lelt lns
fifth aoor I am certain every one reaHzeo
that something had happened to the ma
chinery and that the elevator was slipping.
There was not sound or cry uttered by
any, one until we landed in a heap IN the
+ cellar
~ Visitors Were Injured.
All but two of the injured were visitors to
the Heinz plant Weber and Thompson are
employees Of the company.
The Cleveland people are members OF the
Bohemian Catholic Central Union and took
mart In the blessing Of the guns Of the Ca
dets of st. George of Allegheny on Sunday.
Today they took for sightseeing. and the
Heinz plant was ON the program
An examination OF the plant and ma
chinery showed that those injured 9ar-
rowly escaped instant DEATH as the IoO-
pound weight at the side of the shaft shot
TO the roof Of the building. ripped through
the timbers at the top. and fell half It's
length through the ceiling over the slxtn
floor Had the timbers been a little less
stout the huge weight would have fallen
nearly sixty feet upon the mass OF injured
people huddled in a heap on the moor OF
the demolished elevator.
Crashed to the Bottom.
The screams of the injured and the crash
of the huge cage as 1t struck the bottom OF
the shaft brought hundreds Of workmen
and women to the rescue and a hurry call
was sent for physicians and ambulances,
and the injured were hastily examined and
hurried to the hospitals.
This is the first serious accident which
has ever occurred at the plant.
In q statement given out by the officials
of the plant 1t was stated that the eleva-
tor was thoroughly overhauled and a new
drum placed in position about two years
ago, and had always been inspected daily
by the man in charge Of the machinery,
once q week by the Oiler and once month
a place impossible to be detected by the in
spectors as 1t was inside the large drum.
Conditions Are Serious.
PITTSBURG, Pa. June 30.-As the result
of careful examinations by the physicians
at the various hospitals today it was stated
elevator accident were more seriously hurt
than at first reported and that two will
probably die within few hours.
Those in critical condition are Otis r.
Thompson, clerk at the Heinz plant, who
was acting as guide to the visitors: John
Cheney Of Allegheny, Mrs. Edward P.
William Mitchell Of Paris KY. The other
victims. including all the Cleveland Wis
itors. rested easily during the night, and
will likely recover.