Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1903-05-28
FIVE PERSONS
DIE IN CRASH
Overloaded Elevator Takes
Fatal Drop in Building at
Pittsburg
HELD CAPTIVE UNDER DEBRIS
Man Is Held Prisoner for an Hour I'm
der Mass Of Timber and Twisted
Iron. Before Rescuers Succeed in
Releasing Him.

Pittsburg. Pa, May 25.--Ffve per
sons We're killed and twelve injured in
an elevator accident here. The car
contained seventeen passengers and
1t dropped six floors.
The accident happened in the Penn
sylvania Electro-Mechanical institute,
where bail was In progress, and is
attributed to the vehicle being over.
loaded or in the hands of green OPP
orator
Supt, of Police John p. McTighe or
dered the arrest OF Prof l.. N. Giles,
mechanical engineer and instructor
of the institute, who at the time of
the accident was running the eleva.
tor
The dead: Mamie Courtney, Kath.
ryn Curtin, Susie Flanagan, unidenti-
fed man, unidentified woman.
The injured: Kate Flanagan, Al
bert Myers. Frank Hermock, Mrs. Lulu
Postiewaite, Harry Lipson.
The above mentioned were the most
seriously hurt, and We're taken to hos.
pitfalls by police ambulances. The 9th.
ers, It is believed, were not danger.
ously injured.
Car Is Overloaded.
The institute occupies the fifth and
sixth floors OF the building at 1926
Fifth avenue and the employees and
students had cleared the floors and
sent out a large number of invita-.
tons for a ball. There probably were
700 persons in the hall at 10 o'clock,
when the elevator started from tho
first floor loaded with seventeen pas.
sengers. The fifth floor was devoted
to dancing, while the sixth was ar.
ranged for a dining and cloak room
The guests were first taken to the
sixth floor.
Just az the elevator reached that
floor there was a crash and 1t fell to
the bottom. Not one of the seven.
teen occupants escaped injury. Two
of the heavy weights fell on the vic.
Tins after the elevator had reached
the bottom. Each of them weighed a
ton. The dead were crushed into un.
recognizable masses.
Pinioned IN Wreck.
The car smashed through the floor
above the cellar of the building and
was stopped by a braced post OF wood
three feet below the first floor. In
this inaccessible position the passen.
gers were jammed under broken tim.
bers and twisted steel. Albert Myers
was held a prisoner for more than an
hour While firemen and volunteer
rescuers were preparing riggings to
life the machine so AZ to be accessi
BILE he lay pinioned under the wreck.
age. Whisky and water were passed
to him with words OF encouragement.
A fireman endangered his life by drop
ping into the mass of wreckage and
holding the injured mans head.
Panic.stricken Women.
Heavens, ii was hot down there"
was the brave mans first words spok-
en- while being carried from his pris-
on to a hospital ambulance.
When the noise of the elevator
crashing to the ground reached the
ballroom the widest confusion fol.
lowed and a serious panic was narrow.
ly averted. Women rushed to the open
elevator shaft and were ready to
jump down 1t. Several Of the men
who remained cool-headed rushed be.
fore them and closed the gates. Then
by main force they showed the panic.
stricken people back into the ballroom
and closed the doors. Dozens of WON.
en- tainted in the room.