Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1903-05-24
AMONG GAY DANCERS
DEATH WAS LURKING
Frightful Fall of Elevator In
Pittsburg, Pa.
-FOUR KILLED, MANY INJURED.

Steel Cable Snapped and Precipitated
Heavily Loaded Car Five Stories.
Bodies of Victims Almost Crushed
Beyond Recognition.
Pittsburg, May 23.-It was almost
daybreak this morning before any of
the victims of last nights frightful
elevator accident at the Connolly build
ing, during the Electric-Mechan in
stitute ball were identified, and at 10
O'Clock the crushed and mutilated re-
mains of woman were still lying at
the morgue, unknown and unclaimed.
Large crowds surrounded the en-
trance of the morgue all night await
ing information as to the identification
OF the four bodies that had been TAX
en- there from the scene of the acct
dent. The bodies were so badly dis
figured and distorted that thorough
Identification was only possible
through the marks on the clothing
worn, and as some had no marks on
their clothing Identification was i'm
possible until friends inquired for
them because missed from their homes.
The unknown woman is thought to
have come from some of the suburban
towns and the remains will likely
be identified during the day.
List of Dead and Injured.
The casualty list as furnished by the
coroner and obtained from the hospit-
ais
The dead are:
Miss Matte Curtin, IS years old, of
Hazelwood, Pa
Miss Susie Flanagan, 10 years old,
of Allegheny.
hayden P. Floor, % years old, of Nc
KEGS Rocks.
Woman about 10 years of age.
The injured:
Albert Meyers, 23 year old, fracture
OF right leg and arm.
Harry Upton, arms and legs
Katy Flanagan, 27 years of age.
Mrs. Lulu Postelwaite 40 years old.
Miss Margaret Potelwaite. II years
of age
Charles Blondel, 10 years old
Fannie Simond, 20 years old
John Morrison, aged SO years.
Frank Amrock % years old
L. N. Gillis, 40 years Old
Mrs. L. n. ellis and Paul ellis.
An unknown man about "a years of
age, bruised and cut, is unconscious
at the hospital.
The injured are all suffering from
severe cuts and bruises, but with the
exception of the unknown man, it Is
thought all will recover.
Rigid Investigation.
The coroner at the earliest time pos.
sible sent out summonses for a jury
to inquire into the cause Of the acct.
dent, and fix the responsibility.
The jury met in the courtroom of the
morgue building at 10 o'clock this
morning and rigid investigation was
at once started. After the jury had
been sworn and had viewed the re.
mains of the victims, friends were
given permission to remove their bod.
les to their homes.
A banquet and ball was held in the
building at 1926 Fifth avenue by the
Pennsylvania Observation-Disclosures insti.
tute and every available portion OF
the fifth and sixth floors were crowd.
ed by members of the institute and
their friends.
Fell Five Stories.
At about 10 o'clock the elevator, with
load of IS passengers, st&rted for the
banquet room on the sixth floor. When
that floor was reached it was found
that every place was crowded, and the
passengers decided to go to the fifth
floor, where the dancing was in prog.
ress. When between the fifth and
sixth floors, the steel cable snapped
and with a resounding crash that was
heard blocks away, the cage dropped
with It's load of human freight. 1t
smashed through the floor above the
cellar of the building, and was stopped
by braced post of wood feet below
the first floor.
In this inaccessible position the pas
5SuB6IS WCI0 JtluuASu DEOhCn
timbers and twisted steel, yet none
might have been killed had not the
heavy iron balance weight, weighing
over ton, come crashing down on
them. All but four were able to
scramble out The others were PIN
toned under the heavy weight -Four
were mashed almost beyond recogni
tinn
Elevator Overcrowded.
The opinion prevails that the eleva.
tor was overcrowded, and Superin-
tendent of Police John P. McTighe or.
dered the arrest of Professor L. N.
Giles, a mechanical engineer and in
structor of the Pennsylvania Electro
Mechanical institute, who at the time
Of the accident was running the ele-
vator It is alleged that he allowed
the elevator to be overcrowded, and
that he had no experience in running
an elevator and was partly RESPONSE
| bic for the accident.