The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-06-08
WTHE FLATIRON
HER DEATH IN ELEVATOR
,PUZZLES THE CORONER.
Apparently She Merely Fell TO the Floor
When the Car Was Reversed In .
Party OF Young Women C~haperonei
by the Daughter OF Alton II. Parker

by the Daughter Of Alton u. Parker
Lima Schoonmaker, 10 years old. who
was making her fret visit to New York,
was killed in an elevator accident In the
Flatiron Building yesterday. She was
one Of twenty young women Of the Girls
Friendly Society who had come down
from Kingston, N. Y. on q sightseeing
trip chaperoned by the Rev. Charles
Mercer Hall and his wife and Mrs. William
A. Frey. Mrs. Hall Is the daughter OF
Alton B. Parker.
The party came down yesterday morn
ing on the steamer Mary Powell. The
Rev. Mr.. Nall. who is rector OF the Epis-
copal Mission Of the Holy Cross at King
ston. suggested that he take the Hall
children and half the young women
to see the Aquarium while Mrs. Hall
piloted the rest on a shopping expedi-
ton. This was agreed upo and each
division went its way. After luncheon
, the girls went with Mrs. Hall on an errand
to the eighth foor OF the latiron Building.
When Mrs. Hall had finished her business
the party filed into a local elevator on the
Fifth avenue side.
The young women were laughing and
talking. 1t seemed odd to them that their
group nearly filled the car. There We're
but four other passengers. one OF whom
was w. p. kennard. a GOAL merchant, OF
| Broadway. Stephen Young. the man
running the elevator, says that he put his
hand across the door to make sure that
everybody was back far enough. Then
he let the cage descend.
IL x,apt down Mt q 0nnd rata according
to Young. but not at an unusual speed.
As the sixth floor was being passed a sig
ma! came from that foor. YounGreverssd
the power and the car started back.
Almost at the same instant there was
II scream and Miss Schoonmaker. who
was standing nearest the door. fell for
ward. Mrs. Hall, who was next to her.
grasped her about the waist, but as she
fell her head struck the sill Of the s.s,n
floor doorway.
Young dropped the cage to the fifth
floor and shouted for help. Or. I. {.
Mccoy. who has an Office in the building.
and Pat Powers, the sporting manaser.
carried the young woman to Mr.. Powers's
office. She died in a few minutes. Police
man Daniel Gibbons. after calling an am
DulanCe, WeIll up from pioou"ey o"'
arrested the elevator man.
When Coroner Hamburger got there he
couldn't understand how the accident
had happened. Mrs. Hall said that Miss
Schoonmaker might have been thrown
Of her feet when the car was reversed.
When the car jolted, somebody behind
might have bumped into her. Mrs. Hall
thought.
After Coroner Hirburger had made II trip
with Young in the same elevator he do
cided that Mias Schoonmaker must have
lost her balance when the car was reversed
and fallen OF her weight. Reing
unused to elevators. she NAV have been
frightened when the car stopped and
instinctively started forward.
This elevator isn't sufficiently pro-
tected,- said Coroner Hamburger 10 the
elevator man. is that door We are
passing at the fifth floor locked? II looks
open to me; Anybody might pull it
apart from h outside, mightu't he?"
The Coroner was assures to the con-
trary. but upon ordering the al back
to the floor he found that the catch In the
door had not caught and that the door
offered little resistance when he pushed
it open. The explanation. he said. vas
that the door needed oil and when the
VtN Nhhot tdh shA1 ~ ~ ~
hadn't gone all the way.
Coroner Hamburger then ordered the
policeman to take Young downtown 70
his Office for a preliminary hearing. After
questioning the young man he placed the
bail at IS 5000 under the formal charge Of
homicide. Young says he has been running
elevators for five years and has been
employed in the Flatiron Building for six
months.
All the employees having TO do with
elevators on the Fifth avenue side OF the
building will be called to testify at the in
quest nex week.
The young women returned horne on
the night boat, accompanied by Mrs. Frey.
Mrs. Hall and her children went home TO
Kingston on an early train. Her husband
took the body with him on a train which
got to Kingston at Q o'clock last night.
1t was then taken to the home OF Lansing
Sohoonmaker. the father, who is u Mason,
at Saugerties