The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1909-05-06
CRUSHED UNDER
A TWO TON SAFE
he Lite Of George W. Smith Is
Quickly Winked Out.
RACED WITH DEATH DOWN STAIRS
Unfortunate Man Heard the Tackle
Break and Tried to Outrun the
Big Weight, And he Al
most Succeeded.


i4 VI. -r.. araH
George w. Smith, No. GOT B Ave.
West, was instantly killed Friday af-
ternoon at the Nugent building at the
northeast corner of the park, while
engaged in moving steel safe to the
Office location of John Mccoy, on the
second floor. The tackle by means
of which the safe was being pulled
up the stairway, broke when the safe
was all but landed at the top of the
stairs, and the two-ton weight went
bounding to the foot of the long stair
way. Smith, who was superintend-
ing the work, disregarding the warn
ings several times repeated by his
fellow workmen, was directly behind
the ponderous box, which took up
every available inch of room in the
narrow passageway. AS the break
came the man leaped away from the
falling safe and raced down the steps.
He was caught about six steps from
the bottom The safe lit on top OF
the man and crushed him beneath
it's weight as it bounded over him on
to the sidewalk, at the front of the
building. The lifeless body of the
man rolled down behind it. .o
Seen by Passersby. 49, ..
DR.. j. c., Roberts and Father J. H..
Renihan were at the corner of the
street a few feet distant when the
accident occurred, and they were at
he at 90 In inc %
was wholly unconscious as they at
tempted to lift him from the place:
The body stiffened as they held it,
quivered, and life had flown. The
heart had been crushed. The ribs,
both back and front, were fractured
and broken away from the spinal
column and the back itself was brok-
en-. A deep cut was over the right
eye, where the head had struck the
steps, and there were slight abra-
sions on the shoulder and hip. Other
wise the skin was not. broken. The
body was picked up and carried to
the j. B. McCurdy undertaking rooms
where it was cared for. ,.
Smith in Charge of Job.
The safe was being moved from the
Huber & Kalbach building, where at
torney John Mccoy has occupied Of
fees, to the Nugent building to the
rooms recently vacated by l.. C..
Bolton. Clarence Vermillion took
the contract for moving the big
weight and Smith was in charge of
the work. He was assisted by George
Meas, Ed Dewitt and Albert Hale.
his personal attention. 1t was. a
difficult job and he had stated num-
Der of times that this was the last
piece of work of this character that
he would take. The safe was lower
ed to the street from the Huber &
Kalbach building and was being taken
up the long stairway of the Nugent
building by the same piece of appa-
ratus or tackle.
Cause of Accident.
The "snub blocR," to when the
tackle was attached at the head OF
the stairway, pulled out from the
floor to which it was nailed. This
threw a strain upon a brace which
held the supporting tinbers in place.
The tackle gave way and the safe was
free. 1t was on the last step of the
stairs when the block pulled loose
and would have rested at the top of
the landing in minute more. Smith
heard the block give way and the
timber break. He was directly be-
hind the safe with bar and had
been guiding the weight as it was
drawn up. He turned and leaped
down the steps to the first landing
The safe rolled over and bounded to
the landing at the middle of the
flight of stairs. 1t hit here with a
crash that splintered the steps and
rolling over again caught Smith as
he was racing away from it. He was
beneath it as it again turned over
He yelled to the men below as the
ti,nbers gave way at the top of he
stairs and as he started down, but
he gave no cry as he was crushed
to death.
An Experienced Man.
George w. Smith had been an en-