New-York tribune., 1910-11-21
IRON WORKERS FACE DEATH
Girder Slips and Falls Above
Heads of Twelve Men.
LIVES SAVED BY DETECTION
Only One Injured at Thrilling
Accident at New Grand
Central Palace.

Death hung over the heads ~ twelve
-r7en last night who were standing on 4
temporary platform at the ninth floor OF
1he new Grand Central Palace. in course
Of construction At Lexington avenue
and 4sth and 47th streets Outlined IN
The sky above them was a huge girder
weighing. more than half d. ton. and this
mass Of steel was being h0isted into
place bH q derrick, q rope being hitched
about The beam AZ the men watched
The rope began 10 slip gradually, inch by
inch. but ever nearer the end and the
men. waiting IN terror below. thought Il
would never tau.
I seemed 10 The iron workers on the
Tlmsv platform that Il was the hardness
OF fate that The Eirder. a. it was slowly
SWUNG oct from the side Of the building.
should reach point just above their
heads as the last grip Of the steel cable
1oosened its ErIp ON IL The men were
caught like rats IN q trap The plat
form was - narrow that escape was
impossible. they thought. and the thin
boards. they knew. would never stand
The shock Of the mass or steel crashing
down ON them.
The first man 10 see the impending
danger was the foreman of the gang He
happened 70 glance up Just in time To
notice thar the cable had begun 10 rasp
and CRATE along the sides OF the gIrder,
while The beam shook violently and be-
Ear - jerk 1tze7f. as though TRYING 10 get
free OF It's bonds
H. lied q warning 10 the iron work
e-s- telling them 10 seek safety where
1tev Gould and the men CrouChed down
behind beams and rs hat other slight
rzvers f protection they could ind. yat
knowing that # the glrder fell on the
platform tnev would al be sent tumblne
ro The street To certain death Death
was above and below them
Although II did NOT take more than q
fesy seconds Tor the cable 10 slip from
The ri-der. II seemed ike inrerminable
space II the Waiting man To some Of
them il must have seemed like the slow
dreadful grinding Of q mountain ava
lancae. crashing its way down a steer
decIIviry
When the last link OF the cable had
slipped past The end OF the girder The
then plunged straight downward, with Z
7rhsstling. warning sound. as II gathered
momentum Joseph Kopsky. Of No e1t
Freeman street. The Bronx. who va:
s-raiuing himself against The side Of
stationary iron pillar n the effort u
escape The beam. received glancir:
blow and was thrown against the sid
OF The building with such force as al
most 10 bounce him back again or IN
platform
For z moment Il appeared that r
would plunge headlong 70 the street L
This crisis Two 1rouworkers who had beer
covering near by crept along The plat
form reached out their hands and pulled
K0ps5y 10 safety Ee had a broker
thigh and q mass Of bruises all over MS
as n was carried TO safety He realized
how close he had been 10 death.
The c.-der. instead o. landing on the
platform and smashing il, Is had been
feared. became w=5Ee5 50 firmly between
Two upright pillars that Il was impos-
sihl= 70 dis-adee il This lucky defec-
non Of -he beam saved The lives OF The
twelve men bur they did no more work
fo~ +he night. and II was some minutes
before they could zImmon courage TO de
-.rnd ~ the street
Korsk- was taken T. Flower Hospital
r ur Botsford. who said that ha would
TreharTv recover