The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-01-04
FATAL FRIDAY
At THE ARMORY

PING SIX MEN TO GROUND
THIRTY FEET BELOW!-JACOB
SCHROEDER BREAKS WRIST
TWICE--OTHERS GET TERRI
BILE CUTS AND BRUISES--ITAL-
IAN LOSES AN EYE-'SQUIRE
SCHWESINGER SAVED BY A
HAIR'S-BREADTH, RUNS FROM
SCENE OF ACCIDENT FOR
DEAR LIFE!
Without a moments warning Fri
day afternoon about one O'Clock, a
scaffold on the River side of the new
Park Street Armory, holding seven
men and a 500-pound coping-stone,
broke, and hurled six of the men to
the frozen ground below, breaking
the right wrist of Contractor Adam
Schroeder's SON. Jacob Schroeder,
Scranton, in two places, cutting deep
gashes in the heads of Ed. Marsh and
John Fukes, and severely injuring
two Italians. Squire George Sch
wesinger, Texas township, the most
fortunate of the seven, held on for
dear life to one of the supports, and
escaped injury.
Just how the accident happened
is a mystery. The scaffold broke
probably because of the surplus
weight of the stone.
Captain John L. Huff, Scranton,
foreman of the carpenter work, said:
"Well, this happened, as near l
o'clock as you can possibly figure it,
because we simply got back to work
when the crash came. They was
histing stone, six of Adams men;
his son, Stanley Wood, Ed. Marsh,
Johnny Fukes, two Italians, and the
Texas Squire, Schwesinger. Appar-
emily they got the stone histed onto
the scaffold, when the scaffold gave
way and dropped six out of the sew
en- The Squire was left. The scaf-
fold was thirty feet from the ground.
There was nothing below them to
stop them, so they went right down"
Cant always account sometimes
for something giving away" he con-
tinued. "The scaffold may have
been overloaded" List of the injur-
ed:
1. ED. MARSCH, Elm City, three
deep cuts across the face.
2. JACOB SCHROEDER, Scran-
ton, right wrist broken in two
places; badly bruised.
8. JOHNNY FUKES, Honesdale,
nasty cut in the head.
a. STANLEY WOOD, Honesdale,
badly bruised.
5 and 6. Two Italian laborers,
Honesdale, cut across the face, and
across the eye. One of the Italians
may lose the sight of an eye.
The men were all so frightened,
they didn't know what happened.
They didn't know they were hurt.
Young Schroeder picked up his hat,
and started to help the rest, una
ware of his own broken wrist
The Italians were dazed. They
didn't know they were hurt, and
couldn't say word.
Contractor Adam Schroeder, of
Woelkers and Bielmann, Scranton
was stunned at the terrible mishap,
and was unable to account for it.
The accident occurred just as the
men were ready to place the coping
stone on the tower.
Captain John L. Huff, who has
charge of the carpenter work, said:
I'VE never put in scaffolds unless
built by carpenters. 1t must be the
way ! want it, too. | don't want to
be walking no single plank. A man
| can do more work on a good scat
| fold than on a poor one. A man
don't feel safe on a wobbly, shaky
| scaffold."
The men who were thrown from
the scaffold, landed in the remnants
of brick and frozen pipe on the
ground, and it is miracle none were
killed. Coroner p. B. Peterson was
summoned and dressed the mems
injuries, setting young Schroeder s
wrist, and taking an X-ray photo
graph of it.
Squire George Swesinger vas
so badly scared by the accident that
he started for home, and never stop
| ped for a thing.