New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-04-07
THREE KILLED AS
ELEVATOR BREAKS
Women in Panic When Car
Plunges Up and Down
in Shaft.
GIRL TOSSED TO
SAFETY BY AUNT
Two Women and Man Leap at
Sixth Floor and Are Crushed
at the Bottom.

Unmanageable in It's shaft In the nine
story loft building at 120 and 12S
Crosby st., combination freight and
passenger elevator rose and fell last
night until it's load was panicstricken,
and stuck at the top OF the shaft only
after two women and man had been
killed
About twenty persons were on tho
car when It began TO wabble and re-
fused to answer the guiding hand %
Terence Clark, tho runner, Of 426 Co
mmbus ave. He soon saw that the
elevator had got away from him, but
he believed that II was only q question
Of time when the engineer Of the build
ing would notice that the clutch was
not doing It's work and would tx IL be-
fore there was any loss Of life.
This was possible II he was able 10
make the passengers keep their heads.
Unfortunately Clark failed in his eff
forts to do this, and the wonder is that
more were not killed. The victims
were:
AnseInno, Rosario, eighteen, Il De-
lsncey ct.
Gsbrjsna, S., thirty-TVe, address un-
known, identification made from pay
check in pocket.
Lettina, Mrs. coletts, forty fvs, 81
MacdoussI st.
It was about 5:45 o'clock that Clark
started from the ground floor on the
fatal trip. At the top he took on eight
women, child and two men, employees
Of Solomon Novac, a shirt manufsct-
urer At the seventh floor six women
and two men were taken on.
Shouting Car full" Clark let the
elevator slide toward the ground floor.
All went we'll for two floors, when the
car began to wabble and jerk. The
runner knew too we'll what was COM
ing and shouted 10 his passengers to
remain quiet and no harm would come
20 them.
Panic In Racing Lift.
The elevator jerlSed It's way to the
ground floor and below. Two or three
feet It went and then reversed and shot
upward. This was tho signal for a
wild outcry. which grew in volume as
the car continued to the top Of the
shaft and then 'started TO return to
the bottom. Clark was fighting TO quiet
the panicstrickep men and women, and
they were equally determined that they
would get of the car as soon as pos
sible.
The make Of II aided them in their
purpose. The only guard gate was a
sort Of half gate affair, made OF wood,
and there was no side wall to the shaft.
Down past the third floor went the
elevator on its second descent. AS it
stopped a moment and then pushed
upward again there was a rush from
the rear and Clark went through the
gate 10 the landing OF the third floor.
Two women and the little girl followed
him.
Now with the gates open there was
a renewed effort to Jump TO safety.
Two men, Benjamin Sternberg, Of 303
New Lots road, Brooklyn. and n. Levy
who is employed in the building, tried
to guide them. They told the passen-
gers when to jump in order TO clear
the ceilings and land safely. At the
sixth floor, however tho crowd got
away from, them, and two women and
man went crashing to the bottom OF
the shaft, where they were later picked
up. crushed almost beyond recognition.
This trip upward was the last fer the
unmanageable elevator. At the top II
stuck, and Sternberg and Levy helped
off those whom they had been able to
control The little girl who was saved
was niece of Mrs. Lettina, who per-
ished In the accident. She was found
at the third floor, and when her aunt
was not among those coming down the
stairs became hysterical
Girl Tossed to Safety.
She sobbed that her name was Jennie
6imonetti, Of % Bedford st. She is
fourteen years old and small for her
age. She said that conditions on the
car were terrible. MY aunt was try
ing to shield me from HARM" she
sobbed, ''and ali the time the others
wers lighting among themselves to see
who should be saved. My aunt held me
until she saw q chance 10 throw me off
where I wouldn't be hurt"
The scenes at the ground floor and
outside the building were pitiful. Re-
port had gone forth that ten or fifteen
persons had been killed, and from all
over the East Side came relatives and
friends Of those who worked in the
building. The police, under Lieutenant
Ward, Of the Mulbrry st. station. had
their work cut utt for them to keep
back hysterical persons who were sure
that some one dear TO them had been
killed.
Finally as only three bodies were
brought out from the bottom OF the
shaft there was a cry of relief from
those who had feared the worst, but
had found their fears groundlesr. The
father Of Rosario Anselmo stoically
identified his dead and went sadly
Ioy,ouar ri uhap infor,nad hv Corooar