The sun., 1917-02-21
20 INJURED BY
ELEVATOR FALL
Car at New York Theatre
Drops From Roof to
Basement.
OPERATOR UNDER ARREST
Unable to Prevent OvercrOwd-
ing. He Says, Because Of
the Rush.
OPERATOR UNDER ARREST

An elevator packed with theatregoers,
who had jammed their way into the cage
despite the warnings OF the operator, fell
six stories from the roof of the New
York Theatre building. at Broadway
aud Forty fourth street, to the base
ment last night
The car struck the concrete bottom OF
the elevator shaft with such force that
the flooring was ripped and splintered
under the feet Of the passengers and the
sides OF the car crashed against them.
piling the men and women together in a
struggling mass.
Twenty persons were injured. with
the exception of one woman. both Of
whose legs were broken, all of the in
juries consisted Of sprained ankles and
bruises. The victims were taken to their
homes in private automobiles comman-
deered by the police, or to the Poly
clinic Hospital in ambulances. The in
jured were:
EUGENE JANSEN. 1856 West 1oist street.
elevator operator; ankle sprained, hand
MATTHEW BRINDELL, 4O3 West iisth
,; ssrsnt; ankle sprained taken to hospital,
JoSEPh ElSEMAN. lI5 East seventy
ninth street; ankle sprained. taken TO
hospital.
! LOUIS GOLDBERG. 1855 Clymer. street.
Brooklyn; ankle sprained taken to hos
FRANCIS CUoMo. los West Forty tn
street: ankle sprained: taken to hospital.
MRS, FRAECIS CCoMo, ankle sprained:
rHoRSroI SsS TS S'sS,1a'i SoTLEY. sll,mor. Hotel:
MRS. s1' .Rar5Tss 4HoTS4oA 5st'n MoTIEY SSTi .ns,.
JokS 4. 'SHtS MuSyoS' %S%e' 1870 Broadway;
METEn ff PEi%aN 'rssn ss we.t ss%' .sa
/ ankle sprained: taken to hospital.
JENNIE BOSOM. s54 West Forty fourth
! street; both legs fractured; taken to
LUCIhN DE MARTINI. i. Fourth street,
l. Wes, Weehawken. y. j.: ankle sprained
NORRIS sPITZER. sci Msrke, street
! pI,hils,dslphis; phil, ankle sprained: taken to
MRS MORRIS sPITZER. ankle sprained
MARY E. BRoNs. sol Wes, 14s,h street
CLARENCE j. wENNER. 81 William
isS.}ss' ankle .PPHTalTsd; taken M.I home
MARY ARCHER. ss Eishth avenue: ankle anHi,
sprained; taken home:
seventh street. ankle sprained; taken
JOSEPH EIsLER. .ioo Fifth avenue
|
Elevator Operator Talks.
Jansen. the elevator operator. who toit
the police that he had tried to keep tn,
people from crowding into the car after
the limit Of its capacity had beer
reached. was taken to the hospital fol
treatment under guard OF a detective
| Later he was taken to the West Forty
seventh street station. where he wal
questioned by Assistant District Attor
ney Sullivan and then locked up on {
charge Of criminal negligence.
The accident occurred just after the
last showing Of the film on the New
York roof. which is operated by Marcu.
Loew. As soon as the picture fiickereC
out the crowd made a rush for the ele
vator. which rs listed as having a ca
pacity of $500 pounds. or about fifteer
or twenty persons.
More than twenty pushed their wa,
into the cage. although Johnson told tn,
police he tried to keep them out and at
tempted to close the car doors, but wa.
unsuccessful because those in the from
rank Of the crowd were pushed forwart
by those behind.
Felt Floor Slipping.
Finally succeeding In closing the door
johnson pulled the cable and the ca
started downward. There were so man,
passengers in the elevator that mono o
them was able to move. and johnson
had but few inches Of space In whicl
to manipulate the starting and stopping
gear. johnson said after the acciden
that the car had proceeded downward
but few feet when he noticed that
seemed to be slipping. He seized tn,
cable and tried to control the car. bu
by that time 1t had gained such mo
mentum that the operator was lifted OF
his feet and carried to the roof Of tn
elevator. where he let go of the cabl
and dropped on the heads and shoulder
of the passengers
The passengers Immediately becam
panic stricken. but so closely were the,
packed that none was able to move Il
a few seconds the car crashed against tn
concrete bottom OF the shaft. splinterin
the flooring. ripping up whole sections o
1t, and causing the wooden sides Of tn
elevator to crash inward. pinning tn
passengers to the floor and the sides O
the shaft.
Women Scream in Terror.
Unable to extricate themselves tn
passengers in the car vented their terro
in screams. Several men who had bee
playing pool In the billiard parlors in tn
basement tried to pull the timbers Off tn
struggling mass Of men and women an
drag them out OF the shaft. but withou
success
While some OF them continued thei
efforts others ran into the street an
summoned a policeman. who immedatel
sent In a call for the reserves of tn
. West Forty-seventh street station. Afte
fifteen minutes hard work dozen po
licemen succeeded In pulling the pas
sengers, one by one, from the wreckag
Of the elevator. The injured wer
stretched on the floor of the billiard par
lor and on the sidewalk outside tn
theatre building.
The accident occurred at one Of Broad d
, ways most crowded hours. when thou
sands OF theatregoers were on the side
, walks.