New-York tribune., 1920-09-01
2 Die, Is Hurt
AS ElevatOrCar
Falls 10 Floors
Cables Snap While Crowded
Lift Is Descending in
Clarendon Building, and
Weights Crush Passengers
Several Girls Are Injured
Carrier Tested Yesterday;
Exceeded Capacity, In
spector Says; Pilot Held

others were severely injured when
elevator No. 4 in the Clarendon Build
ing, 215 and 219 Fourth Avenue,
dropped, out of control, from the tenth
floor to the basement few minutes
after 6 o'clock last night.
| Swapping of the elevator cables is
believed to have caused the accident.
The cables holding the balancing
weights, which weigh several hundred
pounds, failed to hold under the strain
placed upon them by the rapid descent
of the car. The weights dropped with
terrific speed and crashed through the
ceiling of the car, killing Albert A.
Kaplan, of 40 East Eighty-third Street,
employed by the Thames River Woolen
Company, on the seventeenth floor. and
Max Lauter, silk operator, 127 East
113th Street, and injuring others.
Car Drops from Tenth Floor
Jerome Eiger. employed by Herring
on the IN afth floor. said that he en-
tered the cage Of the elevator at his
place of employment with eight girls
and four boys, also employed by the
same firm. There was another passcn-
ger in the lift at the time.
The car, operated by Dominick Pape,
of 2239 Adams Place, the Bronx, was
under control until the tenth floor was
reached. when it plunged to the first
floor. More fatalities were averted by
the fortunate jamming of the car at
the first floor of the building, instead
of dropping to the concrete basement.
AS the car dropped the women pas
sengers' screams were heard by
Patrolman Michael Conlon, of the East
Twentysecond Street station, and ].
A. Weisman, a woolen merchant. They
ran to the Clarendon Building as
3erome Eiger dashed into the street
and fell unconscious with blood
streaming from his head.
Patrolman Conlon sent to the East
Twenty-second Street station for as
sistance and five ambulances from
Bellevue and two from New York Hos
pital were rushed to the building. Two
FIRE calls brought Engine Company 81
and the Rescue Squad No. /. Assist
ant Fire Chief Smoky" Joe Martin
took charge Of the rescue work.
The injured were taken from the
jammed car by Fireman James O'Brien,
of Engine Company 81, and Patrolman
Conlon. The following were taken to
Bellevue.
Dominick Pape, elevator operator,
223s Adams Place, the Bronx, suffering
from shock, fracture of the left elbow
and decorations of the face. Pape was
taken to the prison ward a prisoner;
Simon Katz, 1889 Lafayette Street,
Brooklyn, fracture of right thigh; Will
| lam Gatoff, 1851 Brinkerof Street, Jer-
sey City, laceration of the left leg;
Morris Block, 1881 Eastern Parkway,
Brooklyn, contusons of the body; Jack
Moscovitz, 116 Huron Avenue, Brook
lyn, contusions of body; Emanuel Shaw,
! 2l5 Fourth Avenue. fracture of left
thigh; Dorothy Brenner, West 119th
Street, compound fracture Of left leg;
David Numberg, 631 jefferson Street,
Brooklyn, scalp wound; Samuel Sheriff,
529 West 180th Street, laceration Of
arms; julius Hoenig, $50 Fox Street,
the Bronx. Laceration Of left leg.
T Victims Taken to Hospital
| The following were taken to New
York Hospitals:
Sadie Dcitz, 127 Henry Street, con-
tusions Of body; Martin Nobler, 70
East Seventh Street, laccrated scalp:
Florence Meter, 266 South Second
Street Brooklyn, contusions of back;
Clara Levy, same address, lacerations
Of head AMI face; Minnie Wolkowitz,
10 East ll4th Street, contusions of left
Rs nd.
Dr.. Charles Norris, chief medical ex-
aminer, arrived at the building while
the firemen were at work. He went to
the roof. where he found that the broken
cable had been whipped through the
Skylight, smashing the glass and frame
work.
The elevator was of the duplex type,
which, under ordinary circumsta noes,
works in conjunction with another car,
the one ascending while the other de-
scends. The car which usually oper-
ated in conjunction with car No. 4, was
net in working order yesterday.
Pape was dragged from the wrockage
unconscious. He received first aid
treatment and was taken to the East
Twenty-secend Street station. where he
was questioned. He was sent to Belle
yue and detained pending further in
vestigation of the accident.
David s. Meyer, an inspector Of the
Bureau OF Buildings, said he under
stood that an inspector from q casualty
company had inspected the lifts yester-
day. His statement was substa inflated
by James MAnzi, Of 224 Sullivan Street,
operator OF q freight elevator in the
building. Charles w. Dreirer. elevator
inspector Of the Bureau o! Buildings,
sstA that the cars hsd been inspected
last by city inspector In April.
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