Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-03-08

make up. for he is slender and wlry, thAt ms
experience. which comes only once in life
time to one out Of every hundred thousand
persons, did him no permanent injury.
He was ascending in one of the elevators
OF n downtown New York skysrrnpcr with
friend and the operator in the car when
the cable broke at the tenth floor and the
trio plunged to the bottom Of the shaft.
All the safety devices that arc supposedly
designed to prevent such accidents failed
to work and nothing but the air cushion at
the bottom saved their lives.
They we're tossed around in the cage like
dried peas in bladder, after which they
we're taken through the roof up ladder to
the first floor.
"WHAT does it feel like to drop 135
w fcet?'' asked Mayor Ramsey.
"Wcll," he said in a rather cynical tone.
'to begin with. had all my prcconCcivcd
ideas on the subject knocked to smithereens.
Not BY the wind-up at the bottom he
pretty badly knocked about. IT would have
been the end of us if the air cushion at
the bottom of the shaft had failed to work.
Il have always heard it said that in
moment of great peril the main events OF
ones life pass in solemn review before the
mind : eye: sort of panoramic retrospect.
know better now. There was no panorama
in my case. 1t happened SO quickly that !
didn { even have time to think.
There was 'cliCk.' like the shutting
Of an iron gate, and the next ] knew We
were piled up on the floor of the car"
did YOU involuntarily brace Yourself or
relax or do something to mitigate the
shock" I inquired.
Il didn't anticipate any shock. 1t was
like a flash And yet there was an interval
of time between the break of tho cable and
our landing in the bowels of the building, he
said
1T was too short. apparently, for the
mental movies
COUNTING twelve feet to the story. with
~ perhaps fifteen feet from the foot of the
elevator shaft to the first floor. Mayor Ram
sey and his friend had fall of 135 feet
The 'click' of the cable breaking. flash
ing plunge. n rebound as the cage struck the
compressed air, then the crashing drop to the
bottom tells the story.
Both became dcathly sick, but beyond that
and general shaky feeling for the rest of
the day no serious results followed.
But Mayor Ramsey and his friend could
not be induced to again ascend to the Office
of the gentleman they had intended to visit.
Arrangements were made by telephone and
he came down and met them in an Office on
the ground floor, where their business was
transacted.
EDWIN AUSTIN ABBEY. one Of Amer
~ iCa's greatest artists. member of the
Royal Academy of England. National Acad-
emy of Design. American Water Color So
ciety and chevalicr Of the Legion Of Honor of
France. was student at the Academy Of
the Fine Arts. this city.
A native of Philadelphia, he here received
his first instruction and the inspiration which
led him to the heights of fame here and
abroad.
And yet his name is unknown and his
dazzling reputation forgotten in the very
school upon whose history his career has she'd
much glory.
The Academy Of the Fine Arts. as inquiry
has developed. is not familiar with the name
of +. A. Abbey.
1t is not unreasonable that the art loving
public should expect that even the office
force of an institution like the Academy of
the Fine Arts should have at the tip of their
tongues not alone the name but the story of
perhaps the greatest of its former students
tho artist who was honored above the
artists of two hemisphcres by being commits
stoned by Edward VII of England to paint
| the coronation scene.
| Tn 4 certain Office the other day discus
| i sion sprang up concerning Edwin \.
| Abbey and his career. The period of his
| student life at the Academy Of the Fine
Arts became n point in dispute. Finally.
! it was decided to appeal to the Academy for
| the information.
This is the Academy Of the Fine Arts,
| came the answer over the wire
| "Can you inform mo approximately when
Edwin A. Abbey was a student at the
| Aradcmy?" inquired one of III" gentlemen.
| There was pause and then came the
query:
| lis he student:
lie was student many Years ago. Can
YOU tell me- the year: refer I" Edwin
| a. Abbey. the great artist, Another pause
! and then:
'IIow do you spell the namc:' The nam"
was spelled Another period elapsed and
| then new voice over the wir" inquired;
us the name of the person YOU want that
Of Il studcnt:' Ii again was a woman :
no. No. exclaimed tn" dishoarroncd in
uuirpr II desire TO know approx imatelv.
| If YOU can give il. the time when Edwin 4.
| Abbey the celebrated Philadelphia artist
was student at the Academy. II was years
ago.
Again an interval of waiting. Search was
evidently being made for the information,
| Then this was VOu"hSHt"d;
1--WE have no record "f any r.. \. Abbey.
There il only one student Of that name
that we have had within tn" last twenty
years and that is Ruth Ahh"y.
! Then the soft voice died away and the
conversation closed.
4 hopeless stare fixed the eyes Of the in.
quirer as he hung mp the receiver. which
| became smile when the other suggested;
| "Cau up the Board Of City Trusts and
ask EN- who stephen Girard was.
GENERAL LEONARD WOOD, or who
VI ever may be selected as provost Of tho
Iniversty, will likely take NJ his residence
in the massive Mount Vernon -p"rtico"d
residence in Pine street.
1t il the dwelling that wa, presented to
the University by the Mask and Wig Club,
to be used as the provost = house.
Possibly because Of his propectivc retire.
mpnt Provost Smith never occupied tho
| house.
4 wear or more ago the accounting de
partmcnt and treasurer off" of tn" insr-
| tutiOn were removed to the Pin" street resi-.
dcnCc and there they remained until month
ago, when they were removed to tho pcrma-
| nGnt Offices at Thirty fourth and Walnut