Evening star., 1936-03-29
LIFT DEATH PROBE
RETURNS QUESTION
TOCOMM|SS|ONERS
Coroner'S Jury Urges Steps
Be Taken to Prevent
Other Fatalities.
EXPERTS AT ODDS OVER
TYPE OF INSTALLATION
Controversy Arises Over Question
of Whether Elevator Was
Full Automatic

Inc question Oh WIldI 10 W UC OOllN
to prevent repetition in the District
of such fatal accidents as that causing
the death of 12-year-old Harvey
Crowell in an elevator shaft at the
apartment where he lived at 76ll
Georgia avenue March 10 was placed
before the District Commissioners yes
terday by the coroner's jury.
Unearthed for the first time at the
inquest. conducted by Coroner A.
Magruder Macdonald, was a con-
troversy as to whether the elevator
in which the youth was killed "in a
manner unknown to the jury" is OF
the "semi-automatic" or full auto
matte" type and much of the testi-
mony during the two hearings re-
volved around opinions OF elevator
experts on that question.
Testimony of all the experts was
unanimous that if the elevator at the
Georgia avenue apartment is not OF
the full automatic" type, the installa-
ton, in which the distance between
the landing door and the landing
ID = 10 AL aAAOA A<@AASS
with the District elevator code regu-
lations. In that case the 7l2-inch
distance between the landing door and
elevator car door found in the Georgia
avenue building is permissible, and
the District elevator inspector was JUS
titled in approving the installation.
If, however, the elevator in question
is a full automatic" type, only che
inch is permitted by the District CCdf
between the landing door and the
landing threshold, and the Georgia
avenue installation, in which this
space is four inches, is not in accord
ance with the regula tions, and the
elevator inspector was at fault. A
space of 712 inches between the two
doors would be large enough to per-
init the landing door to swing shut
behind a person of the Crowell boys
size. testimony showed.
Jury Makes Recommendation.
The jury, after rendering verdict
of accidental death" in the case, rec
commended to the District Commits
sioners in a supplemental report that
wherever the space between the doors
of elevators should be found "exces-
sive,' steps to correct the situation
should be taken to prevent repeti-
ton of the Crowell boys death.
Many installations in the District
are similar to the elevator which
crushed Harvey Crowell to death, ac-
cording to Chief Elevator Inspector
Brown, and in two of them where
fatal accidents have occurred, the
~ Inch space between the landing
and elevator car doors has been re-
duced by attaching basket grill 13
inches thick to the inside of the land
ing door. One was installed in the
Georgia avenue apartment about two
weeks after Harvey Crowell's death
and another several years ago in an
apartment at Third and G streets.
where a fatal accident occurred under
similar circumstances.
Opinion was sharply divided dur
ing the inquest on the type of elevator
the Georgia avenue installation should
be termed. Three District inspectors,
Brown, Elmer E. Owens and F. H.
Signor, his assistants, maintained the
elevator was of the semi automatic"
type because the landing door is
opened by hand. Their stand was sup
ported by Joseph A. Genovese, district
manager of the General Elevator Co.,
which installed the elevator.
An opinion controverting that of the
inspectors and Genovese, however, was
given at the closing hearing yesterday
by John A. Dickinson, mechanical en-
gineer and elevator expect for the
United States Bureau of Standards,
who stated on the witness stand that
the manner of opening the doors has
nothing to do with classifying an ele-
vator as to type, and that manner of
control is the determining factor.
No Provision in Code.
Asked by DR.. Macdonald for his
definition of full automatic push
button elevator" he replied lone which
is controlled by buttons from the ele-
vator car or any hallway"
Dickinson said there was no defini-
ton for a "semi-automatic" elevator
in the code used throughout the coun-
try or the District code and he had
never seen any elevator so defined.
He also stated on the stand that
In his opinion, the elevator at 76l1
Georgia avenue was not in accordance
with District regulations.
Asked If he would change his opin-
ion If he knew District inspectors
termed the elevator "Semi-automatic,' u
Dickinson replied he would not
John F. Harrity regional business
agent for the International Elevator
Constructors Union, said on the stand
that he had heard of "Semi-automatic'
doors, but never of "semi-automatic
elevators and that since the present
regulations had been adopted about
six years ago, grills had been installed
on several elevator doors in the Dis
trict to bring them in accordance with
regulations at the District inspectors
orders.
Owens, who approved the original
installation of the Georgia avenue
elevator, was one of the witnesses
called by DR.. Macdonald at yester-
days hearing and supported the
opinion of his superior, Brown, that
the elevators were "semi-automatic."
Question Not Answered.
Shown the original application for
installation of an automatic push
button" elevator, he said the elevator
which was installed, and which he
described as "semi-automatic," was in
accordance with regulations and that
he approved it. Yet the application
(See ELEVATOR, Page BAD