Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Donnelly Building Elevator Accident
May 23, 1903
FOUR ARE KILLED IN FALLING ELEVATOR
Jollification by Students in Pittsburgh Turned to a Shocking Tragedy
Pittsburgh, PA May 23.
It was almost 12 o'clock this afternoon before any of the victims of last night's frightful elevator accident at the Donnelly building, during the electro-mechanical institute ball, were identified.
Crowds surrounded the entrance of the morgue all night, awaiting information as to the identification of the four bodies that had been taken there from the scene of the accident. The bodies were so badly disfigured and distorted that identification was only possible through marks on the clothing worn, and as some had no marks on their clothing, identification was impossible until friends inquired for them because missed from their homes.
The casualty list as furnished bye the coroner and obtained from the hospitals is:
The dead:
Miss MAMIE CURTIN, 18 years old of Hazelwood, Pa
Miss SUSIE FLANNIGAN, 19 years old, of 427 Woodland avenue, Allegheny
RAYDEN P. F. FLOHR, 28 years old, of McKee's Rocks
NELLIE SWEENEY, aged 16
The injured:
ALBERT MYERS, 23 years old, laceration of right hip and compound fracture of right leg.
HARRY LIPSON, 22 years old, scalp wounds
Miss KATIE FLANNIGAN, 27 years old
Mrs. LULU POSTELWAITE, 46 years old
Miss MARGARET POSTELWAITE, 17 years old, daughter of Mrs. Lulu Postelwaite, suffering from nervous shock.
CHARLES BLONDE, 18 years old
FANNIE SIMMOND, 20 years old
JOHN MORRISON, 35 years old
FRANK HAMROCK, 28 years old
L. N. GILLIS, 40 years old
Mrs. L. N. GILLIS
PAUL GILLIS, 3 years old
Unknown man, about 24 years old, bruised and cut; is unconscious; at the Mercy hospital.
The injured are all suffering from severe cuts and bruises, but with the exception of the unknown man, it is thought all will recover.
Coroner Jesse H. McGeary and his assistants were kept busy throughout the night answering telephone calls from friends and other anxious to ascertain particulars. The coroner at the earliest time possible sent out summonses for a jury to inquire into the cause of the accident and to fix responsibility. This jury met in the court room of the morgue building at 10 o'clock this morning and a rigid investigation was at once started.
After the jury had been sworn and had viewed the remains of the victims, friends were given permission to remove the bodies to their homes.
The accident occurred at 1026 Fifth avenue, the fifth and sixth floors of which building are occupied by the Pennsylvania Electric Mechanical institute. The employees and students of the institute had cleared the floors and sent out a large number of invitations for a ball, which was to be held last evening. There were probably 700 people in the hall at 10 o'clock, when the elevator started from the firest floor loaded with seventeen people. The fifth floor was devoted to dancing, while the sixth was arranged for a dining and cloak room. The guests were first taken to the sixth floor.
Just as the elevator reached that floor there was a crash and it fell to the bottom. Not one of the seventeen occupants escaped injury. The two heavy weights, each weighing a ton, fell on the victims after the elevator had reached the bottom. The dead were terribly crushed, and it was some time before they were identified. The accident is attributed to the overloaded elevator and a new elevator man who did not understand his business.
When the noise of the elevator crashing to the ground reached the ball room a dance was in progress. The wildest confusion followed and a serious panic was narrowly averted. Women rushed to the open elevator shaft and were ready to jump down. Several of the men who remained cool-headed rushed before them and closed the gates, then by main force they shoved the panic-stricken people back into the ballroom and closed the doors. Dozens of women fainted in the room. The fire and police departments were called out, as were all of the available hospital ambulances.
Weekly Sentinel, Fort Wayne, IN, 27 May 1903World
Donnelly Building Elevator Accident
May 23, 1903
FOUR ARE KILLED IN FALLING ELEVATOR
Jollification by Students in Pittsburgh Turned to a Shocking Tragedy
Pittsburgh, PA May 23.
It was almost 12 o'clock this afternoon before any of the victims of last night's frightful elevator accident at the Donnelly building, during the electro-mechanical institute ball, were identified.
Crowds surrounded the entrance of the morgue all night, awaiting information as to the identification of the four bodies that had been taken there from the scene of the accident. The bodies were so badly disfigured and distorted that identification was only possible through marks on the clothing worn, and as some had no marks on their clothing, identification was impossible until friends inquired for them because missed from their homes.
The casualty list as furnished bye the coroner and obtained from the hospitals is:
The dead:
Miss MAMIE CURTIN, 18 years old of Hazelwood, Pa
Miss SUSIE FLANNIGAN, 19 years old, of 427 Woodland avenue, Allegheny
RAYDEN P. F. FLOHR, 28 years old, of McKee's Rocks
NELLIE SWEENEY, aged 16
The injured:
ALBERT MYERS, 23 years old, laceration of right hip and compound fracture of right leg.
HARRY LIPSON, 22 years old, scalp wounds
Miss KATIE FLANNIGAN, 27 years old
Mrs. LULU POSTELWAITE, 46 years old
Miss MARGARET POSTELWAITE, 17 years old, daughter of Mrs. Lulu Postelwaite, suffering from nervous shock.
CHARLES BLONDE, 18 years old
FANNIE SIMMOND, 20 years old
JOHN MORRISON, 35 years old
FRANK HAMROCK, 28 years old
L. N. GILLIS, 40 years old
Mrs. L. N. GILLIS
PAUL GILLIS, 3 years old
Unknown man, about 24 years old, bruised and cut; is unconscious; at the Mercy hospital.
The injured are all suffering from severe cuts and bruises, but with the exception of the unknown man, it is thought all will recover.
Coroner Jesse H. McGeary and his assistants were kept busy throughout the night answering telephone calls from friends and other anxious to ascertain particulars. The coroner at the earliest time possible sent out summonses for a jury to inquire into the cause of the accident and to fix responsibility. This jury met in the court room of the morgue building at 10 o'clock this morning and a rigid investigation was at once started.
After the jury had been sworn and had viewed the remains of the victims, friends were given permission to remove the bodies to their homes.
The accident occurred at 1026 Fifth avenue, the fifth and sixth floors of which building are occupied by the Pennsylvania Electric Mechanical institute. The employees and students of the institute had cleared the floors and sent out a large number of invitations for a ball, which was to be held last evening. There were probably 700 people in the hall at 10 o'clock, when the elevator started from the firest floor loaded with seventeen people. The fifth floor was devoted to dancing, while the sixth was arranged for a dining and cloak room. The guests were first taken to the sixth floor.
Just as the elevator reached that floor there was a crash and it fell to the bottom. Not one of the seventeen occupants escaped injury. The two heavy weights, each weighing a ton, fell on the victims after the elevator had reached the bottom. The dead were terribly crushed, and it was some time before they were identified. The accident is attributed to the overloaded elevator and a new elevator man who did not understand his business.
When the noise of the elevator crashing to the ground reached the ball room a dance was in progress. The wildest confusion followed and a serious panic was narrowly averted. Women rushed to the open elevator shaft and were ready to jump down. Several of the men who remained cool-headed rushed before them and closed the gates, then by main force they shoved the panic-stricken people back into the ballroom and closed the doors. Dozens of women fainted in the room. The fire and police departments were called out, as were all of the available hospital ambulances.
Weekly Sentinel, Fort Wayne, IN, 27 May 1903World
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Donnelly Building Elevator Accident
May 23, 1903
FOUR ARE KILLED IN FALLING ELEVATOR
Jollification by Students in Pittsburgh Turned to a Shocking Tragedy
Pittsburgh, PA May 23.
It was almost 12 o'clock this afternoon before any of the victims of last night's frightful elevator accident at the Donnelly building, during the electro-mechanical institute ball, were identified.
Crowds surrounded the entrance of the morgue all night, awaiting information as to the identification of the four bodies that had been taken there from the scene of the accident. The bodies were so badly disfigured and distorted that identification was only possible through marks on the clothing worn, and as some had no marks on their clothing, identification was impossible until friends inquired for them because missed from their homes.
The casualty list as furnished bye the coroner and obtained from the hospitals is:
The dead:
Miss MAMIE CURTIN, 18 years old of Hazelwood, Pa
Miss SUSIE FLANNIGAN, 19 years old, of 427 Woodland avenue, Allegheny
RAYDEN P. F. FLOHR, 28 years old, of McKee's Rocks
NELLIE SWEENEY, aged 16
The injured:
ALBERT MYERS, 23 years old, laceration of right hip and compound fracture of right leg.
HARRY LIPSON, 22 years old, scalp wounds
Miss KATIE FLANNIGAN, 27 years old
Mrs. LULU POSTELWAITE, 46 years old
Miss MARGARET POSTELWAITE, 17 years old, daughter of Mrs. Lulu Postelwaite, suffering from nervous shock.
CHARLES BLONDE, 18 years old
FANNIE SIMMOND, 20 years old
JOHN MORRISON, 35 years old
FRANK HAMROCK, 28 years old
L. N. GILLIS, 40 years old
Mrs. L. N. GILLIS
PAUL GILLIS, 3 years old
Unknown man, about 24 years old, bruised and cut; is unconscious; at the Mercy hospital.
The injured are all suffering from severe cuts and bruises, but with the exception of the unknown man, it is thought all will recover.
Coroner Jesse H. McGeary and his assistants were kept busy throughout the night answering telephone calls from friends and other anxious to ascertain particulars. The coroner at the earliest time possible sent out summonses for a jury to inquire into the cause of the accident and to fix responsibility. This jury met in the court room of the morgue building at 10 o'clock this morning and a rigid investigation was at once started.
After the jury had been sworn and had viewed the remains of the victims, friends were given permission to remove the bodies to their homes.
The accident occurred at 1026 Fifth avenue, the fifth and sixth floors of which building are occupied by the Pennsylvania Electric Mechanical institute. The employees and students of the institute had cleared the floors and sent out a large number of invitations for a ball, which was to be held last evening. There were probably 700 people in the hall at 10 o'clock, when the elevator started from the firest floor loaded with seventeen people. The fifth floor was devoted to dancing, while the sixth was arranged for a dining and cloak room. The guests were first taken to the sixth floor.
Just as the elevator reached that floor there was a crash and it fell to the bottom. Not one of the seventeen occupants escaped injury. The two heavy weights, each weighing a ton, fell on the victims after the elevator had reached the bottom. The dead were terribly crushed, and it was some time before they were identified. The accident is attributed to the overloaded elevator and a new elevator man who did not understand his business.
When the noise of the elevator crashing to the ground reached the ball room a dance was in progress. The wildest confusion followed and a serious panic was narrowly averted. Women rushed to the open elevator shaft and were ready to jump down. Several of the men who remained cool-headed rushed before them and closed the gates, then by main force they shoved the panic-stricken people back into the ballroom and closed the doors. Dozens of women fainted in the room. The fire and police departments were called out, as were all of the available hospital ambulances.
Weekly Sentinel, Fort Wayne, IN, 27 May 1903World
Donnelly Building Elevator Accident
May 23, 1903
FOUR ARE KILLED IN FALLING ELEVATOR
Jollification by Students in Pittsburgh Turned to a Shocking Tragedy
Pittsburgh, PA May 23.
It was almost 12 o'clock this afternoon before any of the victims of last night's frightful elevator accident at the Donnelly building, during the electro-mechanical institute ball, were identified.
Crowds surrounded the entrance of the morgue all night, awaiting information as to the identification of the four bodies that had been taken there from the scene of the accident. The bodies were so badly disfigured and distorted that identification was only possible through marks on the clothing worn, and as some had no marks on their clothing, identification was impossible until friends inquired for them because missed from their homes.
The casualty list as furnished bye the coroner and obtained from the hospitals is:
The dead:
Miss MAMIE CURTIN, 18 years old of Hazelwood, Pa
Miss SUSIE FLANNIGAN, 19 years old, of 427 Woodland avenue, Allegheny
RAYDEN P. F. FLOHR, 28 years old, of McKee's Rocks
NELLIE SWEENEY, aged 16
The injured:
ALBERT MYERS, 23 years old, laceration of right hip and compound fracture of right leg.
HARRY LIPSON, 22 years old, scalp wounds
Miss KATIE FLANNIGAN, 27 years old
Mrs. LULU POSTELWAITE, 46 years old
Miss MARGARET POSTELWAITE, 17 years old, daughter of Mrs. Lulu Postelwaite, suffering from nervous shock.
CHARLES BLONDE, 18 years old
FANNIE SIMMOND, 20 years old
JOHN MORRISON, 35 years old
FRANK HAMROCK, 28 years old
L. N. GILLIS, 40 years old
Mrs. L. N. GILLIS
PAUL GILLIS, 3 years old
Unknown man, about 24 years old, bruised and cut; is unconscious; at the Mercy hospital.
The injured are all suffering from severe cuts and bruises, but with the exception of the unknown man, it is thought all will recover.
Coroner Jesse H. McGeary and his assistants were kept busy throughout the night answering telephone calls from friends and other anxious to ascertain particulars. The coroner at the earliest time possible sent out summonses for a jury to inquire into the cause of the accident and to fix responsibility. This jury met in the court room of the morgue building at 10 o'clock this morning and a rigid investigation was at once started.
After the jury had been sworn and had viewed the remains of the victims, friends were given permission to remove the bodies to their homes.
The accident occurred at 1026 Fifth avenue, the fifth and sixth floors of which building are occupied by the Pennsylvania Electric Mechanical institute. The employees and students of the institute had cleared the floors and sent out a large number of invitations for a ball, which was to be held last evening. There were probably 700 people in the hall at 10 o'clock, when the elevator started from the firest floor loaded with seventeen people. The fifth floor was devoted to dancing, while the sixth was arranged for a dining and cloak room. The guests were first taken to the sixth floor.
Just as the elevator reached that floor there was a crash and it fell to the bottom. Not one of the seventeen occupants escaped injury. The two heavy weights, each weighing a ton, fell on the victims after the elevator had reached the bottom. The dead were terribly crushed, and it was some time before they were identified. The accident is attributed to the overloaded elevator and a new elevator man who did not understand his business.
When the noise of the elevator crashing to the ground reached the ball room a dance was in progress. The wildest confusion followed and a serious panic was narrowly averted. Women rushed to the open elevator shaft and were ready to jump down. Several of the men who remained cool-headed rushed before them and closed the gates, then by main force they shoved the panic-stricken people back into the ballroom and closed the doors. Dozens of women fainted in the room. The fire and police departments were called out, as were all of the available hospital ambulances.
Weekly Sentinel, Fort Wayne, IN, 27 May 1903World
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