The Peril of the Passenger Elevator
A Seattle artist sues for $30,000 after a horrifying elevator accident leaves her permanently disabled.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
In Judge Osborn's court, the prosecution opened the case of Ellen N. Cox and her husband, who seek to recover $30,000 from William K. Epler and D. William Douthitt for damages received by Mrs. Cox. On July 15, 1893, Mrs. Cox was riding an elevator between the Douthitt and Epler blocks when her dress caught in the mechanism. Mrs. Cox alleges that the elevator was poorly constructed and operated by an unskilled 16-year-old boy. As she attempted to enter the car, the boy closed the door, trapping her skirts and starting the elevator upward while she was still caught. She was thrown violently to the floor, rendering her unconscious and causing a broken leg, strained joints, and severe nervous prostration. An artist by trade, Mrs. Cox asserts that her injuries have permanently disabled her from her work, ending a career that previously earned her up to $1,200 a year.
“Mrs. Cox alleges that the elevator in question was badly constructed... that it required a degree of skill and care which the 16-year-old boy in charge did not possess.”
This 1894 liability case over building safety and professional loss underscores a perennial Seattle struggle: how to hold property owners accountable when commercial infrastructure fails the people who sustain the city's creative and working life.
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