A Reporter's Tip Stopped a City Hall Elevator Plummet
A Times reporter noticed one of the passenger elevator's support cables was nearly eaten through — three-fourths of its strands broken. The cage was lowered and the power cut before anyone was hurt.
A serious accident was probably averted this afternoon by the discovery made by a Times reporter that one of the cables supporting the passenger elevator of the city hall was eaten almost through. The broken part of the cable is near the top of the building, and fully three-fourths of the strands had been broken off.
Immediately after the break was reported to the city hall engineer, the elevator cage was sunk to the bottom of the shaft and the power shut off. The elevator will not be put in commission until the broken cable has been replaced.
“The broken part of the cable is near the top of the building, and fully three-fourths of the strands had been broken off.”
A near-miss in Tacoma's city hall reminds us that public buildings depend on mundane maintenance, and that a curious reporter can sometimes be the last line of safety. The old City Hall still stands as a landmark, but the elevator cable that almost failed is long gone.
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