A THRILLING TIME

Hokitika Guardian, 11 December 1925, Page 3

A THRILLING TIME

CONSTABLE’S ADVENTURE IN A LIFT. WANGANUI, Dee. 9. Constable Phillips, of Wanganui, had a unique experience in a lift at the D.I.C. yesterday afternoon. He bad interviewed a lift attendant in regard to an inquiry, and was about to step out on the ground floor when some ladies and children walked into the lift. The constable, sooner than push bis way past them, elected to make the trip to the tea. room landing and hack. He noticed that the lift pulled up a few inches below the level of the Hour and the ladies stepped out. Itf would not then respond to the touch of the electric button 1 and the attendant got out to rectify some detail down below. Suddenly the lift shot up with meteoric rapidity and pulled up with a resounding crash at the? top of the lift well, where it broke tint automatic lire extinguisher.

In a second the constable found himself surrounded by a torrent of water so dense that it was impossible to see. He crawled into a corner of the lift, but could not dodge the water, anil was soon saturated. A fireman arrived from the station, but apparently for the time being the caged constable had been forgotten. At. last the How ceased and the constable was able to take bis hearings. He was afraid to intericre with the mechanism of the lilt in ease it might descend to the floor even more rapidly than it ascended, so h,e opened the gate, and. after the .smashing of a panel, was able to crawl out. On bis way downstairs ihc constable met two other members of the force, who laughed at their saturated colleague. However, it was no laughing matter for him. “Had she- gone any further I would have shot through the roof like a rocket,” he told them.