TRAPPED IN A LIFT.

Auckland Star, Issue 291, 9 December 1925, Page 9

TRAPPED IN A LIFT.

f A WANGANUI POLICEMAN SHOT INTO THE ROOF. HITS THE FIRE-EXTINGUISHER. I AND IS NEARLY DROWNED. (By Telegraph—Special to "Star.") r WANGANUI, this day. Constable Phillips, of Wanganui, had a unique experience in a lift at the Dl-C. yesterday afternoon. He had occasion to interview the lift attendant in regard to an inquiry. He had completed his mission, and was about to etep out on the ground floor when some ladies and children walked into the lift. The constable, sooner than push his way past them, elected to make a trip to the tea room landing and back. He noticed that the lift pulled up a few inches below the level of the floor, and ■-he ladies stepped out. The lift would lot then respond to the touch of the electric button, and the attendant got 3ut to rectify some detail down below. Suddenly the lift shot, with meteoric /apidity, and pulled up with a resounding crash at the top of the lift well, ■where it broke the automatic fire exiinguisher. In a second the constable found himself surrounded by a torrent of water oo dense that it was impossible to see. 3e crawled into a corner of the lift, but could not dodge the water, and was <joon saturated. A fireman arrived from the station, but apparently for the time being the caged constable had been forgotten. At last the flow of water ceased and the constable was able to take his bearings. He was afraid to interfere with the mechanism of the lift in case he might descend to the floor even more rapidly than he ascended, so he opened the gate, and, smashing a panel, was able to crawl out. On his way downstairs he mct 1 two other members of the police force, who iaughed at their saturated colleague. However, it was no laughing matter for the trapped constable while he remained, like the tody of Mahomet, suspended between heaven and earth. Bad the lift gone any further he would lave shot through the roof like a rocket, he remarked.