New York is perhaps the most storied city in all the world, a hub of culture and commerce, at once brutal and beautiful, ethnically diverse and all-American. Here you will find the skyscraper from which King Kong tumbled, the United Nations Headquarters, and the State of Liberty, who promises to offer shelter to the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses from every corner of the globe. But New York still has a few stories that remain unknown to the wider world. This is ONE of TEN FASCINATING STORIES with a brief storyline and video. ~ THE ELEVATOR RIDE FROM HELL ~ The skyline of New York was born from the elevator; without it, buildings more than a few stories tall would be impractical. And despite what television and movies would have you believe, elevators are extremely safe. However, they are rather finicky contrivances, and it is not uncommon for one to get stuck. Usually, some minor mechanical issue is to blame and is fixed within minutes. But in 1999, New Yorker Nicholas White experienced a claustrophobic’s worst nightmare when the elevator he was riding in became stuck for 41 hours. White, who worked in the McGraw-Hill Building in Manhattan’s Rockefeller Center, was a production manager for Business Week. He was working late one Friday evening when he decided to take a smoke break. He rode the elevator down, had a cigarette, and was attempting to return to the 43rd floor when his elevator became stuck. White attempted to use the intercom and activated the alarm. There was a camera in the elevator, and he expected security personnel to rescue him shortly. No help came. He paced relentlessly, smoking up his cigarettes. After a while, he pried open the doors only to see a cinder block wall. Eventually, he was forced to urinate into the elevator shaft. After a while, he laid down to sleep on the filthy carpet. When no help came, he attempted to access the escape hatch on the top of the elevator, only to find it locked. Hours passed in a kind of delirium, and White completely lost track of time. Eventually, a guard discovered his presence, and he was released on Sunday afternoon, 41 hours after he’d been trapped. The sped-up video of White’s ordeal has become a YouTube sensation, garnering over eight million views. White quit his job and filed a $25 million lawsuit against the building and elevator company. After years, he settled for an undisclosed sum that was a tiny fraction of what he was looking for, allegedly in the low six figures. He claims to regret his decision to quit his job, and, as of 2010, reportedly works at a sporting goods store.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 13:48:42 +0000
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