STUDENT ESCAPES INJURY AS PART OF LIBRARY FALLS

A member of the class of 1925 barely escaped death yesterday afternoon when a large piece of the capital of the pillar on the southwest corner of the Widener Library fell with a crash on the board walk below. The falling piece was approximately a foot and a half square at the start, but was broken by a projecting ledge on its descent and turned outward from its course.

When questioned as to the probable cause of the accident Mr. W. S. Burke, Inspector of the Grounds and Buildings, cited two possible reasons. "There might have been a seam in the rock, which was enlarged by the freezing of the water that soaked into it during the recent storm or the stone might have been a so-called, patched stone. When these patched stones are exposed to the weather, the mending material usually deteriorates and lets in the water, and in a very short time the stone is broken up. Defects of this kind, when near the ground, are discovered but when on such a high level ordinary inspection does not disclose them."