EXCITING SCENE AT A FIRE.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1247, 22 January 1886, Page 3

EXCITING SCENE AT A FIRE.

At a great fire which occurred recently in a large warehouse in Manchester a very exciting scene.was witnessed. An English paper thus describes it:—“ The fire is supposed to have begun in the third floor in the fustian, department. . The alarm was given soon after 10 a.m, and there was a hasty flight of clerks. When the fire brigade arrived about ten minutes later the flumes were raging furiously, most of the material in store being easily inflammable. At 10 30 the gaze of the vast crowd which thronged Portland street was observed to be directed towards that portion of the warehouse which is situated in Princess street, and soon afterwards there was a simultaneous rush down the street. The firemen were also seen to be hurrying towards the same spot. A figure, apparently that of a young man, was standing on. the sill of one of the windows in the topmost story—an apalling height from the street. A cry of horror rose from the thousands gathered below. Mr Superipdent Savage passed the word to the firemen to bring the blanket. While this was being done,-another of the firemen was directing a powerful jet of water on to the portion of the building in immediate contiguity to the man, as suffocating clouds of smoke were pouring out of the window on which he was clinging, while the room immediately beneath him was en» veloped in flames. Cheers were constantly sent up by the crowd, which endeavoured to encourage the man by frequent calls of ‘ Hold on,’ ‘ Keep fast.’ The blanket had now lieen spread below the window on which the man was clinging, and was gmsped by dozens of hands. Now the cry rose ‘ Jump, for God’s sake!’ then an im» mense volume of blinding, suffocating smoke hid him from the site of those in the street. When the smoke had partially cleared away he was still holding on io the window, with his face pressed closely against the wall to preserve himself from the smoke, and with liis clothes drenched by water. Some men who were standing at an adjoining open window cheered and encouraged the man by every means in their power, and apparently by their advice he endeavoured to step on to the sill of their window. But the distance was too great to be covered, and the poor fellow, who throughout the terrible ordeal had behaved with the greatest coolness, had to desist from the attempt, A long ladder was procured and placed against the window ; but its only effect was to smash the window and to make another outlet for the smoke, which curled up in a thick cloud to where the man .was standing, and again hid him. Presently fresh cheers arose, as it was seen that a fireman had made his way through the back premises on to the roof of the burning building, with a long, stout rope. The fireman appeared to be in some doubt as to the exact position of the man, and some delay occurred in reaching him ; but, di» rected by the shouting of the crowd, he ultimately found the window at which the man was standing. The fireman then firmly secured the rope and lowered it down. It could not be seen whether the unfortunate man had grasped what appeared to be his only means of escape, for the smoke again completely obscured him. But a few seconds after the lowering of the rope, all doubt was set at rest, for he wan seen to swing himself off the sill with the rope securely fastened round his right wrist and firmly grasped by both hands. The rope seemed to catch almost the moment he launched himself into the air, aud it was feared that he would be suffocated, as he dangled from the roof in the blinding smoke which enveloped him as it burst through the window. At this crisis the fire escape arrived and was raised against the building. A fireman ascended the steps, and just as the rope was beginning to work again, he seized the man by the shoulder and dragged him on to the escape amid prolonged and excited cheers. The rope was unfastened from his wrist, and he was brought down the escape in safety to the ground. The hero of this adventure seems to have passed away uhlutrt and unknown, for his name was not as ertained.”