COOLNESS UNDER FIRE; OR WANTING TO SAVE HIS SLIPPERS.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 79, 1 October 1879, Page 2

COOLNESS UNDER FIRE; OR WANTING TO SAVE HIS SLIPPERS.

The following paragraph has been going the rounds of the papers ; — r One of tlie most enrious and interesting, perhap3 of the incidents m, connection with the recent fire m Dunedin was tliat related by Lieutenant Carmait. He stated, that m oiMler. to resoue two young women from the upper story a ladder was procured, but on its being placed against tlie buildins' it was found to be too short. It was thei'eupon raWd on a stalwart constable's shoulder, but the young woman coul.l not he persuaded to descend nnt.il Carmait had ascended some distance ta demonstrate to them that the ladder was perfectly »aFe. On reacHng tha ground, one of tha girls, oblivious to the fearful denth which she had so narrowly escaped, requested with charming imioptte to be alb wad to re-'.rrn for her clothes. One of* the servants, i. <er. evidence, told also of a man who, «■ ,iile hanging to a window-still, showered forth expletives more forcible tli an polite because a ladder, was not forthcoming to facilitate his descent. Finally ha dropped down*, and on reaching the ground asked with the most consummate coolness 'or a light for hi-j pipe, and then deliberately walked away. He was a " shell-back," ancl having ! served his apprenticeship to danger, probably did not sea enough m the catas' ophe to desturb hisjordinavy disposition o_- coo indifferenceWell, tha foregoing are very good, but we think they caunofc equal the following, for the truth of which we will pledge our pro-, fcsional rep_ita,tiaii. Soma years ago, a fi.-e occurred on tha old premises occupied by th.c Otago JDiiilg Times, m Princes street, Dunedin, which resulted m tha building being levelled with the ground. At, the time of the occurrence there was employed m the establishment as a compositor, "a party by tbe name of Johnson^' who^ we

presume to distinguish him from "other parties " with the same historic appellation, was known as "Fiji Johnson." When the fire was at its fiercest, Massa Johnson might have been seen rushing wildly about with his Lares and Ponates-r-consisting of stool, sticks, and apron — clutched convulsively m both arms, while he went rapidly from Captain to Foreman, and from Foreman to Fireman, eagerly inquiring " Jf they had saved a pair of slippers ?" Tradition does not state whether Massa Johnson's slippers were rescued or not j but tradition does state that Massa Johnson was consigned by all three to a place where ftre engines would be at a discount.