SAVED BY A STRING

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1080, 12 October 1883, Page 2

SAVED BY A STRING

- -♦ A thrilling incident occurred at New York during the progress of a fire in'a big eightstoreyed block of buildings. To chock the advance of the flames the chief of the Brigade sent fourteen men upstairs with a line of hose lire axes. The men were only , able to get to the fifth floor. Here what is called a “ back draft ” suddenly filled the room they were in with smoke. It came so fast and in such volume that the firemen, to save their lives, threw themselves flat on the floor. Some distance away, overlooking a courtyard, were two windows. Towards these windows the suffocating firemen crawled. They were cut off from the stairs and from the only fire escape in the building by the smoke. Their only hope lay in getting aid from the outside through the windows. They shouted for help, but the men below, busy with the fire did not hear them. Suddenly two of the imprisoned men, Tuite and O’Brien, of the engine company fainted, and were apparently in a dying condition. Their companions gesticulated out of the windows and uttered frantic cries. The racket made by the puffing engines drowned their cries, and the word was passed one to another to jump—into certain death it seemed—when some one below looked up. With renewed hope the twelve imperilled men repeated their cries for help, but to their horror the request was misunderstood. It was thought they wanted another line of hose, and no haste was being made to get it to them, when Chief Gicquel’s attention was called to the spot by seeing the men below getting the hose ready, He shouted up, “What is wanted ?”

“ We are cut off. 'Hurry up, or we must jump,” came back the answer. “ It’s a life-line they want,” shouted Chief Qicquel to those about him, who. for some reason had not been able to hear the thrilling reply to his question. All over was an excitement at once. A forty-five foot extension ladder was quickly brought and placed in position. It was too short by twenty feet, Out on the window sills were two of the perishing firemen ready to throw themselves down. Chief Gicquel motioned to them back, and they obeyed. He then by signs found that they had a piece of string, which, however, would iiot reach the top of the ladder. This he directed them to lower. Then two firemen went up the ladder, and, with difficulty, tied the end of the string -to a small rope, by which a larger one was immediately drawn up. No time was lost in making it fast above.

Assistant Foreman Heeney started to come down first, as he was very faint and the most exhausted of all. He began lowering himself hand under hand, when his strength gave out, and he slipped fully sixty feet, tearing the skin from both of his hands. Fortunately a fireman caught him when he struck the ground and prevented move serious injury. An in the building was the next one down, and then came the rest. As the last man left the window sill flames burst from il out over the courtyard. The exciting scene was witnessed by a spell-bound throng that cheered loudly at its successful completion.