SAVED BY A STRING.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1508, 13 October 1883, Page 4

SAVED BY A STRING.

■ thrilling incident occurred at Nmv York during the''progress of a > 'i. ii Ug eifdV-storeycd block of 1 millings. To ehcuk the advance of llir (In' Homes i,l)o chiiif of the Brigade Fi'iii I'oiirtet'ii men upstairs with a line of lioso and tire axes. The men were only able to get to the fifth floor. Hero whaHs called a " back draught" suddenly filled the room they were in with smoke. It came so fast and in such volume thai 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 iiromeii crawled. They were cut off from the stairs and from the only firo 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 lire, did not hear them.

Suddenly two of the imprisoned men, Taite and O'Brien, of the engine compauy, fainted, and were apparently in a dying condition. Their companions gesticulated out of the windows and uttered frantic cries, Tho racket made by tho 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 lino of hose and no haste was being made to get it to them, when Chief Gicqutl's attention was called to tho spot by seeing the men below getting the hose readv. He shouted up " What is wanted f "We are cut off. Hurry up or wo must jump," carao back the answer. "It's a life-line they want," shouted Chief Gicquel to those about him, who for some reason had not been able to hear tho thrilling reply to his question.

All over was nn excitement at once. A forty-five foot extension ladder was quickly brought and placed in position. It was too short by 20ft 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 not reach the top of the ladder. This he directed them to lower. The 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 milking it fast above, Assistant-foreman Heeney started to come down first, as be was very faint and die most exhausted of all, Up began lowering himself hand-undcr-hand, when his strength gave out, and hi- slipped fully COft, tearing the skin from both his hands. Fortunately a fireman caught him when he struck the ground and prevented more serious injury. An employee in the building was the next one down, and then came the rest. As the last man left the window sill, flames burst from it out over the courtyard. The exciting scene was witnessed by a spellbound throng that cheered loudly at its sue. cessful completion,