Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-11-01
Misfellaneous.
AN UNSUCCESSFUL STRUGGLE FOR LIFE.

While Madison street, west of Dearborn,
and the west side of Dearborn were all
ablaze, the spectators saw the lurid light
appear in the windows of Speeds block.
Presently man, who had apparently ta-
Ike time to dress himselfleisurely, appear
ed on the extension built up to the second
story OF two of the stores. He coolly
looked down the thirty feet between him
and the ground, while the excited crowd
cried jump, and then some of them more
considerably looked for ladder. A long
plank was soon found, and answered the
same as ladder, and was placed at once
against the window, down which the man
soon after slid. But while these prepara-
tions were going on, there suddenly ap-
peared another man at a fourth-story win
dow of the building below, which had no
projection, but flush from the top to the
ground-four stories and basement.
His escape by a stairway was evidently
cut off, and he looked desparingly down
the fifty feet between him and the ground.
The crowd grew almost frantic at the
sight, for it was only a choice OF death be-
fore him--by fire, or by being crushed to
death by the fall. Senseless cries of jump
jump! went up from the crowd-senseless,
but full of sympathy, for the sight was alb
solutely agonizing. Then for minute OF
two he disappeared, perhaps even less, but
it seemed SO long q time the supposition
was that he had fallen. suffocated by the
smoke and heat. But no, he appears
again. First he throws bed, then some
bed-clothes apparently; why, probably
even he does not know. Again he looks
down the dead, sheer wall of fifty feet be-
low him. He hesitates, and well he may,
as he turns again and looks behind him.
Then he mounts to the window-sill His
whole form appears, naked to the shirt,
and his white limbs gleam against the
dark wall in the bright light as he swings
himself below the window Somehow
how none can tell-he drops and catches
upon the top of the windows below him,
of the third story. lie stoops and drops
again, and seizes the frame with his hands,
and his cleaning body once more straight
ems and hangs prone downward, and then
drops instantly and accurately upon the
window-sill of the second story. A shout,
more of joy than applause, goes up from
the breathless crowd. and those who had
turned away their heads, not bearing to
look upon him as he seemed about to drop
to sudden and certain death, glanced up
at him once more with ray of hope at
this daring and skillful feat. Into this
window he crept, to look, possibly, for a
stairway, but appeared again presently,
for here was the only avenue of escape,
desperate and hopeless as it was. Once
more he dropped his body, hanging by his
hand. The crowd screamed and waved to
him to swing himself over the projection
from which the other man had just been
rescued. He tried to do this, and vibrated
like a pendulum from side to side, but
could not reach far enough to throw him
self upon the roof. Then he hung by one
hand and looked down; raising the other
hand he took a fresh hold, and swung
from side to side again, to reach the roof.
In vain; again he hung motionless by one
hand, and slowly turned his head over his
shoulder and gazed in the abyss below
him. Then gathering himself up he let 60
his hold, and for second gleam of white
shot down full forty feet to the foundation
of the basement. Of course it killed him.
He was taken to drug store near by and
died in ten minutes.