The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-02-05

CONT iuu,p; stay wapic you are. we WV
ave yor." Il seemed impossible that the
imperillsd woman should remain there iohs
and live. From the window out oil whlcn
bert her white form came cloudsof smoke III
sitting density, and the poor creature nuas
her hear! "a Ii almost sutioca,ing, as u reacn'
ing for purcr mir from without. ms, W.
was impregnated with tie fatal SMOKE. ~ M" .,n,e
rose in white volumes that from .'.s'e No nv
hid her from view, and then dow. WIN n coon to
transient gusts Of wind, shc was ,;,no,,s cries
he there. and still sic ralE % hei p.f rom the
for help. The widest ssoi,GS , ga around To-
fact Of her peril, and clrtu, no :, bor arms.
t.n efJect that she had oaoG III Nv - ,bo
tcc enet' n 'H neople could be seen at tue
anu i in". in the upper story, ana tor SoiDe
Mlu" .ho dem belief prevailed that forty per-
e'u'e w., 900 sutlocatiDg on that flbor aioat.
=, t,,c mean while, aud this scene, tno'ssh
tor,ihl. IN its intensity, had iost out .
few moments, fresh cXertions were oelhs
made by the firemen 20 rescue the uh'oi'u
n,.e woman. Assistant Marshal sweeney
at once ordered the longest ladders iroul ~. he
hook.apd-ladder cart to be noisteo ~ ..is
MINER windows, and every man pore n''iiu
with hearty will to put them in position
R,t the wonsn by this time bad dlsap-
peared. Straning eyes cou!a DO ,Unn Tba
her. and her cries were no more ne"ia. az
Arc ,v,a burnipg more rapidly now, anu Tue
Whole building was wrapped IN snowy
aaece If smoke, Beneath the stllnS fushes
che had sank down to the floor, and was pro.
bal;y tcyond all aid by this time, thougnt
everybody. AS the upper ends OF the lad
ders crushed out the glass in the other WIN
dous columns of smoke were emitted, ana
II seemed impossible that any one could eX-
;.t for the shortest time in an apartment thus
filled with il.
several firemen assembled the ladders and
djsappearcd through the windows. In u
brief space they returned. They were met
with the cries from the crowd, "Did you
find her where is she; is the aliye?" They
retorted that they had been unable to dis
cover her, and it was then thought her doatb
was certain.
Meanwhile struggle for life, unseen and
unknown but BY those who were making it,
was going on upon the third floor. 1t was
occupied by Mr.. w. A. Drew. A large por-
ton in the front OF the building was used
by him as 4 business college, and in the rear
were the living apartments Of himself and
wife.
Mr.. and Mrs. Drew were not aroused from
their sumbers until long after the first dis.
coyery Of the fire. Mrs. Drew was the first
to awake, and was startled to find her apart.
ment fitted with smoke. Accusing her hus-
band, she found her way to the front of the
building, and opening the windows cried
for help as before described. Her husband
and the ianitor of the building, MIR. James,
who slept OH the same floor, and by this time
bad made his way to Mr.. DreW's room, be-
thought themselves of the skylght. There
was no ladder with which 10 reach it, but
By pilng humber Of desks one upon
another, and Surmounting them with u
chair, Mr. Drew was able, after good dcal
of difficulty, to break the glass. lie !uen
called his wife, but she being at the lroht
window screaming bersel', and c0hiussu
with the smoke and noise from nelo", ne
was compelled TO search through ING Siiiohe
for her fully five minutes, ealing WHY, ,oi
he began to entertain fears ior her :a'e'S "
jani,or. Mr.. Drew cambered to the roof,
and Mis-. Drew, through the assistance
of the two men, was also enabled to reach
il in safety. Dir. Drew then pulled the
iani,or up after him, and the three
Stood upon the roof in the chill night
air, with but few clothes around them, but
out Of all peril. They were let through
trap-door into an adjoining building, occu,
pied by families, and comfortably provided
for. All of them were in a state OF sheer
exhaustion, with eyes streaming, from the
effects of the smoke, and still almost faint
from its suGoca!ing effects, when seen oy the
writer shortly after their rescue. They
esteemed their escape as very narrow one,
and say that a few minutes longer in tue stl-
fling fumes must have resulted in their
death.