Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-04-20

and endeavorlng to make his way
out through the smoke and flames,
he closed his room door, got up and
shut the transom above it, and then
coolly proceeded to dress himself
That accomplished, he went to the
beds, of which there were two in his
room, and, taking the blankets from
them, cut them into strips to make a
rope, with which he intended to low
er himself to the one-story buildings
Immediately under his window. One
of the blankets he cut in half and the
other into four strips, so that, each
of them being about thirteen feet in
length, he had rope nearly eighty
feet in length when he had securely
knotted these strips together. After
he had tied his blanket strips togcth-
er, he went over all the knots again
and thoroughly tested them to make
sure they wouldn't slip. Then to be
certain of having enough rope to
reach the ground, he took the coun-
terpanes from off the beds and added
them to the blanket strips. Thus be-
ing provided with an effective frees
cape, he went to the window and
coolly took seat there to see what
was going on, having concluded
that there was no necessity to make
use of his improvised rope until it
was apparent that he would have no
other means of escape. A number
of the girls employed in the hotel
were in the windows of the story
just above him, and he was satisfied
their agonizlng cries would soon
bring relief And he was right, for
not long after he had completed his
blanket-rope, people appeared on the
roof of the lone building Immediate
ly underneath him and prepared to
get rope to him. They joined with
him in beseeching the girls in the
story above to calm themselves and
not attempt to jump out They we're
partially quieted and then he let
down his bed-clothes rope, and haul.
ed up, first small twine rope, and
then a larger one. This done, he en-
deavored to throw the small rope,
still attached to the larger one, to
the window at which were the wom-
en- above him. But, besides being a
story higher, that window was three
windows to the north OF his, and he
could not succeed in reaching them.
After number of unsuccessful at
tempts, he detached the small rope
from the large one, and, fastening
the latter to the leg of his bedstead,
succeeded in throwing the small one
to the women, who managed to catch
it at last. 1t dangled down long
ways from the ground and was prac-
tically of no use to them. By this
time Mr.. Tyson was beginning to be
in close quarters, and as he could be
of no assistance to the girls from his
standpoint, he prepared to descend
to the ground. He pitched his va
lise and trunk out of the window on
to the roof Of Tony Faust's building,
and then took off the overcoat which
he had put on, thinking it might
catch around his legs and impede his
descent. Noticing his silk hat on
the table, he concluded he might as
we'll save that, and crowding into his
pocket soft hat, which he had put
on before he had placed the silk on
his head, got out of the window and
commenced to let himself down. He
got down to the sill of the window
in the story below and stopped there
a moment in order to get better
grasp on the rope, and then went
down hand over hand, reaching the
ground without a scratch or injury
of any kind. After he was landed
safely the firemen devoted them
selves successfully to the relief of the
helpless women, and the rope which
he had got to them being useless,
they were fortunately able to get lad
ders to their window in the end, so
that all of them-six-were rescued
uninjured. The time which elapsed
from the moment Mr.. Tyson was
first alarmed as described until his
rescue, he says, must have been fully
half an hour.
A FIREMAN's WORK.
Phelim Toole, an old sailor, as
could be told by "the cut of his iib'"
is employed on Fire Escape No. o.
Some of the ladders had been taken,
and in consequence much trouble
WAS had in handling the machine.
When it was first raised on Fourth
street, it was to window where
three women and two men were
awaiting rescue. One Of the men, a
very stout party, made terrible
racket, and insisted on being taken
down at once. He was frightened
INTO frenzy, but the tiremen would
not listen to him. BY aid of a show
line" two Of the women were lower
ed down, and it came the thirds
ones turn, when shea stout, cool
Irish girl-said, quietly, pointing to
the frightened masculine: "Take
that poor soul down; l can wait and
be safe" All were saved from that
window, it is pleasant to add.
Toole himself rescued number
of persons, whom he had to take bod.
lily from the apartments. The indl-
vidual from New York who seemed
inebriated, and made such an outcry,
was not SO drunk but tnat he follow
ed Toole's instructions to close the
sash, lay on the sill, and when-sthe
escape was raised to its length, (the
tly-ladder missing), to roll off and
drop into Toole's arms-a case Of
presence of mind which has not Of
ten been equaled.