The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1877-06-30

RlRE fElTS or TIIUBING By ST
LOULS ATHLETES.
a Company OF Athletes Ladder Per
formnnccs--Firo Escape Tho Canvas
Tube and the Grip Sack.
The terrible scenes enacted ut the
burI.ing of the Southern Hotel in
st. Louis has caused considerable
interest to be taken III tic subject Of
fire escapes. A company Of about
twenty athletes has been organized
whose sole duty ut fires will be tho
rescue Of persons Imprisoned by tho
flames. Mr.. j.. d. Meier is the
President aud Chris. I[ocll, Captain.
After some practice, the company
gave al exhibition in the streets
recently, before the members Of tho
Legislature, city officials and thous.
ands of spectators. The st. Louis
Rcpubiicon gives an account of somo
Of the fCat5 that wcrc performed on
that occasion.
All things being ready Mr.. NIcicr
first exhibited
SCALING LADDER
which Was about twenty feet long.
1t bore at it's upper end a hook tina
WAS out Of wrought iron and reached
for three feet directly ut right
angles from the ladder. This hook
was wide enough to reach over near
ly any sill, and to insure n safe hold.
The ladder had but ono standard,
which Was Of strong, p)iablc wood,
and thermgs protIudcd about six
inches at either side. A fireman
could, with this ladder, drive the
hook through Il wooden shutter or
window pano on the second story,
and t.us secure safe hold for
climbing. The next article shown
was tile broad belt worn by the
tiremCn around their waists. 1t was
of leather and canvas, about six
inches wide, and sufficiently strong
to sustain the weight of several
men. Depending from this belt by
a vcry' strong strap WAS a largo
wrought-iron snap~hook, SO that on
mounting to the top of a ladder tho
fireman could snap this hook around
the standard Of the ladder and be
thus Secured from all possibility Of
losing his balance and enabled to
use both hands. These hooks
servo another purpose A fireman
can, By taking two on thrcc turns of
a rope around the smooth iron of
which thc books arc made, secure Il
sufficient degree Of friction to
enableihim not only to let himself
down the rope very slowly, but to
take one or even two mon with him.
He llcXt exhibited rope such as
each nan carried. Tt was half an
inch in thickness, ono hundred feet
long, AID Of the finest quality of
hemp. 1T was coilcd or bulkcd iii
IN ingenious manner for carrying,
and weighed only four pounds. Ho
next exhibited Il hatchct, having
cutting cdSo on one side, and u long
sharp spike on the other. This no
said, was to be used for cutting
through iron shutters, if necessary,
to get them open, and tho
spike portion whom driven into the
woodwork Of IN upper window, fur
nishcd an excellent standard Oh
which to fastcn ropo by which the
fireman could lower himself This
much explained, Mr.. Meier gavo o
signal for the drill to begin.
RARE CLIMBING.
At the sound of the captain $
WHISTLE, tho mon, all equipped,
jumped from their seats and ranged
in a row At a word Of commend
they seized tho'laddcrs, which lay
near the building,* and elevated
them on end. At another command
a man ran lightly up, stopping near
the top. At another command his
hook was snapped around tho stan>
dard, and he stood on the rungs,
his waist OH level with the sill and
his hands free. Instantly another
ladder was handed to him by fireman
No. 2, and raising it quickly he
hooked it on the sill of tho third,