The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-04-15

though to eaten upon SOmeLn1Hg. pe ~
ever so slight. Then he. let go, and
groans went up, from hundreds OF
throats as he whirled round and round.
and finally struck the stone tagging
with D loud thud. A few whose nerves
were equal to the occasion ran to him,
and, picking him up, carried him across
the street to q saloon, and laid him on
the floor. His arms and legs were
broken. but his white face, with great
drops OF sweat standing out on it,. was
unstained by blood. He breathed hard
for few minutes and died.
PLUCK OF SICK MAN.
One Of the most remarkable escapes
of the night was coupled with one OF the
most unfortunate deaths. Mr.. @. L.
White. auditor OF the Missouri Pacific
railroad, occupied sixth-story room
on the Walnut street front, near Fourth
street. He had been quite i'll for some
ten days, and some OF his associates and
assistants had taken turns at staying
all night with him. 1t happened that
Tuesday night Mr.. Harry Hazen, chief
clerk at the freight department OF the
auditors office, stayed with Mr.. White.
Roth gentlemen retired at an early
hour, and did not wake until the fire
had made such progress that escape
through the door was impossible. The
sixth story was a long ways from
terra frnld, but neither sick man
nor well man despaired, and with the
utmost GOODNESS went to work to do
what they could to save themselves.
They gathered the bedclothes, tore
them into strips, knotted and twisted
them together, and made o rope long
enough to reach to the sill of the win
dow Below them. When this had been
securely fastened inside Mr.. Hazen
stepped out Of the window into the inky
darkness, slid down the improyised
rope, found the fifth story window open,
and made his entrance successfully.
Then Mr.. White followed with equal
success. In the fifth story room the
plucky railroaders found more bed
clothes, with which they. made q new
rope to reach the fourth story. This
time Mr.. White went first, the last
words Of Mr.. Hazen being, "You go
first, White, and God bless you" Mr..
White reached the fourth hoor safely,
but not so his comrade, who attempted
to follow Immediately after. Mr.. Hazen
was much heavier man than
Mr. White, and the blanket cable
that had borne the former gave
way with the latter. Mr.. White
was looking out of the window
when the body of his friend shot by
him. glanced from the sill, and mo-
ment later reached the stone pavement
with a heavy thud. Notwithstanding
| the horrifying accident to his friend,
Mr.. White did not lose heart. With
what strength his sickness had left him
he proceeded to make rope to lower
himself into the third-story. But now
the material for rope making was scant,
and he was obliged to climb up on the
inside Of the window, reach out and cut
off O portion of the rope which had
given way with Mr.. Hazen. How he
got strength to tie the knots, Mr.. White
| does not know. but eventually he got
into the third story. BY this time the
flames had increased SO that his pres
ence in the third-story was discovered
from the street. This was fortunate,
for in the third-story there was no bed.
ding that could have been converted in
to rope. After some delay, a ladder
was raised, but this proving too short,
ing down the rope, he reached the lad
der and soon after the pavement.
AN UNEXPECTED ESCAPE.
Mr.. Will s. Stewart, who lost his wife
by the terrible catastrophe which has
enveloped our city in a pail OF mourn
ing and misery, gave the following &C
count OF the fire:
We occupied room 375, on the fifth
| floor Of the hotel, facing on fifth street
About half-past / one o'clock my wife
awoke me with the remark that there
was loud voices on the street, and we
got out of bed to ascertain the cause
We saw smoke aud the lurid glare IL
the sky, and my wife, with q fearful
presentiment of danger, exclaimed
'My God the hotel is on fire, and we
must de-"
immediately opened the door leading into thu
hall and found it filled with smoke. LII the hope
of reaching the stairs aud getting below tn,
smoke, which was suffocating, we tried to find ou
way on our knees. 1t was impossible. After
few steps, my wife fell on her face, overcome
and had literally to drag her back into the room
as best could. The window was opened top snt
bottom and 30 permitted the smoke to pass out
then suggested that We should dress ourselves
hoping and expecting that rescue would presen
itself in some shape from the outside. The hea
in the hall meanwhile broke the glass in thu
transom, admitting large volume OF smoke
Mrs. Stewart became suddenly wild. may "a.
frantic. Hope seemed dead within her Tn
street below was choked with people who coult
see us plainly by the light in the room, but from
the sea Of upturned faces there came no sugges
ton of escape.
made rope of bed-cothing- three pairs o
blankets, two sheets and counterpane-ant
splced them together in knots which deeme'
secure. 1t was of sufficient length to reach tn
ground and, as my wife sat on the wndoweill,
tied one end Of this rope to her waist. fastening
the other end to the centre-piece OF the window
sash. How did feel? God knows how. / be
lieved was letting her down to life and TO sta,
there and die. The smoke by this time was dow
az low as our heads, and proceeded IN the efor
to lower her to the sidewalk. Her last word
to me were "Let me down." I cried, "Goot
bye, my dear, forever" for I never expected
to see her alive again. ! believed she wout
be saved by the means l had contrived, but
expected to be sufocated. had not lowere'
her more than six or eight feet when she fe
from come cause almost incomprehensbe K
me. I sat down stunned, to wait for death OF
until some relief might como. heard shouts
from the other side Of the street. l went to tn
window. People we're calling to me to pull W
the rope of beu clothes which I had thrown on
: when my peor wife fell almost ont OF my arms
as it were. did so, and found rope attached
/ put on q glove to prevent friction, threw m