The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-12-02
A Heroic Act.


Protection Engine Company 5, and the
Volunteer Fire Department. of New York
city was in full force and in all its glory
that the subjoined incident, enough in
compass upon which to build romance,
transpired.
1t is not necessary to mention with |
particularity the number of the street, |
for the old structure was long ago re-
moved where the fire broke out. Very
near the time has been given, and that
should be sufficient.
The clocks of the city, large and small,
had struck the hour of ten of bitter
ly cold night in December, and order
ly-disposed people were about pre-
pairing to retire, when suddenly the City
Hall and all the other great tire-bells,
began ringing furiously. In those days
the alarms were not given by stations,
and the fremen often experienced no
little difficulty and considerable loss Of
time in seeking the exact locality of
conHagration.
| On this occasion, however, the flames
| shot suddenly upward, and every one
| knew that the fire was on the East side
| of the town, and was certainly below Mar
| ket street. 1t was, in fact, in Madison
street, in four-story tenement house.
| The flames had gained considerable
headway before the engines could get at
their fitful work they were worked by
| hand then-and it was with no little diff
Guilty that the inmates succeeded, losing
their furniture, in escaping unscathed.
But as the flames leaped with great
forked tongues from window to window
and from floor to floor, it began at first
to be whispered, and then with loud
cries asserted, that little girl, between
four and five years old, was asleep. in a
back room on the upper story.
The mother of the child rushed fran
tically toward the burning building, AND
in vain effort, for such it would have
been for her, to have thoughGlessly and
recklessly entered it.
One Of the assistant engineers, how.
ever, stopped her. He even gently
pushed her back, finally placing her in
the care of a policeman, at the same
time informing her that if it were hu-
mani possible her little one should b.
rescued from the flames.
While he spoke-not, however, believ
ing his own words, for he thought Nc
one could reach it-ladders were hur
riedly placed against the front OF the
structure, and hose was served up then
in order to drive back the forked flame
from the chamber in which, if not al
ready smothered by the smoke, the chile
{ might be.
D While this work was being accom-
plished, bright-eyed, handsome-look
d ing and resolute boy Of about fourteel
: years, broke through the Gordon, ant
running to the engineer said:
Il can save the little girl. Her nam
is LOJJle w llSol, oll. hlo" "hiSh W"J
to go and how to do it. She'll be burn
u up or smothered before they can ge
J, water on the fourth floor. Just tell som
G of the men to play on the stairs and II
II be all right. It's the only way, sir"
"But, boy" hurriedly returned the en-
gineer, don't you see the stairs are a
ready on fire.
n "Play on them then," shouted the bo
u as he ran forward.
Is In another second-hardly stopping
!" elude falling bricks and pieces of burne
r, and broken timbers that came from tn
u doors, windows aud roof of the house
: he was beyond human succor so far
5 could be given by those who saw hi
k disappear. ..t..
ae And now great hush fell upon tt
er vast assemblage.
It. Many had actually seen-all had hear
o[ ot of the brave boy-and there were peop
Ill who murmured:
1t, "God save him! Who is he"
,sr ,n And now the. assistant engineer in
vi loud voice, instructed the men who hi
,,!y the pipes to play directly upon Il
n stairs, and. if possible, for minute
in two, conquer the flames that were lea
= ing toward them, scorching and eatiI
,ss INTO them.
81 The excitement, though subdued W
errible-fearfully intense.
j. Every one was on the look out, al
now and again some person, whose nerv
were overweight, would cry.
Ia, There! There he isl"
ST. But the aching multitude Of men a.
40, no. women, whose eyes never left the
k-.ns>aA the fatad hnr1sA. knew better.