Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1881-05-17
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Thrilling Scene at a Fire.

O'Clock, people living in Gr;fio otown, Caoada
were startled from their sunbers by c;y 0
fire, and few seconds later the whole pcjph
o0rhood of Cleutenuiog's touOdry was aelart
from what appeared to be a f.rcely buruln,
h:e. Those earliest at the ooruer of William
0nd ColbOrne streets were horrGed 10 discover
the whole upper story of William Doherty'.
| grocery stcr: sDd boarding house 10 f ,mes and
! terflhsd u, snd women we're escaping from
doors and windows 10 their scacty night gar
! ments, The fire alarm was puaiiug ell over tte
| city. and 30 txoited were lnose vino struck i,
| that they made the alarm q general ore. The
l:timable Ds ure Of the structure on fire gave
tbs idea that lne whole OF GIifintoWu Was in
flames
A lao was noticed in the streets rushing fran.
! tlcaIly about ard calling aloud for bis vile &C d
children. At length be dashed madly into the
volume OF hfe and smuks that were rushing out
OF the doors. and il seelucd IS though be would
be scorched to cluder. HIS wife sod
child were 10 the burning building, and
he was going to save them or perish, He
could be seen from the houses on the opuo-
site side ct the street dsshing into room
after room, always 10 stooplpg position.
Nlet ntme there were heard from ,be rear OF
'hO boOoO olaltlluR Cllce lOT u lEuQeT. NODo
seemed available. Sc The FIRE reels, which we're
| nearing the scene, brought 10 ladders with
them. The suspects az to the tate of the be
roic father was agonlzing. sud the seconds
seemed to move slew while ladder wss
finally borne irtm sn adj .cept yard by men run
cling with all their mlIht. They pOssd the
ladder snd 10 tIice it vas against the building.
IL was TOO short, but man could reach be
window by standing on the top ruugs Sud
denly the fathers form appeared at the window
With bundle. 1t Was child covered with a
heavy WOODEN c0s. Lesnirg fer over as rbe
hanes euShed ont over bis head be handed
bis boy 10 allilug hands bel9H.
My wife, God hep heI!' was bis only an
sWer to the Wild warnings shouted to him to
come doSn from what appeared certain death.
B.ck he went. While he thus eodeav0red to
tot his wife the hook and ladder men bad come
and we're placing ladder against the window,
Ihe flames were rising higher and all eyes turn.
ed ID the direction OF the window. The crowds
10 The streets had Increased. the women holding
their children to their trossis in copvulsVs
grip aud gs8lag upward With prayerlul hearts
and strained eyes.
At length. when all bad despeired of seeing
the desperate man, he appeared at the window,
himself part of the volume of flame which
rushed forth from it. A shout OF terror arose
as the burning man gained the ladder and
came slowly downward, writhiug from the
flames Oh his back, shoulders and head. Half
way down he would have fallen bad not
French Canadian jumped toward the ladder 10
time to steady hlm. 10 an instant more the
flames were beaten from bis body and be
calculated -
my poor wife God help her l saved nay
child al y3.y."
He then sppaarcd insersble to everything ex.
cept his terrible burns. as be Was driven rapidly
to the general hospital.
All tnls had taken but short time to enact.
There were now half dozen streams psying on
the fire, and the flames We quepcbed almost as
suddenly as they sross. The 6remen knew
the midst of the hlmes, and that Knowledge
sions. As soon as practicable Joseph Reuaud
aud George Dubois gained sdnittsDce
to the ground floor unde the cover of
two streams, and set out to explore
for the missing woman They found her
on the kitchen floor lying under table and at
first believed her 10 be dead To carry her out,
themselves baf amothered in smoke was a work
OF some difficulty, but they st length gained the
street, gladdening the hearts of the eager spec
y
was quickly placed in the salvage cart and con.
veyed to the hospital, WHITTIER her husband had
gone few miiu.es previously. Atlatest accounts
ner death was momentsriiy expected. Her
burns were most severe on the bsck If her legs,
shoulders and hesd, nearly all her hair having
| been singed off. Her name is Ellen Phillips.
Her husband. William Phillips wao badly
| burned about the legs, back of the head and
arms. He had saved other children before mlss-
| ing his wife and child. He says he escaped by
l keeping himself always in d STOPPING position.
| HIS sutferlnas are intense. His joy wss great on
| esrnlpg that his wje had been taken cut alive
and that his child mad received nothing more
than fright. NJ one cared TO tell him how elp.
| less her case was. The fire was Tiff ng atair,
| the fremen making very shOr. work Vi it The
!a,sl burning of two people md Phillips heroic
daring gave it startling sigt iacance. and the
scene is lot likely 10 fade very quickly from the
minds Of those who witnessed 1t.
l J,,noor,Nr ro Wrr.r (IpnwERS An olr