The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-07-25
SAVED BY A STRING.
How Fourteen Firemen Were Rescued from
the Roof of the Munro Building.
New York Herald.

New York Herald
At 1:3O the fire was mostly in the fifth,
sixth. seventh and eighth floors on the VAN
dewater street side, and had not yet extended
through TO Rose street. 1t was thought it
would do so, however and to check the adj
vances of the flames Chief Gicquel sent four
teen members of engine company No. and
hook and ladder company No. l upstairs
with line of hose and their axes. The men
were only able to get to the fifth floor. Here
what is called ''back draft suddenly filed
the room they were in with smoke. 1t came
so fast and in such volume that the firemen,
to save their lives, threw themselves fiat on
the floor, Some distance away, overlooking
courtyard, were two windows Toward
these windows the suffocating firemen
crawled. They were cut off from the stairs
and from the only fire escape in the building
by the smoke. Their only hope lay in get
ting aid from the outside through the win
dows. They shouted for help, but the men
below, busy with the fire, did not hear them.
Suddenly two of the imprisoned men,
Tuite and OBrlen of the CINE company,
tainted aud were apparently in dying con-
dition. Their companions gestculated out
of the windows and uttered frantic cries.
drowned their cries, and the word was passed
one to another to jump-into certain death,
It seemed-when some one below looked up.
With renewed hope the twelve i'm periled
men repeated their cries for help, but to
their horror their request was misunder
stood. 1t was thought they wanted another
line of hose, and no haste was being made
get it to them, when Chief GicquePs atten-
ton was called to the spot by seeing the
men below getting the hose ready. He
shouted up, What is wanted?"
eve are cut of. Hurry up or we must
jump" came back the answer
Its a lifeline they want" shouted Chief
Gicquel to those about him, who for some
reason had not been able to hear the thrilling
reply to his question
All was excitement at once. forty-five
foot extension ladder was quickly brought
and placed in position. 1t was too short by
twenty feet. Out on the window stills were
two of the perishing firemen ready to throw
themselves down. Chief Gicquel motioned
to them to go back, and they obeyed He
then by signs found that thew had a piece of
string which. however, would not reach the
top of the ladder. This he directed them to
lower. Then two firemen went up the ladder
and with difficulty tied the end of the string
to a small rope, by which q larger one was
immediately drawn up. No time was lost in
making it fast above.
Assistant Foreman Heeney, of the truck
company started to come down first, as he
was very faint and the most exhausted of all.
He began lowering himself hand under
hand, when his strength gave out and he
slipped fully sixty feet, tearing the skin
from both his hands. Fortunately a fire.
man caught him when he struck the ground
and prevented more serious injury An EN-
ploye in the building was the next one
down, and then came Tuite, O'Brien, Bor-
land, O'Shaughnessy, Sloan, Pilger, Donovan
and Kent of engine No Z, and Mccain,
Breen McClain and McCarty of the truck
company. As the last man left the window
sill flames burst from it out over the court
yard. the exciting scene was witnessed by
a spell-boun throng that cheered loudly at
its successful completion.