The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1885-12-19
A HEROINE.


New York Girl who, az the Risk of Her
Own Life, Entered burning Tenement
House to Warn the Sleeping Inmates OF
Their Uanger--A Narrow Escape with
Her Life.
New YORK, December IA four.
story brown stone building, East Tenth
street, Is numbered 30 and 32 There is
store on the ground floor, aud in the
three upper stories of the east wing Mrs.
Farnham lets out furnished rooms TO
dodgers. Mrs. Celia Kelly lives in the
west wing on the west side of the brick
wall that divides the houses in two. Miss
Celia Lynagh lives with her. 1t was
nearly half past two O'Clock when Miss
Lynagh was aroused by suspicious
smell of smoke. She investigated and
found that it came from Mrs. Farm
hams premises at No. 80. Putting on her
clothes she went down to the street and
pulled the bell of No. 80 and then tried
the door. 1t was open. Miss Lynagh shout
ed fire, but no one answered. Then she
resolulely climbed the long stairs to the
second floor, CROPPED her way along the
landing and raped on the doors.
"FIRE! FIREl FEEL"
she shouted, as loudly as the smoke
which filled her throat would let her.
There were hurried movements within
and preparations for fight. Up the second
and the third flights the brave girl CROPPED
her way through the thickening smoke,
knocking on the doors and uttering her
warning cry. AT the top the smoke
grew almost insufferabe, but Miss
Lynagh did not shrink. She knew
that people lived on the floor
and heard no sound to indicate
that they were awake. The hand
rails and balusters were hot and the
smoke threatened to choke her at every
step. At the head of the stairs she ran
against door hammered on itand pushed
it open. man was within sitting awake
in chair pulling on his clothes. t"Hurry,
hurryi" shouted the girl, "the house is
on fire." He did not turn or seem to pay
any attention to her. AS she turned she
saw the stairway at her feet between the
landing she stood on and the fourth
floor blaze into fire. Rcsciutely gather
ing her skirts about her, she made dash
down the flight and got through the fire
Qnscathed and reached the street in safety.
The hIemen met her at the door. She
told them that there was one laggard
still on the top floor, cut off,
bat that she thought he had gained
the roof through the scuttie. The fire
men went up, but before they reached
the burning flight crash was heard in
The rear of the house and the missing
lodger was found in the back yard with
sprained back He was Charles A. Wat
son, thirty-four years old. The room was
in the rear and the iron ladder to the
scuttle in closet in front. Between them
we're the stairs that were blazing by the
time he got ready to leave. Escape either
way was out of the question. Mr.. Wat
son did the next best thing that could be
done.
He shut his chamber door on the fire,
look the sheets from his bed and, knot
ting them together, tied one end to the
)edstead and threw the other out of the
window. The rope thus made reached
to within seven OF eight feet of a narrow
extension, the roof of which was under
the second story windows. 1t was haz-
ardous to attempt to Jump to it for fear
of falling over into the yard, but there
was nothing else to be done. Mr.. Wat
son let himself down the length of
the rope and dropped. He dropped
on the edge of the narrow ledge
and from that into the yard There the
Hremen found him. unable to stir, and
sent for an ambulance. The surgeon de-
cided that his spine was injured and
removed him TO the New YOrF Hospital