The DeSmet leader. (DeSmet, Kingsbury Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-03-21
JUST KEEP COOL.
WHAT PEOPLE SHOULD % ~ A
BURNING BUILDING.
Chat with xcteraa Fireman - What
Ninety-N:ne Out of n Hundred
Arc likely ~ Do--Tae
Proper Course.


The terrible death OF James Carr at a re-
cent north side fire Glanced To be mentioned
the other day during conversation between
a veteran fireman attached to one Of the
down. town engine companies and reporter
''Ir Is too bai," said tho reporter, shat 20
brave n fellow should havc lo,t his life after
having done so much for his fellow-wo
men.r
Yea. it Is too bad" asscnted the fironlaflL
as he gazed refiectively at tbs ceiling; but
do you know that there was really no reason
in the world why he should have disd - he
d:dg
How do you figure II outi"
well, it's Just like this: Most poopl0
never give any thought to what they would
do in case they were caught in burning
tuilding. and there IL probably not ono in a
iliounnl who wouil have known how 10
save himself IL he hal been placed where
Carr was at that fro Now, supposing you
were unfortunate enough 20 be In q building
that was fire and were obliged TO look TO
window OF the third or fourth story az your
only means OF cscap,. What would you
dof'
"Why, suppose would climb oat on tho
window-ledge and howl for q ladder, or .
rope, or something"
"Yes, | suppoe you would. And II the
smoke got too thick for you, or it should b.
come hot enough to make you think you
w>re being slowly roastei 30 DEATH and
th.rc was no immediate propect Of hddeY
Icing raised to you, what would you ~
then"
"in such case ! supp 80 would jump and
take my charces."
"And that is just what ninety.ninc out ok
II all n, ii. v.s .se At~A
The hundredth man would keep his head.
and, after getting on tho ledge, hs would
c!oso tho window behind him That wculd
OF course cut Off tho smoke that was sufRo-
eating him, AMI. in case there was
much heat behind him, IL would cut
that Off too. lie woall thea have q COM
paratively eco. place where he could res,iAiie
fer ffteen or twenty minutes loager than he
would haya hoe, abie TO DO II tss window
had been left oren. BY that time, in this
city anyway, ladder would havs been
raised to him anl he would have an easy
descent to the ground"
"But If they could not get lndler to Aimv
what tkenf'
"In any case they wo,ild be able To get
rope 10 him, either from the roof Of the ad-
joining building or from the strcst."
"Trus; Tut they got rope to Carr, and n
didn't do him any good
That was oniy pecausc hs didn't know
how to use it to tho best ADVANTAGE.
What no did was simply to take the
end ot the rope In his hands and
jump. II is no wonder that when he got 20
the end Of the slack tho sudden jar
broke his hold and he fell. Now, IL II had
just tied q knos i'm the end Of tho rope and
shut the window down on il. he would have
la means of escape that would have ban
comparatively safe and easy" 81
"Yes but would the simple shutting down
OF the window en the rope hold ita WouldHt
the strain caused by the mans weight puA
the whole thing out AMI drop him to thas
s..setp
aNo. not IL the window was a. heavy -
the ordina, = sash Is In the down town built
ings. II there !. any doubt about IL, though,
it would be comparatively easy matter 70
kick a holo through the glass near tho bot.
tom OF tbs window and give the rnue turn
around the bottom of the sasn. TLcu. u
would surely hold. But il people whv are
caught in such tight place would only
think Of that simple little schemo Of shuttin
the window behind them III guarantee that
that there will TO fewer lives lost at Urea"