The evening world., 1888-04-28

THEY TRIED TO GET THEM TO 60 DOWN.
It was one of the best rescues / have ever
seen, l think, and the element of personal
risk was very great. This, of course, always
enhances any deed like this, and the amount
of danger undergone is really more to the
credit of the person who incurs it than is the
number of persons he may rescue.
What had surprised me most was to see the
quick way in which Clayton had taken in the
situation and set about his scheme for rescu-
ing the endangered man. He was such a
quiet, unassuming fellow.
Everybody thought he would get the Ben
nett medal for his rescue. But it was awarded
to a fireman who had got three or four people
out of n big fire. Clayton did not fail to se-
cure recognition for his work, however.
He belonged to Farnham Post of the G. A.
r. When they heard about what he had
done, as he did not get the official annual
medal which the department confers for
merit Of this distinguished kind. they got
him up a medal themselves concentrating
the event. II was a handsome medal of gold,
and Clayton wears it now with no little salts
faction. 1t is doubly valued, inasmuch as
it shows an appreciation of his courageous
exploit, and is, moreover. the spontaneous
tribute from friendsand comrades.
This is a more satisfactory recognition Of
ones services than is always obtained. At a
fire on this same street the heat had driven
four women back TO their room on the fourth
fioor. They were huddled together, covering
with fright, in the room.
The fire had been pretty well quenched,
but the top of the house was charged with q
800 H. "a 49, 49,. Tl.1 A..-.-.
in looking around in the ruins to see il there
was any one left in them, found the quartet
almost insensible with fear.
They tried to get them to go down. But
whether they thought the place below was
fused to 60 down. So the firemen made them
take hold of hands, and then one pulled in
front and two or three pushed behind, and
in this way the women were brought safely
dow to the street.
One would have supposed they would have
felt grateful for being helped out of the
smoky place. They didn't. or at least If they
did, their gratitude did not prevent them
from wanting to lodge a complaint against
the fremen for rough usage!
- Because they were SO foolish as to want to
stick in their room in the burning house, and
made 1t impossible TO rescue them without
some little force, the hremen were to be
called to account for the way they had saved
them! This was consoling to the iremen.
Things are, of course, nue. more systema-
tized than they were in the old days. / re-
member at q large fire in Centre street at a
factory q number of lives were lost. The
bodies were lying amid the debris of the FIRE.
The Fire Department commended that il was
the part of the Department of Buildings to
look after the bodies, while the Department
of Buildings maintained that this belonged to
the Fire Department.
As they couldn't settle the point the bodies
remained there for two days unattended to.
Finally the citizens got aroused about the
matter and got up. a subscription list TO defray
the expenses of having the bodies dug out
and inferred.
At thattime there was no law on this point.
Now there is one which bids the Fire Depart
ment to notify the Building Department
when their duties are finished to look after
such matters as this.