The Red Cloud chief., 1892-10-14

on the night IN question was returning
about 1899 o'clock from the neighbour
hood of lIarold's Cross, where / had
been to supcrintend the administering
of n hot bath to a patient, when the re-
Election of the fire on the sky to the
northwest attracted my attention and
drew me to The spot.
Excited by the animation Of the
scene, l took an active part in the
crtions of these around me, and o
became thoroughly heated as well US
wetted in the service.
Among other duties undertaken by
the volunteers with whom l had nsso-
ciated myself was the removal of n
number of casks, to get ut which IL was
necessary to cross q platform Of mason
ry built around a large copper boiler in
the unfinished end of the building.
had crossed twice in safety and was
about to venture n third time, when
one OF the b%ystanders who had wit
messed my exertions directed my atten-
ton to the dangerous condition of the
timbers, which hung smoldering and
half suspended from the new brick
!. work and threatened to pull down D
great part of the walls on each side in
their descent, which could not be far
distant.
thanked my friendly warner for his
advice, and had taken it so far us to
retire a few steps from the incon-
venient neighborhood of the flames,
when one Of the firemen Of the N
Insurance company got up IN the OPP
posite side of the platform and signed
for some one to come TO his assistance.
gave a look ut the nodding tinbers
above; they seemed still too deeply
bedded in the masonry of the building
to give me any apprehension of i'm
mediate dangcp. / ran up the 1adder
that led to the platform on that side,
but just as l gained the top a heavy fall
of masonry took place from the angle
of the pile nearly overhead.
became confused and rushed for
ward, hardly knowing where l ran
but l had scarcely taken three steps
In advance when heard the prolonged
: tearing crash of the timbers overhead,
and next moment saw the beams
topple, when the mouth of the open
vessel, which, as / have mentioned,
was bedded in masonry ut my feet,
caught my eye.
1t was not more than four feet across;
the chances were that the long timbers
would fall athwart, not into 1t. With
out bestowing a thought on how / was
to get out, I dropped at once into the
bottom of the hollow chamber.
The metal reverberated and the
echoing sphere rang round me for a
moment with u braZen clang-then
crash, crash, with the din of thunder,
down came the blazing timbers-driv.
ing, rolling, neutrality-suspicious. all
before them. ...or ts o. t1eFn'
Instinctively l stroye to cling to the
: side of the vessel-thcre was nothing
to hold on by, and l reeled back to the
little spot of level footing in the bot
tom, conscious for the first time that ]
was in a trap out of which there was
no escape.
The vessel was q hollow sphere OF
about fourteen feet in diameter, per-
fcctly smooth, except at the Jennings OF
the metal plates of which it was com
posed. The only aperture, except the
orifice ut the top, was that by which
the contents were intended to be
drawn off, but this was not much
wider than the mouth of a large tum'
bier.
l was resigned for some time when
the thought flashed across my mind
that perhaps II l called through this
aperture my voice might be heard.
The opening was in the very bottom OF
the vessel and had to kneel down on
the rubbish to apply my mouth to 1t,
NY knees did not come in contact with
the metal, aud my hands were defend
cd by thick gloves, thoroughly wetted,
so that till ! brought my face close tc
the aperture l had no suspicion OF tho
dreadful ruth that l was now to learn
the copper was SO hot that l could
not bear it against my skin. u,asr
I pulled the Thermometer / had beer
using in %tempering my patients BATH
out of my pocket II stood at n hun
ired and five degrees. ! placed the bull
Of il on tia metal, when the mercury
rose with n rapidity that threatened u
I burst the tn Se, and ! took 1t away ter