The Portland daily press., 1893-07-11

~ ASoS
ed entirely of wood, covered with staff.
The main body of the building was five
stories high and in the centre of this rose
smoke stack in the shape of a upola,
to the top of which was almost 200 feet
The base of the cupola was about 80 feets
square. About S0feet from the base was
a balcony, from which another square
tower rose, eliminating in the mouth of
the smoke stack. In the interior of this
tower and around the smoke stack were
wooden beams and the framework on
which the staff covering was laid. At
that point of the cupola at lis D. m.
fire was discovered. 1t is supposed the
framework around the mouth of the
chimney caught from defect in the
fiue. At first itappeared an insignificant
affair, but knowingthe infammable nature
of the structure, Capt. Fitzpatrick sent
in call for all the companies to turn
out. With about 40 men he climbed the
stationary ladders inside the tower to
the balcony and from there ropes were
lowered to haul up the hose. Only one
hose, that of the chemical engine, was
hauled up when gust of wind caused
the flames to break out in an alarming
manner about 10 feet from the top Of
the cupola.
Meantime the fire had eaten down
through the network of timbers inside
the structure and, unconscious of their
danger, the firemen were standing, as it
were, on
The Shell of Burning Volcano.
No one of the 10000 spectators who
had gathered from all parts of the
grounds, had any intimation of the peril,
GUS position in which the firemen were
then standing. The fire had been burn
ing scarcely 20 minutes, and the firemen
were pulling and hauling at the ropes
when suddenly the flames burst out
around the base of the cupola with great
fury. All the ropes save one on the
north side burned away in an instant.
The hose of the chemical engine with
stood the heat, and John Davis caught
the head of it and slid down 80 feet to
the main roof of the warehouse, where
he tainted. His face and hands were ter
ribly burned by the flames, which envel-
oped his body as he came down. He was
taken to the hospital and the physicians
say he will recover. Two other firemen
attempted to follow him, but before they
were half way down the hose gave way
and they dropped into the fire and were
lost. Another of the imprisoned men
started down the rope on the north side,
and had almost reached the roof when
the line gave way and he fell, striking on
his head and being instantly killed.
There now remained according to ac-
| counts of various persons, 25 to 80 men
on the tower. They were hopelessly be-
yond the reach of help. The longest lad
der fell short of reaching them by fully
| thirty feet. At this moment, Capt.
Fitzpatrick's tall form appeared in front
of the men huddled together on the bal
cony. He appeared to be addressing his
followers. What he said will probably
| never be known, as he alone, of all the
men around him at that moment es
capped alive, and his injujuries are such
that it is doubtful if he will ever re-
cover Consciousness. AS he ceased
| to speak one of the men
Crept Around the Burning Balcony
| to the east and returned moment later
with a rope left there in the excitement
It was hastily fastened to the railing
around the balcony and thrown to the
roof. The foremosJ man grasped it and
started to slide down. Before he was
half way down, the flames rolled up and
| he was swallowed into the mouth of the
| volcano. Another tried it and met the
| same fate. The firemen appeared to real-
| ize the awfulness of their position. Sud-
| denly one, either crazed by heat and fear
OF preferring to be crushed to death by
| the fall to the terrible death by fire,
sprang from the balcony. Four COM
rades followed and each was crushed to
death on the roof below. The rope
| burned off about half way down and
hung apparently useless against portion
of the wall not yet destroyed.
Seeing the men jumping to their doom,
| the captain seized the rope and
started down. A ladder had been
raised, but it was almost 20 feet from
the end of the rope. He dropped and
caught on the end of the ladder. Mar
| shal Murphy was on the roof. He
sprang forward and was soon at the top
| of the ladder. The heroic marshal
started back with his friend, but was en-
| veloped in the flames. He clutched his
| comrade and slid down the ladder to the
roof, where he fell prostrate. Both
Murphy and Fitzpatrick were uncon-
scious. They were lowered to- the
| ground and taken to the hospital. 1t is
| doubtful if either will recover.
Scarcely 25 minutes had elapsed since
the fire was discovered, but SO rapid had
been its progress that the entire tower
was burned away and it now
Fell With an Awful Crash,
carrying with it several f1remen who
were playing on the flames with hose
| from the roof There was wild scram-
BILE to get off the roof. A large quantity
of linseed oil was stored on the top floor
and when the tower fell it crashed
through the roof to this infammable
fuel. Then the flames rolled up high in
| the air. AS the firemen fed from the
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