The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-07-11

eral death by tire, for the flames caught
him while his wits were still keen, his
mind still active and all his senses
alive to the terrible tate to which no
was doomed,
THE FIRE TRAP,
AS fire trap. the cold storage ware
house could not have been more per-
iectly constructed. The structure was
$50 feet long by 15O feet wide, and was
constructed entirely OF wood covered
over with staG, The main building
was five stories high, In the center Of
this rose the smokestaCk in tho shape
OF cupola, to the ton of which was al
most 200 feet. The base OF this cupola
was about thirty feet square. About
eighty feet from the base OF this cupola
there was a balcony from which an.
other square tower rose, eliminating in
the mouth Of the smokestaok where the
fire was discovered, The interior Of
this tower and around the smokestack
were the wooden beams and framework
on which the staff covering was laid.
1t was at the top OF this cupola that
the fire was discovered, 1t is supposed
that the frame work around the mouth
OF the huge chimney caught from de-
feet IN the fue. At first it appeared 10
be an insignificant affair. But knowing
the irhammable nature OF the structure,
fire marshal Murphy, who had charge
OF the fire department on the grounds,
sent in call for all the companies to
turn out With about forty Of his men
Captain Fitzpatrick 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 a chemi-
cal engine, had been hauled up, when a
gust Of wind caused the flames to break
out in an alarming manner about ten
feet from the top OF the cupola.
STOOD OVER A VOLCANO.
Meantime the fire had eaten its way
down through the network Of timbers
inside the structure, and, unconscious
OF this danger, the fremen were stand
ing as 1t were on the shell OF n burning
volcano.
No one Of the tens OF thousands OF in.
terested spectators who had gathered
from all parts oil the grounds had any
intimation OF the perilous position in
which the forty or fifty firemen were
then standing. The fire had been burn.
ing scarcely twenty minutes and the
iiremen were pulling and hauling at the
ropes, when suddenly the flames burst
out around the base Of the cupola in q
perfect hell OF fire.
So sudden and 80 furious was the
outbreak, and so terrible was the spec.
tacle, that for the moment the crowd
stood transfixed with horror. All the
ropes save one on the north eide OF
the tower were burned away in an in
slant. The hose from the chemical
engine withstood the heat however,
aud springing forward John Davis
caught hold OF it and slid down to the
main roof OF the warehouse, where he
tainted away. His face and hands were
terribly burned. He was taken to the
hospital, where the physicians say he
will recover. Two OF his fellow firemen
attempted TO follow him, but before
they were half down the hose gave way
and they dropped into the seethihg
mass OF fire aud were lost. Another OF
the imprisoned mon started down the
rope on the north side OF the tower and
had almost reached the roof when 1t
gave way and he fell, striking on his
head and was instantly killed.
BEYOND THE REACH OF HELP,
There now remained, according to
the count of various spectators, from
twenty-five to thirty men on the tower.
They were hopelessly beyond the reach
OF help. The longest ladder fell short
OF reaching them by full thirty feet.
Death OF the most awful kind was fast
approaching, Atthis terrible moment
Capt. Fitzpatrlck's tall form and white
helmet appeared in front OF the men,
who were huddied together on the mar.
row balcony He appeared to be adj
dressing his brave followers. What he
said will probably never be known, for
he alone Of all the men around him at
that moment escaped alive, and his In
juries are such that 1t is doubtful II he
will ever recover consciousness.
As he ceased to speak one OF the men
crept around the burning balcony tu
the east and returned a moment later
with rope that had heen left there in
the excitement II was hastily fas.
tened to the railing around the bal.
cony and thrown to tho roof. Fitz.
patrick pointed to 1t. What he said
no one knows. The foremost man
seized 1t and started to slide down, but
ere he was half way the cruel flames
rolled up, and ho was swallowed into
mouth OF the awful volcano. Another
man tried II and met the same late.
One after another, five OF tho men at
this moment sprang from the balcony
to the roof, and were killed by the fall.
II any OF them survived they were
burned. The rope was burned of
about half way down, and 1t hung ap
parently useless against q portion Of
the wall not yet destroyed. Seeing his
men jumping to their doom the heroic
marshal seized the rope and started
down. A ladder had been raised, but
was almost twenty feet from tho end ol
the rope. Ho dropped and caught on
the end Of the ladder
An HEROIC DEED.
Captain Murphy, an old personal
friend Of Marshal Fitzpatrick, who has
worked in the Chicago frO department
with him for scoro OF years, was on
the roof. Seeing that there was Q
chance to aayo his old comrades life he
aprangc forward and was soon, at the
top OF the ladder A shout OF admira
ton and encouragement wont up from
tho multitude below The horoic cap
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