The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1893-07-14

grounds, sent IN q call for all the
companies To turn out. With about
forty OF his men he climbed the sta
tiOnaty ladders inside the tower to
the balcony, and from there ropes
were lowered to haul up the hose
Only Que hose, that of a chemical
engine, had been hauled up when
gust Of wind caused the flames to
nreSk out in an alarming manner
about ten feet from the top of the Gu
pola. Meantime the fire h,d eaten
its way down through the network of
timbers inside the structure, and, uu-
conscious OF their danger, the fire.
men wera standing, as ii were, on the
shell OF a burning volcano. No Que
Of the tens of thousands Of interested
spectators who had gathered from all
parts of the grounds had any intimS-
tiOa of the perilOuS position in which
the forty or fifty tiremen were then
standing The fire had been burning
scarcely twenty minutes, aud the
iremen were pulling aud hauling at
the ropes, when suddenly the tlSmes
burst out around the base of tue Gu
pOln IN perfect hell of fury.
so sudden aud SO furious was the
outbreak and 80 terrible the sp4ctS-
Gle that for moineht the crowd
stood trsnstixed with horror. Strong
men wrung their hands in II hysteri-
cal manner aud scores Of women
tainted. All alike were pOwerless to
aid the unfortunate men imprisoned
o. tue balcony $50 feet from the
ground. All the ropes save Que on
the north side of the tower burned
away ia an Instant. Tue hose from
the chemical engine withstoOd the
heat, however, and springing for
ward John Davis caught hold Uf it
and slid down to the main roof OF the
warehouse where he tainted away.
His face and hands were terribly
burned by the flames, which euvel-
oped his body as he came down. He
was taken to the hospital where he
was cared for, and the physicians say
he will recover. Two Of his fellow
tiremeu attempted to follow him but
Otfore they We're half way down the
hose gave way and they dropped
into the seethlng mass OF fire aud
were lost As the hose parted and
the men sank out of sight into the
fire the multitude below gave utter
ance to groan Of sickening horror.
Another of the imprisoned men
started down the rope on the north
side OF the tower and had almost
reached the root when it gave way
and he fell, striking on his mead and
was Instantly killed.
There remained now, according to
the couu.s of various spectators,
from twenty-five to thirty meu on
the tower. They were hopele-sly be-
yond the re-ch OF help. The longest
ladder fell short OF reaching them 10y
fully thirty feet. Death OF the most
awful kind was fast approaching.
AT this terrible moment Marshal
Murpny's tall form aud white helmet
ap peartd in front Of the men who
were huddled together Oh the narrow
balcony. What he said will prnba.
bly, never be known, for lie alone OF
sll the men around him at that NO.
ment escaped alive aud his injuries
are such that it ia doubtful if he will
ever recover Consciousness. AS he
cea-ed TO speak one OF the man crept
around the burning balcony to The
east aud returned moment later
with rope tnat had been leIt there
in tue excitement Ii was hastily
fastened TO the railing around Tia,
DajcOny and thrown to the roof.
, Marshal Murphy pointed to 1t
. What he SAID no one knows. Tn,
. foremost man seized it and started t
rlide down, but ere he WAS halfway
the cruel flames rolled up, and ht
was swallowed into the mouth OF the
> awful volcano. Another tried it, anC
met the same fate. Que after auOlh
er five men, at this moment, spranl
from the balcony to the roof, anC
> were killed by the fall. If any o
them survived they were burned
The rope was burned off about hall.
way down, and it hung apparently
, useless against portion Of the wal
not yet destroyed.
, Seeiug his men jumping to theil
:. doom, the heroic Marshal seized the
z rope aud started down. A laddeI
/ mad been rails d but was AlmOs
$ twenty feet from the end Of the rope
He dropped aud caught on the enc
! Of the ladder. Capt. Fitzpatrick
I a warm personal friend OF Marsha
t Murphy, and who has worked on th'
Z Chicago fire department with him fo
Z a score OF years, was on the ROOF
< Seeing there WAS n chance to save hi
= old comrades life, he sprRny forward
g aud WAS soon at the top Of the ladder
D A shout OF admiration and encourage
Y ment w"nt up from the multitude be
/ low. The heroic Captain starred
Il back with his friend, but was envel
/ oped in flames, With an energy o
Z despair, he olutched his comrade AIT
a slid down the ladder to the roo
8 where he fell urostrate. Both Muir
i phy aud FitzpatricS were uncon
i scious. They were lowered to TIN
o ground aud taken to the hospital ant
It is doubtful il either will recover
y Scarcely twentv-tiVe minutes hat
:. elapsed since the fire WAS discovered
q but 50 rapidly had been its progress
that the entire tower was burned
l., away and it fell with au awful crash
u carrying with it several tiremen VIII
i were playing on the flames with tn
e hose from the roof. Tuere WAS Il will
}, scramble TO get off the roof. A larg
% quantity OF liuseed OIL was stored Ol
4 the top floor and when the tower fel
4 IL cr-shed through tie roof VheI