The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-07-12

must have been as an eternity of hell to
every soul. A sixteen foot ladder was
placed from the first section of the tower
TO The landing on which tho men were but
no one thought of running II big ladder
from the main roof to the tower so as to
| connect with the small ladder.
Wit bout a thought of the fate which
was soon to overtake them, the thirty odd
men outside the tower we're at work on the
east and south sides. All this time the
names were burning through the larger
section OF the tower beneath them. The
nrst lntlmation of danger came to the
victims when smoke appeared under Them
ana as the wind blew it into their faces
they retreated in an orderly body beyond
the landing to the north side of the tower
with the exception of one man, a painter
VINO slid down the hose which had been
Drought up to the south side of the tower
IL may be that more would have taken
thls apparently sure and safe means of es-
cape had it not been for the smoke which
seemed to envelop them. 1t seemed rs il
the victims changed position because they
feared flames would soon follow the smoke
which they saw.
Death quickly came to put an end to
suspense and agony. The flames had
been devouring five feet of frame work
winch surrounded the cast iron shaft that
pierced the tower below the men. Quick
as flash the fire burst through the square
tower just underneath the imprisoned
men on all sides. The gold letters Her
cules Ice Skating Rink and Cold Storage
Warehouse" were in the center of the
tower and around them the flames cir
culated
In few seconds the imprisoned ones felt
the scorching fire coming, and with one
impulse of self preservation the men
moved quickly to where the ropes were
attached at the northwest corner. The
man nearest the rope grasped it and de-
scended, but for only few feet. The rope
was burned in two, and with feet down.
ward the first victim shot through the air
to the main roof. He turned partly over
before he struck. and bounded up before
| lying as if dead.
A great cry of anguish and fear came I'D
from thousands OH the ground and at
other points where the first of those awful
leaps and falls could be seem Strong men
wept and became hysterical. Some cried
aloud for God to save the poor souls penned
between flames. They got on their knees
and prayed to God that all might not per-
| ish Woman could be seen everywhere
fainting and wringing their hands, bury
ing or turning away their faces and crying
! Historically mt the sickening scene An
lntramural train, facing the fiery specta-
Gle, had to be stopped because some of the
women on board tainted and became hys-
terical.
But worse was to follow worse No
sooner had one man struck the roof than
another ledped from the tower before the
horried gaze of the spectators. His body
kept straight down until near the roof
when he turned somersault, and II sec
ond cry of horror came from thousands
of throats. The two ropes on the north
side of the tower, where the doomed men
We're huddled Mt the edge, were almost use
less for the saving of life, yet for the first
possession of the one corner mt least ten
fought as savage beasts
They only prolonged their consciousness
OF life, for all were doomed to die yet they
struggled to catch at anything which
seemed to hold out Il chance 10 leap and
live One by one they dropped from the
tower. some clinging to burning rope rs
far as it afforded them any hold and then
shooting through II solid sheet of flame to
the roof. The sight was too much for even
the military men and the old fremen on
the ground to bear without n shudder and
turning away of faces. Human forms
lcapng through flames hundred feet or
more down, down to sure death presented
a sight the stoniest heart could not wit
ness unmOved.
The last man on that tower died Che
hero's death among all those heroes who
faced the furnace below them He had
waited without apparent fear until there
was only himself left like Casabianca.
who stood OH the burning deck He was
fireman, and he grasped the remnant of
burning rope Just as the whole tower struc-
ture parted diagonally and fell towards
the north, right over the PROSTATE bodies
of the poor fellows who had leaped to es-
cape the pitiless flames. The last man
RI -irl, ~.
kept feet down us far as the rope went.
and then the rush of flames and air was so
great that his body was turned round and
round III the passage within sight OF all.
and the blazing tower fell over his form.
making II funeral pyre and ending his
agony, if he was not dead before striking
the roof.
One victim remained on the tower until
the flames from below had burned his legs
so that the flesh peeled from the bone.
When the tower toppled over there was no
hope of saving those who had not been
taken off the roof.
The most sublime deed of heroism in
that tragic hour was performed by three
fremen i'll ample time to save the life of
their superior officer, Captain James Fitz-
patrick, the assistant fire chief ut the fair
He was on the roof when the tower fell
over without warning, and his leg was
broken, besides being crushed by falling
timbers. The captain crawled towards
the edge of the roof, already on fire, and
held out a hand in mute appeal for help.
The hand which is now stilled in death
was seen bS Captain Kennedy, of Hook
and Ladder No. 5. He and Two of his men
climbed up the ladder, lighting their way
through the flames, while three streams
of water were turned on the brave men TO
keep their clothing from catching fire and