The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1894-11-16
OUT OF THE FLAMES.
A DEPARTMENT CAPTAIN TALKS
ABOUT FIRE ESCAPES.

Some Sensible Advice to Women-what
to DO When Caught In Turning
BuiIding-It l. Well to Know How to
Take Care of Yourself at such a Time.
''Wrap the rope around the body, al
ways put one hand below and one hand
above ON the rope, then slide . was the
advice of Captain McAdam in reply to
my query OF how to get out of burn
ing building
The question was provoked by seeing
number of blue coated firemen 90
speeding down a rope suspended from
the sixth story of a buiiding. They were
testing fire escapes, and their ease and
confidence made me wonder why some
Of this level headcdness couldn't be i'm
parted to wOmCn-Or men either, for
that matter-in cases Of emergency.
So l went inside the great, admirably
kept drilling rooms and interviewed the
captain.
We'll, - he added, ''you can preach
to women about the way to use ropes
and fire escapes. but when person Is
scared ont Of her senses you can't expect
her to do calmly what she would trem-
bic TO do III time OF SAFETY.
why, l don't dare take raw man
and send him down from the sixth story
for his trial If | did, he would never
appear again. get him broke in by
commencing at the first, then inCrcaS-
ing his slide, not reaching the seventh
story for two weeks. -
Then You don't think it silly for
people to forget all common sense i'll
time of fire. / asked.
Never No one realizes more than |
the horrible feeling of being caught IN
a trap. Fire seems to demOraliZe the
bravrst Women are just as brave as
men, for | have known man To rush
down stairs, leaving a wife and five chill
dren, when if all of Hagenbeck's ami
mails Were placed III n field and his child
among them he would dash over the
fence alone 20 its rescue.
Whats best to remember"
First, how to use the ropes that are
placed in hotel rooms and should be in
every private residence. They are at
tachcd firmly to link in the window.
Should the rope be without appliances,
simply drop il ont Of the window; then,
sitting on the sill, place the rope around
the body under the arms. Make no loop,
only pass the long end of the rope over
the other III front OF the chest As you
lower yourself place the right hand firm
ly on the end Of the rope which reaches
to the ground. This prevents the rope
from slipping off the body. Throw the
weight of the body on that hand and
guide with the left, which Is on the up
per end of the rope The friction Of the
ropes passing each other over the chest
prevents a too rapid descent, and thus
the hands are saved from severe blister
ing, for rs soon as the rope cuts through
the flesh man or woman will let 90;
the agony Is too great In descending
keep the body near the wall and break
the slide by scraPing the feet along the
walls -
Suppose the fire broke ont from a
window below while the person Is com
ing down-then WHAT
The only thing l. to swing close tC
the wall until the heat Is too intense,
then give the body a herculean push
outward by tn" feet from the wall. The
momentum viii send the body flying
ont into space, clear of the flames; then
slide just as fast rs rope and gravita-
ton Will take You. even if the hands
are cut. 1t l. the only safe measure.
There i no time 10 take any other pre-
caution. -"
Captain McAdam. however, does not
approve of the plain rope. OF course the
iron fire escape l. every fireman : pref
erence, if l. i free, but sometimes it
supports 4 mob that Is equally danger
Gus. Again, certain occupants are cut
off from it hy fire, so next TO this comes
a rope, attached to an iron pulley,
which in tam is fastened to a hook in
the window. One end of the rope Is
thrown 10 the ground; the other has
small loop which can be quickly pulled
| to fit the body. 1t y Slipped under the
arms and the body lowered. No holding
on is necessary, for it i the primitive
| science OF a bucket on Il pulley line 90
| ing down well. The rope goes around
several small wheels inside the pulley.
| which materially check the run of the
| rope, limiting it to ten feet III ten sec
| onds. The moose can't Slip of the body
| The wheels must 20 around as long a.
| the weight Is UhCT", and, TO quote tn
| captain. Kick and huIIcr Is she will.
! she's bound TO come down. -
*In case Of being caught by the fire,
captain, what Is the best thing to do:
| L
run through it,
! Theoretically that Is fine, - ne an
swered, but remember that it take
| buckets of water To soak blanket, and
| if there Is not a bath tub near to accom-
! plish this no few pitchers are adequate.
! So next best l. To wrap the head up in
coat or anything wooien. This keep
| out the fire and not the air from the
lungs, and the greater danger comes
from the former being inhaled.
! SHOULD the smoke commence 10 fill
the room and you want 10 crawl to an
other part of the building, drop on your
! hands and knees and crawl a close t.
| the floor as possible, for the smoke goc-
first To the top and TO the floor last Su
that much time Is secured. If all escape
seems cut of, put on woolen clothes,
hold a piece of flannel over the mouth
and nose, stand at the most prominent
window and cali for help. a fireman
will speedily come by ways you never
thought of and deliver you. III Hall
mark III Chicago Record.
Thunder Doesn't sour MIX.
Science has disproved the rural belief
| that thunder soUrs milk. It Is now
known that the souriug results from a
fungous growth, and that this fungus Is
| peculiarly fatal to nursing children
The old time rural belief was that the
| conclusion from thunder acted mechan-
ically upon the milk and first soured and
then solidificd it. The theory is a plaus-
ible one, easily derived from observing
one set of facts without knowing the