The Yellowstone journal., 1894-12-22
OUT OF THE FLAMES.
A DEPARTMENT CAPTAIN TALKS
ABOUT FIRE ESCAPES.

Wrap the rope around the body, al
ways pnt one hand below and one hand
shove ON the rope, then slide, " was the
advice of Captain McAdam in reply to
nv query of how to get out of burn
ing building.
The question was provoked by seeing
a number of blue coated firemen 50
speeding down rope suspended from
the sixth story of building They were
testing fire escapes, and their ease and
confidence made me wonder why some !
of this level headedness couldn' be inn
parted to wonen--or men either, for |
that matter-in cases of emergency
So went inside the great, admirably |
kept drilling rooms and interviewed the
captain.
Well" he added, ''you can preach
TO women about the way TO use ropes
and fire escapes, but when person Is
scared out Of her senses you can't expect
her to do calmly what she would trem-
BILE to do in time of safety.
"Why, / don { 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 increas-
ing his slide. not reaching the seventh
story for two weeks.
Then ron don't think it silly for
people to forget all common sense III
time of fire." / asked
"Never. No one realizes more than l
the horrible feeling of being caught i'll
a trap Fire seems 70 demorallZe the
brayest. Women are just a. brave as
men, tor | have known man to rush
down stairs, leaving a wife and five chill
dren. when if all If Hagenbeck's AM
mails were placed n field and his child
among them he would dash over the
fence alone to its rescue.
Whats best j, remember
First how T. use the ropes that are
placed in hotel rooms and should be Ia.
every private residence They are at
tached firmly TO a link in the window.
Should the rope be without appliances,
simply drop it out 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 in front of the chest. As you
lower yourself place the right hand firm
" on the end of the rope, which reaches
to the ground. This prevents the rope
from slipping of the body. Throw the
weight OF the body on that hand and
Ruide 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 as soon as the rope cuts through
the flesh man or woman will let go
the agony is too great. In descendlnt
keep the body near the wall and breal
the slide by scraping the feet along th'
walls. 4"
Suppose the fire broke out from
window below while the person is com
ing down-then what
The only thing Is 10 swing close =
the wall until the heat Is too intense
then give the body herculean pusI
outward by the feet from the wall. HI
momentum will send the body fyin
out into space, clear of the flames; the
slide Just as fast as rope and graylta
ton will take you, even II the mana
are cut 1t il the only safe measure
There is no time to take any other pre-
caution.
Captain McAdam, however, does nc
approve of the plain rope. OF course tn
iron fire escape is every fireman : pref
erence, IL it is free, but sometimes
supuorts a mob that is equally danger
GUS Again, certain occupants are Gu
on from il by fire, 80 nest 10 this come
a rope, attached to an iron pulley
which in turn is fastened to a hook
the window One end of the rope
thrown 20 tine ground; the other has
small loop which can be quickly pulle
to fit the body. It is slipped under Il
arms and the body lowered. No holdin
On j. necessary, for it is the primitiN
science of a bucket on pulley line Y
ing down a well. The rope goes aroun
several small wheels inside the pulle.
which materiaIlyscheck the run OF Il
rope limiting il To ten feet In ten Sc
onds The moose can't slip off the bod
The wheels must go around as long
the weight is there, and, to quote tl
captain, Kick and holler as she WI
she's bound to come down.
''In Of being caught by the fir
captain, what is the best thing to d
Put a wet blanket around yourself al
run through 1t?
Theoretically that is ine," he q
swered, but remember that 1t tax
buckets Of water to soak a blanket, al
if there is not a bath tub near to accoI
plish this no few pitchers are adequa'
So next best is to wrap the head up
coat or anything woolen. This kee
ont the fire and not the air from {
lungs. and the greater danger com
from the former being inhaled.
.'Sbouid the smoke commence to
the room and You want to crawl to
other part of the building, drop on yo
hands and knees and crawl as close
the floor a. possible, for the smoke q
first to the top AMI to the floor last,
that much time is secured. IL all esca
seems cut off, put ON woolen cloth
hold a piece Of flannel over the moi
most rrnrnl N