The evening world., 1894-05-01
SAVED BY A FIREMAN
Foreman Reilly Takes Mrs. Wright
from a Burning Building.
Claim that the Flames Started in
an lce-Box.
May Seem Ridiculous, but 1t Is the
Fire Fighters Statement.

There was a fire early this morning In
the three-story brick tenement at 4l
West street. 1t caused great excitement
in the ne!ghborhood, gave an opportunity
to a fireman to prove himself a hero
and did $1,000 damage. The firemen Insist
that the flames started In an ice-box In
the saloon of John J. Keenan, on the
ground floor.
The place was closed at 1880 o'clock
this morning. Just thirty-siN minutes
after that the fire was discovered by Po-
liceman Owen Burns. The flames were
OF that peculiar blue that arises from
burning alcohol. There was but little
smoke, the flames darting in a thousand
little tongues from every part OF the
store.
Burns turned in an alarm and then
started 70 wake up the tenants. The first
floor is occupied by two families, James
Powers. a truckman. with his wife, and
Michael Heating, a car driver. with his
wife and two children. The policeman
was forced to break in the door Of Keat-
ing's rooms.
1t took so long to arouse the people
that the flames had burned through
into the hallway and filled the house
With smoke before they were ready to
flee.
When Heating started down the
stairs with one of his children in his
arms, the rest followed like Il flock of
sheep.
Terrified by flames and smoke, they
got blocked on the stairs, and II 1t had
not been for the fremen they might
have been suffocated.
ON the top hoor Policeman Burns had
even more trouble than he had on the
other. There are also two families
there-Patrick Feeney. with his wife and
tyrn nhIlIrnn nd lapnIc NIriyhf with
his wife and one child. Both men work
'longshore.
When the policeman broke into
was a burglar. She uttered a piercing
shrek, and clutched her husband by the
hair. Feeney broke away from his
wife, jumped from his bed, and reached
for a heavy club, which was in one cor
ner of the room. The policeman ran
into the hall with Feeney after him..
The policeman yelled Fire, once:
the situation.
The wild cries of the Teeney family
awoke Wright. Soon the .Feeneys and
Mth eiF : nigh TeF Gre sseTryiRWS h aGw the stre ea
was reached it was discovered that
Mrs. Wright, who Is Ill. had been for
gotten. Wright wanted to return to his
rooms, but was prevented by, the fire
men. The entrance to the building was
at this time all ablaze, smoke poured
from the first-story windows, and the
, nd1IltS were edllnB tntlT way vi Nv
ground floor upward.
The front of the building was lost to
sight by reason of the smoke. Suddenly
n gust OF wind swept 1t clear for an
instant. Then Mrs. Wright was seen
standing before a window OF the third
floor.
Foreman Reilly. who had arrived with
the first truck, ordered a thirty-five-
foot ladder put up to the window. at
the same time yelling to the woman
to remain where she was.
Lines had been run into the building
and the saloon floor was being flooded.
The alarm had also called the two fire
boats. They had steamed into the slip
at the foot of Charles street. and their
crews were busy getting out their lines;
When the ladder had been raised, and
before 1t was fairly placed. Foreman
Reilly was on 1t. Up he went. two
rungs at n time. until he was opposite
the window at which Mrs. Wright stood.
Mrs. Wright Is a large woman. and
was not only III. but very much fright
ened. She wanted to argue with the
fireman. But Reilly la no time to talk.
He grasped the woman about the waist,
lifted her bodily from the window out
onto the ladder and descended through
the curling smoke.
In half an hour the flames were ex'
tinguished. When the firemen reached
the building they found the flames burn
ing ~tlercest near Keenan's ice box in thu
rear Of his place. From that they
Judged the fire had started there.