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 loe-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 4ol
West street 1t caused great excitement
In the neighborhood, gave an opportunity
to a fireman to prove himself hero
and d'd 5000 damage. The f1remen Insist
that the flames started In an ice-box In
the s,.loon OF John J. Keenan, on the
ground floor.
The place was closed at 1890 O'Clock
this morning. just thirty-six 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 turnel In an alarm and then
started TO wake up the tenants. The first
floor IL occupied by two families James
Powers. a truckman. with his wife. and
Michael Kenting, a car driver. with his
wife and two children. The policeman
was forced to break in the door of keat-
ings rooms.
1t took so long to arouse the people
that the flames had burned through
into the galway and filled the house
With smoke before they were ready to
fee.
When Keating started down the
stairs with one of his children In his
arms. the rest followed like u flock of
sheep.
Terrified by flames and smoke. they
got blocked on the stairs, and II IL had
not been for the flremen they might
have been suffocated:
On the top floor Policeman Burns had
even more trouble than he had on the
other. There are also two families
there-Patrick Feeney, with his wife and
two children. and Dennis Wright, with
his wife and one child. Both men work
'longshore.
When the policeman broke into
Feeney's room Mrs. Feeney thought he
was a burglar. She uttered a piercing
shrek. and clutched her husband by the
hair. Fecney broke away from his
wife. jumped from his bed, and reached
for heavy club, which was in one cor
ner Of the room. The policeman ran
n,o into the hall with sss Esensy after him
Feeney saw the smoke and understood
the situation.
The wild cries of the Feeney family
awoke Wright. Soon the Feeneys and
their night dresses When the street
was reached 1t was discovered that
Mrs. Wright, who is III, had been for
rooms. but was prevented by the fire.
men. The entrance to the building was
at this time all ablaze, smoke poured
from the nrSt-StOry WINDOWS, ana tne
flames were eating their way from the
ground floor upward.
The front of the building was lost to
sight by reason of the smoke. Suddenly
a gust Of wind swept 1t clear for an
instant Then Mrs. Wright was seen
standing before window Of the third
| floor.
Foreman Reilly, who had arrived with
the first truck. ordered a thirtyfive-
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. Foremaii
Reilly was on It. Up he went, two
rungs at a time, until he was opposite
the window at which Mrs. Wright stood.
| Mrs. Wright is n large woman. and
was not only Ill. but very much fright
ened. She wanted to argue with the
| fireman. But Reilly had 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 fiercest near Keenans ice box in the
rear OF his place. From that they
Judged the fire had started there.
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