Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-07-13
OUT OF THE FLAMES.
A DEPARTMENT CAPTAIN TALKS
ABOUT FIRE ESCAPES

Some Sensible Advice to women-What
to Do Whsa Caught In . Burning
Building-It Is Well to Know How to
TaIe Care Of Yourself at Such . 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 o burn
ing building.
The question was provoked by seeing |
q number of blue coated firemen go
speeding down q rope suspended from
the sixth story of a building. They were
testing fire escapes, and their ease and
confidence made me wonder why some
of this level Medicines couldn't be inn
parted to women-or men either, for
that matter-in cases Of emergency.
So I went inside the great, admirably
kept drilling rooms and interviewed the
captain.
"Well," he added, ''you can preach
TO women about tho way to use ropes
and fire escapes, but when q 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't dare take q 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 tho first, then increas-
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 in
time of fire." I asked.
"Never. No one realizes more than I
the horrible feeling of being caught in
trap. Fire seems to demoralize tho
bravest. Women are just as brave as
men, for I have known a man to rush
down stairs, leaving wife and five chill
dren, when if all of Hagenbeck' ami
mails were placed in a field and his child
among them he would dash over The
fence alone to 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
tached firmly to link in the window.
Should the rope be without appliances,
simply drop it 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 in front Of the chest. AZ you
lower yourself place the right hand firm
ly OH 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 too raIid 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 descending
keep the body near the wall and break
the slide by scraping the feet along the
walls
"Suppose the fire broke out from q
window below while the person is com.
ing down-then WHAT"
'The only thing is to swing close t.
the wall until the heat is too intense
then give the body herculean pus}
outward by the feet from the wall. Tit
momentum will send the body flyine
out into space, clear of the flames; ther
slide just as fast as rope and gravita
ton will take you, even if the hand
are cut. 1t is the only safe measure
There is no time to take any other pre-
caution"
Captain McAdam, however, does no
; approve of the plain rope. OF course thu
iron fire escape is every fireman's pref
erence, if it is free, but sometimes i
, supports mob that is equally danger
Gus. Again, certain occupants are Gu
, off from it by fire, SO next to this come
a rope, attached to an iron pulley
which in turn is fastened to hook il
, the window. One end of the rope j
thrown to the ground; the other has
i small loop which can be quickly pulle'
, to fit the body. 1t is slipped under tn
{ arms and the body lowered. No holdin
, on is necessary, for it is the primitiv
D science of bucket on pulley line sc
: ing down a we'll. The rope goes aroun
: several small wheels inside the pulley
which materially check the run Of tn
rope, limiting it to ten feet in ten sec
onds. The moose can't slip off the body
: The wheels must go around as long a
t the weight is there, and, to quote tn
0 captain, kick and holler rs she will
Q she's bound to come down"
. ''In case Of being caught by the fire
a captain, what is the best thing to d.
s Put wet blanket around yourself an
D run through it:''
4 Theoretically that is fine" he Al
swered, "but remember that it take
!. buckets of water to soak blanket, an
4 if there is not bath tub near to accom-
o plish this no few pitchers are adequate
S So next best is to wrap the head up j
0 coat or anything wooden. This keel
0 out the fire and not the air from ii
f lungs, and the greater danger CONF
l. from the former being inhaled.
4 "Should the smoke commence to Fl
d the room and you want to crawl to al
o other part of the building, drop on yol
q hands and knees and crawl as close
s the floor as possible. for the smoke go
d first to the top and to the floor last,
l.. that much time is secured. II all escal