The San Francisco call., 1896-01-12

means in a short time and soon follow
them himself.
keep cool Keep cool, even if the
blaze is singeing your hair, and by all
means keep close to the floor. where there
: is fresh air If anywhere. That is my pre-
cept and would be my practice"
"Send for the Fire Department in case
fire breaks out" said DIR. W. F. McNutt.
81 would do that with the greatest dis
patch, l assure you. But I'll tell you what
[ wouldn't do. 1 wouldn't go back into
burning house to rescue joint of pipe, as
woman did in Chicago at the time of tie
big fire. Neither would l carry a child
, out by the leg, as one of our San Fran
cisco women did. And l would certainly
not walk through fire and smoke when it
| is not necessary. The great point is to
keep your head, to use a popular express
sion. Too many people lose their heads at
cry of fire. That is really more danger
Gus than the fear-inspirng flames them
selves.
well, suppose the Fire Department has
been summoned or that one is enveloped
by fire, as it were and the one considera-
ton is to escape. l would not make a
dash through the smoke if I could avoid
it, but if the window did not furnish an
avenue of escape l would take care to pro-
tect my lungs before making the dash for
liberty. No one should attempt to go
through room filled with smoke without
such precaution. Cloth should be placed
across the face-if the cloth be wet all the
lungs. A few inhaations would prove
fatal The air in a burning building is
not oxygenated and breathing it never SO
little will produce congestion.
81 am greatly interested in a life-saving
appliance that was tested and proved most
satisfactory AT the Palace Hotel few wears
ago. l don't remem Der the name of the
inventor nor the appliance itself, but it is
the best invention of the kind l ever saw.
There was a small metal box, within
which was coiled strong wire cord. One
end of the cord could be attached to the
bedpost and the box fastened to the waist
by belt. The cord uncoiled gradually. so
that there would be no jar and positively
no danger.
"a man so equipped could throw him
self from ten-story window with i'm
punity and save others in the bargain, for
the box could be sent back by the manipu-
lation of convenient button. The weight
of the instrument is not more than three
or four pounds, and it is SO compact that
it would take but small space in a trunk
or valise. Then rope knotted at inter-
walls of foot is a useful article in case of a
fire. There are many people who would
not travel without one. OF course, our
modern buildings are furnished with fire.
escapes, but intense heat melts the metal.
and all these things are, as the housewife
says, handy"
Rev. DIR. w. D. Williams leaned back in
his chair meditatively and looked mus
ingly at his study-table with its manu-
scripts galore.
"I tell my children to count ten before
they do anything after hearing a fire
alarm,' he said, land l am of the opinion
that that advice would apply to children
OF larger growth 1t doesn't take long
to count ten, but it has rather soothing
effect, you know. My instructions are
further, to be sure they have clear idea
where they are, to recall distinctly the
passageways and be sure to avoid the
Wdrurope anu CIosetS. knew Child
who lost her life during fire by becoming
confused and mistaking the closet for the
hall. She groped about in the smoke
flied closet until she was suffocated.
ministers have great responsibility in
the matter of proper precautions against
a panic in case of fire. / have ALWAYS felt
strongly upon this point, and had my line
OF action so well defined that when the crv
of Fire! was heard near my church in
an Eastern town, was able to dismiss nv
audience in an orderly manner. indi-