Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-06-14
A CELLAR FIRE.
A New York FIremnn's Graphic Ac-
count of "A Thrilling Ex-
perience.

There is an article on THE Risks of a
Fireman's Life" by Charles T. Hill ia the
June st. Nicholas, one Of a series of pa
pers on the Now York fire department
that Mr.. Hill is contributing to that maya
zine. Mr.. Hill says: while speaking of
cellar iires, let me relate an incident that
happened to some companies in the
town district at a fire or this description.
II occurred IN barclay street, IN the sub
cellar Of a crockery and, glass warehouse,
amid the straw used to pack the glass
ware. II sent forth a dense, sitting smoke,
and was an ugly fire to fight; | will re-
late IL in the rather characteristic way in
which ii was told me by a fireman in
one Of the companies that were summoned
10 subdue it. The story gives an idea of
what the hremen in the business part OF
a big city may have TO face at any time.
The station came in one night at lid.
We rolled, and found the fire IN Barclay
street in a crockery warehouse. Burning
straw, 1ute, excelsior, and all that sort OF
stuff in the sub-cellar. Smoke? never
ness. We went through the building, and
found the fire hadn't got above the cellar,
We tried to get the line down the cellar
stairs. but it was no use. No one could live
on that stairway for a minute. The chief
then divided us up, sent out a second "a
IL ont. u engine got the rear. 4 engine The
stairway, to keep 1t from coming up; and
our company, %, got the front. We pried
only to find that the elevator. used TO carry
freight TO the bottom, had been run up TO
the top. Here were -FOUR lnCneS OF Georgia
pine 10 cut through, And phew! Il c work
In such smoke! Well. We got through this,
opened Il up. and-out 1t all camel No
flames, just smoke, and with force enough
TO suffocate a man in a second.
I'VE backed out to the gutter and got a
little fresh air in cur lungs. and went at IL
again. We brought a S5-foot ladder and
lowered II through this opening and found
we couldn't touch bottom! A 45-foot ladder
was put down, and only three rungs re-
manned above the sidewalk; this showed
that there was over forty feet Of cellar and
sub-cellar. And down in this place we had
to 90 with the line. Well. the sooner we
at IL the sooner IL was over; shifting the
line over the top rung of the ladder, so it
wouldn't get caught. down we started. 1t
was only forty feet, but / can tell you IL
seemed like three hundred and forty before
We got TO the bottom. of course, when we
got there 1t wasn't so bad; the smoke lift
ca and gave us a corner in the cellar shaft
where we could work. and We soon drove
the fire away to the rear and out; but go
ing down we got n dose of smoke Wen re-
member to our last days"
The company working in the rear Jared
even worse than the other. They had to de-
scend into a narrow court only four feet
wide, about twenty-five feet long 9TH width
of the building), and forty feet deep. merely
a shaft TO give light and air to the cellar
and sub-cellar. When the company In the
front got TO work. they drove the fire to the
rear. with such violence that this company
was compelled TO ascend rapidly to the
street floor to save their lives.