Worcester morning daily spy. (Worcester, Mass.) 1888-1898, 1898-02-20
INDIANA
SLOW LADDER WORK
Popular Criticism of the Work
of the Truckmen,
Which Compelled Mrs. offner TO Wait in
Imminent Peril IA Minutes Before
Her Rescue Was Effected.

Worcester people have always been
justly proud of the efficiency of their
fire department. Such being the case,
the general criticism on the work of the
department at the Bijou fire is signifi-
cant. Almost all who were early on the
scene and watched the preparation for
the rescue of the Offners, INDUCED in
more or less criticism on the work of
the ladder companies.
While Ladders 1 and are being
roundly criticised, and much of the crit
icism is harsh, the companies in meas
ure deserve 1t. The time of sounding
the alarm was PAT a. m. Ladder l,
stationed at headquarters, was the
fourth piece to reach the scene Of the
fire. Probably the time elapsing from
the sounding Of the alarm until the
truck pulled up, was less than five min
utes. Capt. Sinclair was enjoying a
day off, and the company was in COM
mand of Lieut.. McAuliffe. When the
company arrived, the sight of the two
figures in deadly peril high above the
sidewalk, apparently ratified the men,
for they ran about, accomplishing little
for a time. Finally ladder was pulled
from the truck and an attempt was
made to raise it. For some unaccount-
able reason the ladder was butted in
front of the position occupied by Mr.
Offner, who was not nearly in SO much
danger as his wife, at the other side of
the building.
When the men seemed in fair way
to get the ladder up, they met an OBJ
stacle in the wires and were Obliged to
lower the ladder and swing it under the
wires, finally placing it before Mr.. Off
ner, enabling him to get to the
ground.
Ladder had reached the scene by
this time, and when called upon for a
ladder to rescue Mrs. Offner, the men
responded ineffectively, pulling at diff
ferent ladders. Finally, they united to
unload big Bangor ladder too long
for the purpose, ard altogether too
heavy for quick action. Everybody in
the crowd wanted to assist in the work
Of rescue, and when the laddermen
reached the sidewalk many sprang for
ward to help. They only got in the
way of the firemen, and to Mrs. Offner
1t must have seemed as IL the ladder
would never rise. This heavy ladder had
to be swung under the network of wires
and pushed UP sidewise. After five min
utes of hard work, the top finally rest
ed at Mrs. others feet, and she was
quickly carried to the ground.
When she was placed in the arms of
ground two or three minutes before, it
was exactly 3.02, fifteen minutes after
the sounding of the alarm. Mrs. Offner
was on the ledge probably within a
minute after the bells sounded, which
makes the length of time she waited for
rescue, IA minutes. No friend of the
Worcester fire department would have
admitted before this fire that it would
take IA minutes after an alarm struck
q q al No.
street block, in the very heart of the
center of the city, but the fact remains
that 1t did, and the explanation must
come from the firemen. II looked to
those who saw the operation of the
Two trucks as if the men needed prac-
tice and clear headed direction
During all the connection of trying to
| erect the rescue of the manager and his
wife, Chief Vaughn was engaged in
sending in a second and general alarm
from box at the city hall corner AS
soon as he arrived at 2.52 he sent in the
second alarm, and at 254 he rung a gen
eral alarm. 1t has been remarked that
II he had sent one Of his assistants to
do this part of the work and had direct
ed the raising of the ladders himself the
| work might have been more easily and
quickly accomplished. The chief knows
as well how to manage a ladder as the
officers Of the companies, and it was a
| case where, with human life in peril,
the wisest and coolest head in the de-
partment was needed. Should another
| such emergency arise the department
might mot find a woman with pluck and
nerve enough to wait IA minutes for
| rescue
! The danger of overhead wires was
never better Illustrated than at the fire
and there is likely to be some move
made to rid the firemen of this nuisance.
At the Bijou there were about 10 wires
entering the building, and these seri-
ously hindered the laddermen in their
work