The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-17


the stalrways and elevators.
To add to the panic the men in charge Of
the elevators ran their ears up to the top
OF the building shouting Are at every
floor When they reached the top both
elevators took load OF frightened wo-
men and started for the bottom,
The front elevator was In charge of Har-
~ Gleason, n boy, and the rear one was
handled by William St John,a young man.
Both of these kept their heads, showed
much coolness and bravery, and were in
strumental In rescuing many lives,
The elevator in the front OF the building
was a deliberate affair in good order, but
not calculated to produce speed. Gleason
made one trip to the seventh floor, car
ried down load of women and, although
the smoke was rolling through the build
ing in dense clouds, he started up again.
AT the fourth floor he stopped 10 take on
a crowd Of girls from the rooms of the
National Music Company being assisted In
his work by Miss Katherine Carney, the
forewoman.
A man attempted TO force his way into
the elevator. but Gleason showed him back
into the hall that the women might nave
the first chance. The man never came
out and with brave Katherine Garner,
who showed a braVer and more unseldsh
spirit probably met death In the flames.
Miss Carney was a true heroine. Al
though at the outset she had an opportun-
ity to escape with the other women she
seemed to feel 1t her duty to stay and help
the escape of the girls over whom she had
charge. Her voice could be heard above
the shrieks of the panic STRICKEN girls,
advising them to preserve order and reas-
surlng them again and again. She stood
near the stairway and attempted to seize
no, frf fhaxr dashed
down to the next floor, but was thrown
aside. When she saw that there was no
hope of stopping the panic, she darted
to the elevator cage 10 calm the others.
AS the elevator ascended, Miss Carney
ordered the conductor to stop. She then
turned and helped her frightened charges
into the cage. during all the excitement
she remained calm and issued orders as
though directing the women at work. As
the elevator started 10 descend without
Miss Carney one of the girls cried TO the
conductor to stop, but the brave woman
though staring death in the face, shouted
for them not TO 10 mind her, that she
would take care of herself. The girls she
sent down the elevator escaped unharm-
ed Miss Carney subsequently left the
building by means of the fire escape.
After reaching the bottom with his load
of girls, Gleason was about TO start up
again when the supports of the elevator
machinery at the top caught NE and
seeing that they would give way before
his slow elevator could make another
trip, he gave 1t up.
At the rear st. John did equally good
work, but was not able TO make more
than one trip as the fire swept through
that portion of the building before II at
tackled the front.
In less than ten minutes after the ex-
pIoson that started the fire, all escape
for the inmates by the stairs and eleva-
tors was cut off. There remained only
the windows and the single fire escape a
narrow iron thing not over eighteen
inches from side to slde and was speedily
covered with a string OF people, some on
one side some on the other. Many OF
them who could not reach the fire escape
made their way to the front windows.
and Il was out Of these that Clark Smith
and Rinz hurled themselves to death.
Clark was bookkeeper Cor the Olmstead
Scientific Company on tEe seventh floor,
and remained TO put the books I'm the safe.
He might have escaped had he run upon
the first alarm. He was first seen at one
of the seventh. story windows and few
minutes after showed himself in win
dow of the sixth floor. The fire was close
upon him, the floors and walls behind him
were crashing down and IL was certain
death for him to remain where he was.
There was no possibility of help and he
took his only chance. Three seconds later
he was dead on the pavement below.
Miles A. Smith, a salesman for the
Olmstead Scientific Company, also leaped
from a, window In the sixth floor. He hes
itated some time before taking the leap,
but like Clark, understood that ID was
his only hope. He was instantly killed
his body being horribly mangled.
Edward Binz, the cashier of Sweet
Wallace & Co.. on the sixth floor, fell a
victim 10 his desire 20 save others and "a
protect his books from harm. He upon
hearing the alarm, ran to the rear of the
store 10 warn the employees to run foi
their lives
He then rushed back to his desk. gath.
cred his books and jammed them into
the vault. Then he started for the star.
way, but the flames were ahead of him
and he turned back. There was nothing
but the window and to this he went Ht
clambored upon the sill and stood there
in view OF the crowd below. Clark and
Smith had already bedaubed the pave
ment with their life blood. The building
was a roaring mass OF flames and Binz's
face and hands were badly burned before
! he jumped He pondered the matter bu
ward through a cloud Of fame and smoke
and In the drawing of a breath he was a;
| lifeless as the stones over which his blood
| and brains were spattered.
A fireman distinguished himself by
daring rescue. He was upon q ladder
close to the building when he heard cry
The fireman saw a man in a window o.
the fifth story carrying an inanimate form
| That the rescuer was about 10 throw th'
| unconscious human being into the stree
In the vain hope Of saving the man from
a death by roasting, was evident. Th,
fire was roaring so that no voice coule
be heard. Putting up his hands as a Gig
nal to wait until he got ready the fireman
braced himself upon the ladder and thef
waved his arms for the rescuer 10 drol
| the unconscious man TO him. With
shock that nearly knocked the heroic FIRE
man from his position, the body OF th,
| man struck the fire fighter. But II die
not get away from him. He held the un
| conscious man through all the swayin,
| aud swinging 4of the ladder. Hastily de
| scending the fireman turned his burdei
over TO the police and returned to hi
post. The man who had saved the workman
| had disappeared. He had a chance 20 es
| cape, had he been brave enough 10 dasl
| through the smoke and flame. But II HI
aid not Immediately follow the fireman
| who bore away the man he had pickes
up on the fifth floor his charred remain
will be found In the ruins when the searcl
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