Worcester morning daily spy. (Worcester, Mass.) 1888-1898, 1898-02-18

leaned against the building aud thus
pressed the fire out. All this time Dir.
0ffner was working his way to The
other end of the building with equal
success The display Of nerve on the
part of each was remarkable and
brought forth shouts of the crowd in
the street.
When each had gone as far along the
front of the building as they could
the apparatus began to gather, Among
the first to arrive were the three pieces
from headquarters Ladder ] was the
last of the three, and before they pulled
UP in front of the now well illuminated
building there was a loud call fQ2 lad
ders. 1t seemed an age before ladder
could be pulled from the truck, and even
before it was done the apparatus from
Portland street was on the scent 'v
William H. Guertin Of the Ps' e.
snatched the life net fro re PA
wagon, and with crow n5 The pat
fall or IT i fG Gp''a The rS add 4 aho,
quarters truck was now ar IN IN The hea
the firemen attempted To ne ne curb al
Offner. Everybody wai :, atafI t se lt to-
in consequence it requ,h w gliraI ~ assist
length of time to put Il '"O Me twice. d
under ordinary condition e uueP z
Mr.. Offner, with an ey, M to
of his wife, was watchinsWm ~ ene ~
TORS to prevent injury to / ief mn
he saw the life-net spread aTEkT !; T1TJ
by more than a score hand u ufHSp@Y
to her to jump, believing it va
thing for her to do under the clV NJ
stances. Two electric wires eriT.Eng
the store of George ID. Fairbanli ,JMere
between her and the net, and fearing
she would be -hjured by contact with
these, she held to her fperilous position
and awaited the raising of a ladder
After what seemed IN age to the ex-
cited and thoroughly wrought up crowd,
a Bangor ladder from Ladder was
brought across the street from the
truck. Again everybody wanted to as
slst, and such a mess of raising a lad
der has never been seen in this city.
1t appeared for a time as though the
trained fremen would be unable to get
the ladder up owing to outside interior
ence, but after two attempts the ladder
slowly went towards Mrs Offner and
was placed just at her feet. Before the
ladder was settled Lieut.. Jones of Truck
3 had started up the rounds closely f.ll-
lowed by Police Officer John Dunn. TIE
lieutenant grasped the woman about the
waist while the officer supported her
lower limbs and they slowly made their
way to the street.
The husband of the pltIclky woman
had reached the street some minutes be-
fore by another ladder, but refused to
stir until he could receive his wife. Clad
only in night shirt, he stood barefoot
on the snow covered ground and shiv-
cred, all the time calling to his wife.
When she was finally celeased by her
reseuers an overcoat from one of the
crowd was thrown about her, and she
and Mr.. Offner We're BUSTED into the
hack OF F. L. Jones and hurriedly driv-
en- to- the Bay State House.
There Officers Foley and Andrew
Harper assisted in carrying the couple
into the hotel. They were taken to
room Is, and placed in bed. Both had
borne up remarkably under the strain.
and even after they were safe in the
Motel Mr.. Offner was still self possessed
Proprietor Douglass and his employ
ees DID everything possible for the un-
people. and one of the ladies
OF the hotel at the request of Mrs Off
ner, sat with her. A messenger was
dispatched to DR. Thomas A. OCalla-
CHAN to care for Mrs. Offner, whom It
was feared had breathed considerable
smoke and was on the verge OF nervous
prostration.
She had besides sustained many cuts
about the body from breaking glass.
Mr.. Offner, too, it was believed, had in
hailed considerable smoke, and he also
was cut about the feet by the glass
A spy man was with the manager
and his wife when they We're taken to
the hotel, and when they We're safely in
bed, and had partaken of stimulants
they related the occurrences as far as
they knew them. Mrs. Offner said she
was awake at 2.30 o'clock. as she knew
by the city hall clock
At that time there was nothing the
trouble, so far as she was aware She
dozed off to sleep, but evidently did not
get sound asleep, for about 20 minutes
later She was awakened by the smell
OF smoke. Undoubtedly the manager
and his wife owe their lives to Mrs or
ners awaling at the time she did
As soon as they got out of bed Mr.
oHner made his way through the sitting
CONTINUED on Third Parel