The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-03-17
A FIRE CAPTAINS HERosM.


His Heroic EnOrts In saving Life
Jacob A. Riis contributes to The
Century an article on Heroes Who
Fight Fire" in the series on Heroes
of Peace" Mr.. Riis says:
In the chiefs quarters of the
Fourteenth bettalion up in Wake
field there sits today q man, still
young in years, who In his MANNED
body but unbroken spirit bears such
testimony to the quality Of New
York fire fighters as the brave Bres-
nan and his comrade did in their
death. Thomas j. Ahearn led his
company as captain to fire in the
Consolidated Gas works on the east
side He found one of the buildings
ablazeL Far toward the rear, at the
end of a narrow lane, around which
the fire swirled and arched itself,
white and wicked, lay the body of
man, dead, said the panic stricken
crowd. His sufferings had been
brief A worse fate threatened all
unless the fire was quickly put out
There were underground reservoirs
of naphtha-the ground was honey
combed with them-that might ex-
plode at any moment with the fire
raging overhead The peril was in
slant and great Captain Ahearn
looked at the body and saw il stir
The watch chain upon the map 8
vest rose and fell as if he were
breathing.
He is not dead, /" he said. II am
going to get that man out" And
he crept down the lane of fire, un-
mindful of the hidden dangers, see
ing only the man who was perish
ing. The flames scorched him. They
blocked his way, but he came
through alive and brought out his
man, so badly hurt, however, that
he died in the hospital that day.
The board of fire commissioners
Z gave Ahearn the medal for bravery
and made him chief Within a year
he all but lost his life in a gallant
attempt to save the life of child
that was supposed to be penned in a
burning Rivington street tenement
Chief Ahearn's quarters were near
by, and he was first on the ground.
A desperate man confronted him in
the hallway. My child My childr'
be cried and wrung his hands. Save
himl He is in thereF He pointed
to the back room. 1t was black
with smoke. In the front room the
fire was raging. Crawling on hands
and feet. the chief made his way in
20 the room the man had pointed
out He CROPPED under the bed and
in it, but found no child there. Sat
isfied that it had escaped, he started
to return. The smoke had grown
so thick that breathing was no Ion
ger possible even at the floor. The
chief drew his coat over his head
and made a dash for the nall door.
He reached it, only to find that the
spring lock had snapped shut. The
doorknob burned his hand. The fire
burst through from the front room
and scared his face. With q last
effort he kicked the lower panel on,
of the door and put his head through,
and then he knew no more.
His men found him lying 30 wheI
they came looking for him. The
coat was burned of his back, and oi
his hat only the wire rim remained
He lay ten months in the hospital
and came out deaf and wrecked
physically. AT the age of IS the
} board retired him to the quiet of the
, country district, with this forma
resolution, that did the board more
credit than il could do him; IL IL
} the only one of its kind upon the
department books:
Resolved, That in assigning Bat
) TALON Chief Thomas j. Ahearn h
| command the Fourteenth battalion
/ in the newly annexed district, th'
! board deems il proper to express tn
sense of obligation felt by the boarC
D and all good citizens for the bril-
' liant and meritorious services o
D Chief Ahearn in the discharge o
> duty which will always serve as Al
I example and an inspiration 70 oul
= uniformed force and to express tn
0 hope that his future years of servic
: at a less arduous post may be a
s comfortable and pleasant as hi
: former years have been brilliant an
' honorable"
The scent oT R10wsrs-