The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-17

ANACONDA, MONTAN
stampede began for the stairways and !
elevators. To add to the panic the |
men in charge of the elevators ran
their cars up to the top of the build
ing, shouting Fire at every floor.
Brave Elevator Boys.
When they reached the top both ele-
vators took in a load of frightened
women and started for the bottom
The front elevator was in charge OF
Harry Gleason, boy, and the rear one
was handled by William st. John, a
young man. Both of these kept their
heads, showed much GOODNESS and
bravery, and were instrumental in saw
ing many lives. The elevator in the
front of the building was deliberate
affair." in good order but not calculated
to make such speed in such an emerg-
ency as confronted it to-day. Gleason
made one trip to the seventh floor.
carried down a load of women, and al
though the smoke was rolling through
the building in dense clouds. he started
up again. At the fourth floor he
stopped to take on a crowd OF girls
from the rooms of the National Music
company, being assisted in his work by
Miss Katherine Carney, the fore
woman. A man attempted to force his
way into the elevator, but Gleason
showed him back into the hall that the
women might have the first chance
| The man never came out. After reach
| ing the bottom with his load of girls,
| Gleason was about to start up again,
when the supports of the elevator ma
| chinery a. the top of the shaft caught
| fire, and seeing that they would give
way before his slow elevator could
make another trip, Gleason gave
| it 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 part of the building before it at
| tackled the front. In less than 10 mini
/ utes after the explosion all escape of
the inmates by the stairs and the ele-
| vators was cut off. There remained
| only the windows and the single fire
| escape narrow iron thing not over
| IS inches side to side. This was quickly
! covered with a throng of people. some
| on one side, some on the other. AS they
scrambled down in frantic haste they
| trod on one anothers' fingers and prog
ress was slow and difficult for them all.
Many of those who could not reach the
fire escape made their way to the front
| windows. and it was out of these that
| Clark. Smith and Binz hurled them
| selves to death.
Leaping to Their Death.
Clark was booklSeeper for the Olmstead
Scientific company. on the sixth floor,
and remained to put the books in the
safe He might have escaped had he
run on the fire alarm. He was first seen
at one of the seventh story windows and
a few minutes afterwards showed him.
self in a window of the sixth floor. The
fire was close upon him; the floors and
walls behind him We're crashing down
and it was certain death to remain
where he was. There was no possibility
of help and he took his only chance.
Three minutes later he was dead on the
pavement below. Miles A. Smith, a
salesman for the Olmstead Scientific
company, also leaped from window in
the sixth floor. He hesltated some time
before taking the leap, but like Clark
! understood that ii was his only hope.
He was instantly killed, his body being
horribly mangled.
1 Edward Binz, the cashier of Sweet,
Wallach & Co., on the sixth floor, fell a
victim to his desire to save others and to
protect his books from harm. He, upon
hearing the alarm, ran to the rear of
the store to warn the employees to run
for their lives. He then rushed back to
his desk, gathered up his books and
jammed them into the vault. Then he
started for the stairway. but the flames
were ahead of him, and he turned back
There was nothing but the window and
TO tn1S ne went. upon ltlt
sill and stood there in view of the crowd
below. Clark and Smith had already
bedaubed the pavement with their life
blood, and the crowd knew there was nc
more chance for BinZ than for them
They watched him in silent horror as he
stood celebrating. The building was q
roaring mass of flames and BinZs face
and hands were badly burned before he
jumped. He pondered the matter but &
few seconds then his form shot down
ward through cloud of flames anc
smoke and in the drawing of a breath
he was as lifeless as the stones ovel
which his blood and brains We're spat
tered.
, A Deed of Herosm.
One fireman distinguished himself by
a daring rescue. He was up on a lad
der close 10 the building when he heard
{ a cry ringing out above the roar of the
| flames. He steadied himself on the lad
der and peered into the dense smoke
Just then a gust of wind cleared the
, scene. The fireman saw man in q
t window of the fifth story on the sixth
| floor carrying an inanmate form. Tha
| the man was about to throw the un
: conscious human being into the stree
. in the vain hope of saving the man from
/ a death by roasting was evident. Tht
J. fire was roaring so that no voice coulC
e be heard. Putting up his hands as
i signal to wait until he got ready, tn
Y fireman again braced himself upon th'
|. ladder and reached out his arms TO
: the rescuer to drop the unconsciou
e man to him. With a shock that nearl.
2 knocked the heroic fireman from nj
r position upon the ladder, the body o
q the man struck the fire fighter. But
4 did not get away from him. He helt
: the unconscious man through all tn
: swaying and swinging of the ladder
Los lv descending tha
4 his unconscious burden over TO tn
: police and returned to his post. Tn
man who had saved the unconsciou
. workman had disappeared He had
: chance to escape had he been brav
r. enough to dash through the smoke an
: flame; but if he did not immediatel,
= follow the fireman who bore away tn