Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-07-28


there. II happened to be over that
way on suicide and heard the walls,
you know. Somebody had to help,
or we'd had big story with dozen
roasted to death. Put in, Scared,
white faced looked out of the windows
each second, then disappearing back
in the smoke It was tough, tell
you. There was way to get to the
third story by the next house. You
could climb from one fire-escape to the
other and get in the window. Inside,
the flames was cutting the floor in
half. A man and woman and two
children in the frontroom were passed
out by the way the man came. Their
names we're"
"Keep them till afterwards"
'The thing to do was get to the
rear rooms, where there was more Of
'em. The mantle fellow that had
come up to save the whole crew-had
to get down and crawl along the floor
under the flames, and they licked his
back hair off and set his coat on fire.
But he got there. And he found two
men, three women and five kids
huddled in one corner, one woman and
two babies unconscious from smoke.
The others were getting air by breath
ing low down on the floor.
'sThe men had to be made to go
down the rear fire-escape with the
women and jump. This took time,
and the flames burst out of the rear,
cutting off that way out. So there
was the five kids. II think the man
said that he grabbed two and was
going to throw them ont to the old
people, but they had run away. So
he had to go front.
''He started to run for it; but he
was set fire to and had to lie down
and roll the flames out and crawl
again. The firemen had come, and
they caught the kids all right. The
firemen who caught 'em was Jerry
Sullivan, Truck Eleven, the first there,
and"
''Give us that later"
''The fellow inside sneaked back
the same way and got two more. The
tiremen had ladder up to take the
children. One was left. AS he went
back for that he seen the game was
up. He had to shake his coat, which
was burned, so he whacked it against
a wall till it was out, and wrapped the
last kid in it.
"Then came the fun. The flames
covered the back of the house and
coming in the window. House full of
smoke, floors hot, Railways ablaze,
solid, you know, 'hemmed in by fire,
babe in arms'-that's the feature of the
story! The stairways fell, the hall
floor curved, the whole building
shook. The fellow thought of a lot of
things, but they didn't have anything
to do with getting out of that hole.
There was an awful crash, and he just
sank in heap"
Itizg wiped his face. The perspira-
ton that had started to it dampened
his handkerchief.
"The next thing that man knew. he
was in drugstore, No. % Essex, and
the fire was out"
"But did he escape?" asked one of
the reporters. "Didn't he go down
with the walls when the crash came?"
s'No, that part OF the house didn't
fall, and you see, the firemen knew
him. When he didn't show up they
crossed the air-well from next door,
got through window and battered
down the door to the room where he
was.
'They found him asleep and-a
feature of the story is they couldn't
get the kid out Of his arms to save the
two separately. They had to carry
them out together.
The reporters laughed at Itzig.
"Whats the hero's name?" asked
one
"Oh, he wasn't hero. He wouldn't
have done it if he hadn't started to,
being there first. Besides, he didn't
save the last child, you see, but had
to be rescued himself"
"Did you interview him?" queried
Chapman, who was writing the story.
Il "No, not much; he wasn't able to
talk
"Not even tostell his name?"
"He didn't want to, said Itzig.
.'But the firemen, you said, knew
him." 10
"Yes-not very well-only his first
name. J."
"What was that?'
'T-well, I didn't think to ask"
Didn't think to ask! Didn't
think to get the most important point
in the whole story! Are you losing
your mind?" cried Chapman in amaze
ment.
But one of the other men was Of
quicker perception. "Was his name
Isaac?" he asked.
Itzig flushed.
''Itzig," said reporter who had
gone behind him, "your hair is all
burned off and your neck is blistered.
eyes, and you've got on your Sun
day coat" cried another.
"Oh, get out!" said Itzig. "It's SO