The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-22

II II II u
many in which the firemen and the
crowd did everything in their power TO
save life. When IL was supposed that
all the female help had escaped, the
face of a woman appeared suddenly at
one of the windows on the second floor.
1t was the face Of Miss Kate Crane. who
roomed with another young woman on
that floor. To her agonized appeals for
help, Gus Hess. an ex-firernan. respond
ed. No ladder was near and the fire
was approaching dangerously close to
the girl jump shouted Hess. and he
braced himself to catch her. The girl
jumped and was caught by Hess and
only sustained a slight sprain OF one
limb. The young woman's roommate
escaped by the fire escape at the rear
There were many other instances IN
which cool headedness and good tudg-
ment saved lives or grievous injury
notably the rescue Of old man Wilson.
the conduct Of Mike Judge and the
good work done by the firemen and po-
lice and many volunteers.
Chief Flannery was tackled by a mad
man while going along the hall on the
upper floor and IL became necessary 10
throw the man down and hofi him until
he could be brought to his senses. He
was then driven to "A fire escape and
reached the ground i'm safety.
Nearly everyone in the building lost
their all and only escaped with little
or nothing at all on their persons. t.
]. Callahan had no time to dress. but
ran for fire escape in the rear. As
he reached the ground a bundle OF
clothes lay there that had been thrown
from n window. Grabbing them. he
ran for the Southern hotel dryroom.
and dressed himself in someone else's
clothes. Police Officer Dougherty was
sleeping in the building. He got out
with his coonskin overcoat and slippers
on. and lost 800 in money and $3.50
worth of diamonds. The police received
many kilograms during the day. and
last evening inquiry after friends and
relatives employed in the mines. and
who were supposed to be living at the
Hale house.
The Sisters and physicians at St
James hospital did a splendid service
to the injured. The whole CORDS OF
physicians were out as soon as IL was
known the fire would prove disaster.
and they and the Sisters were on duty
the rest of the night and yesterday.
giving their attention.
| The Alarm.
The fire broke out at $500. "Boxey
| Dooley. the night clerk. had occasion 10
go to the basement and found tnat ~
! was filled with sitting smoke He
| rushed back up the stairs and cried 10
/ the bartender. Jack White.
For Gods sake. turn in an alarm;
| the house is on fire.,
! White started out to do this and
| Dooley ran up stairs and through the
' halls on each floor yelling at the top
/ of his lungs.
Fire. ire, Fire. The house is on
fire! Fire. Fire. Fire, Get out at
once. There is no time TO lose.
Rapidly of the Flames.
With such Incredible rapidity did the
fire grow that scarcely had Dooley COM
pleted his tour of the halls when the
flames had reached the main fioor and
were climbing up to the second s'ory
! while the sitting smoke filied the en-
tire building. The alarm had been
! turned i'm from box "a. which is directly
! opposite the Hale house, and then
| came an alarm from box So and one
| from IL All were for the same fire.
seen from dinerent points 1t seemed
to the men imprisoned in the Hale
| house an agonizing age before the fire
department arrived. The fire grew 50
! fast that while the majority OF the in
mates got out. scores. before tney couii
leave their rooms. found egress cut on
by the advancing flames. Most OF
! those who escaped were only partially
| clothed and very few even attempted
to save any of their effects.
The work of Rescue.
When the firemen arrived fully SO men
! were still in the upper stories OF the
doomed building. The scene was fright
full! Faces appeared at many OF the
| windows. and now and then someone.
despairing of rescue. would jump 10
the ground. The crowd outside seemed
| paralyzed with the suddenness OF the
| awful calamity and knew not what TO
do. Some would cry,
Jump. Jump
| ~.
where they were.
The firemen paid no attention To ex-
| tinguishing the fames az nrst, but
| Chef Flannery ordered his men 10
concentrate their efforts at saving lives.
Two ladders. the 20-fcot ladder and the
0-foot ladder. were raised to the sec
ond story window and left there fer the
men to descend to the ground. The
extension ladder was then placed up 10
the third story and moved from window
to window to permit occupants OF the
rooms 10 save themselves.
The difficulty was that the building
was Sc filed with smoke the miners
could not find their way to the places
where the ladders were in all cases
Men kept jumping out although II Is
probable that all would have been
saved had they waited The firemen
piloted 35 men dcwn the ladders and
% went down by themselves. The last
man taken out declared that there WAS
another up in the hall OF the third
! story close to where he had been Chief
Flannery thereupon went back up into
the building and groped his way
through the hall from one end to the
other, but could find no one-
Jumpir From Windows
In the northwest corner OF the third
floor several men had gathered When
| Assistant Fire Chief Peter sawyer
| reached there. several were on the
| point of jumping.
Don't jump. I'll get you all out!''
said Sawyer.
But three of the men jumped In spite
| OF him and received broken bones- Th<
! others in the room were all taken oowr
the ladder safely.
: The two last men taken out wers