The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-08-20
FIRE ESCAPES,
w orcester's Fire De-
partment Is Well
Equipped.
BUT FEW SM-SCRApERS.
Experience Of the Police
man After a
Drink.
BUT FEW SKY-SCRApERS.

First of all things a man values his
life above everything else on EARTH
and naturally the inventive genius of
mankind is turned toward saving life
in case of emergency.
! Nothing offers a better field for this
than means of escaping from build
ing in case of fire.
With the rapid strides which modern
progress is making, man can now
very easily get as much income from
100 square feet of land as an old-t timer
could from owning an acre, but to do
so it requires the erection of an up-to-
date slY-scraper and naturally enough,
W hen a building seems to form a sup
port for part of the sky, it is neces-
sary to devise method of getting oc-
cupants out of the building quickly
and safely in case of fire
The modern so-called fire-proof build
ing has proven to be as bad a place
for man as the old-time wooden
building was in case of fire. The heat
has always been as excessive when
an iron building gets on fire as it was
when an old-time wooden building
got going, and for person
caught on the top floor, the chances are
less than even for him to get out with
out dropping a goodly number of feet.
with chance of landing on a brick
sidewalk or something equally as hard.
Worcester possesses but few
sky-scrapers, although there are a
number of buildings where it is neces-
sary for means of quick exit to be
used, and In more than one case the in
genuity for which New Englanders are
noted can be found in this city in fire
escapes.
The most approved method of get
ting out of a building is by the much
used iron fire escape bolted on to the
outside of building, and Worcester
not only has large number of build
ings equipped with these escapes, but
has concern engaged solely in the
manufacture of them.
The Worcester fire department is
equipped with the most improved and
quickest methods of getting persons out
OF burning building. Almost every
nose wagon carries a life net, and in
addition, the department has a mum
Der of canvas escapes which can be
thrown up into building by an air
gun.
A rope is attached to a. dart and is
thrown up towards a building, aimed SO
as to strike near a window, wherever
person may be seen, and as soon as
they have managed to get hold of it. a
canvas chute can be drawn up. The
descent can be made in perfect safety
and with experiments made in other
cities, 1t has proved success.
1t has never been used in Worcester
and for number of years the only al
IeInpt ever made to use the life net was
at the Bijou fire on Front street. The
ilremen spread the net with the inten-
tlon or having Mrs. Jules Offner iumu
into 1t, but she decided to wait until
ladder was hoisted, which was done
eventually and she was taken down.
| Inc hotels in the city have at differ
ent times been equipped with a rome
escape which can be used with a mo-
ments notice, but in many cases this
method of getting out of a burnina
building has proved to be useless.
| One hotel at the present time 1,
equipped with the rope escape, but the
| proprietor in conversation with a Sny
man said he doubted if a guest would
think of using it in case of fire. 1t re.
quires a person with a cool head t.
| operate it and in nine cases out of ten
When hire is In progress, persons lose
their heads entirely and can only seen
| 70 fnd relief when a ladder is hoiste6
| to them.
AT one time Worcester offered a good
neld FOR man in seach Of various kinds
or fire escapes, but with the onward
march Of progress the old timers have
disappeared one by one.
The rigid examination made by build.
ing inspectors and firemen make II
necessary for good construction to bs
| observed in building and with the cree.
tlon OF every new building a death knel
is sounded for quasi-fire escapes.
Rope fire escapes have been tried If
! worcester in a number of places. es.
! peeially in hotels, and in a round made
| by a Spy man he could find but one
instance where a rope escape was useC
| with good results-for the person usine
| it.
In this particular case the escape was
utilized by policeman. He dropped
into the hotel when no one was lookins
and after making sure the sergeant was
talking police politics at the other enc
of the city.
He sat down to one of the tables and
after removing his hat, coat and bill.
lie, ordered an ice cold bottle of goot
feeling. He had the first and was about
to start on the second when the pro.
/ prietor walked in and invited him to fl
his pockets with cigars. OF course the
| policeman accepted the invitation ant
dreamed Of having his sleeves adorned
with three gold cheverons some day
when he heard footsteps approaching
through the corridor.
Naturally he peeped through the door
and beheld the sergeant coming dowr
the corridor with the proprietor. He al.