Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-05-06

HEROIC I;ESCUE DY MEANS OF A SCALING
LADDER.
stone is left upon another. The question
of what to do in case of fire is brought
home TO every person.
Suppose you are guest in a hotel and
you are awakened suddenly by the cry of
fire. The first thing hotel guest should
DO on entering his room is to locate the
nearest outside fire escape. After that he
should familiarizc himself with the loca-
ti0Z OF the hall windows and discover their
relation to the roof of the adjoining build
ings. He should next learn the position
of the stairs and their top and bottom
landings. The top landing particularly
he should know all about. as well as the
method of cgreSs to tie roof All this in
formation the guest Gan acquire in ten
minutes or less After making these in
vcstigations, should n fire break out, he
knows his relative location and his vari-
Gus avenues Of escape.
Here are some rules which are good toGe-
member, and some day or night they might
save your life: Should the cry of fire be
given and volumes of smoke fill the corri-
dors and the room, the thing above all
others to do is to keep cool. Keep cool,
keep cool, keep cool, no matter how seri
Gus the fire seems is good advice.
When smoke clogs the corridors, follow
these instructions:
1. Keep the door and transom of the
room shut.
2. Open the windows from tho top.
g. Wet towel ard stuff it in the mouth
Breathe through it instead of through the
nose. 1t will keep the smoke, cinders
and fire from the lungs and its moisture
will have il reyivifying effect
4. Stand at the window and get the
benefit of the outside air.
5. Should there be a rope fire escape,
use it only when you deem it necessary
for your safety. If it is secured, as many
of them are, merely by an iron hook, twist
it several times around some solid article
in the room. Then begin your descent
1t is a dangerous experiment at best, and
there is only one safe way of doing it.
That way is this: Protect the hands by
covering them with towels or anything of
like nature. Grasp the rope firmly by
both hands, twist it once around the right
leg then, placing it between the feet, keep
them firmly together, and in that position
slide down the rope as slowly as possible.
a woman should go down the rope in the
same way. In the average case her clothes
will permit her to make an easier descent
Than q man.
6. If possible, never let woman or
child descend on rope alone The hus-
band should secure the rope under his
wife's arms, place some article of furni-
ture higher than the window sill near
the window, and then let the woman de-
scend by paying out the rope gradually.
If the child is small, it is well to tie it
with bedclothing @ the breast or back of
the person going down the rope.
T. Never jump unless the blaze is scorch-
ing and not then if the firemen with their
scaling ladders are coming up the build
ing or are near.
s. Never go TO the roof unless as a last
recourse, when you know that there is no
escape from it to adjoining buildings. In
the big buildings fire always climbs to the
top.
g. If caught in u corridor or a room.
always keep crouched to the floor and
keep close to. the wa.l. Keep as low ss
possible Fire and spsose ascep%
10. If jump must be made through
fame within building TO the lower floor,
Judge the distance as carefully as possible,
throw blanket or covering over the head
and make the leap. Then remove the COW
ering, breathe but little and carefully, and
work gradually along the corridor until
safety is reached.
Another thing not to forget is when the
men in blue are in sight, don't jump.
They'll climb walls and go through smoke
ana fire. Their mission is to save life,
and they'd rather die themselves than
fail in their duty If by any possibility
they can't reach window or n roof,
IL.
be ready to receive the jumper.
In private houses, if care is exercised,
the danger of fire can be very greatly less