Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1899-06-01
TALES OF PLUCK
IND ADVENTURE.

A Hero of the Windsor Hotel Fire.

YORK City, on March Il, there were
performed a number Of heroic deeds
as splendid as any ever done ID war.
All these can rot even be mentioned;
bne wha. was perhapst the very b-avest
'eci Of all should be recorded.
Edward Ford, a fireman Of ESten-
siol Truck No. 20, has the honor OF
Lavin5 been the last fireman to leave
the hotel. bringing down the last per
son rescued alive. The brave man
woald not talk for publication himself,
bat a co.arale who witnessed the res
enc told the story partly as he saw it,
aal partly n Ford's own words.
1t appears that Ford was going
home OF the elevated railroad, when
he saw the smoke of the fire. AT the
EIttietn ztreet station, he broke from
the train and rushed to the scene Of
the conharration. When lie arrived
the smoke was pouring out Of every VIM
dow, and the building apparently about
to fail. Il pushed my way through the
crowd" he said, and hal begun
work with the hose company, when
some one shouted that there was an
old woman in a room on the sixth
story on the Fifth avenue side. I
could not see any one at the window.
] saw one fireman up there. but he
was IN tac roon to the north Of where
the woman vas said to be, and he
could not see her, or know that she
was there. | determined to 60 up my
self. There was a scaling ladder
from the second floor up to the room
where the fireman was, and | took a
tnirty-tive-fcot ladder and placed it
inside the hotel railing, and started
up
Ii q few minutes he had reached
the to2, and found a comrade there
named Bill Clarke. The room was
fall q smoke, and the men could hear
the fire roaring and cracking outside.
Thinking to get into the next room by
mean Of the hall, Ford threw himself
against the hall door and forced it
open, but a storm Of flames and smoke
busrt into the room, almost suffOcatlnG
him. He tried to force the door
closed again, but the hinges were
broken, and it fell outward into the
flames. Then he tried the windows.
Il stood on tie stone Intel of the
window below he said, "and grasped
the woodwork with my left hand.
Then Preached for the next window,
bat it was too far of. | stood nv feet
firmly on the Intel on which [ was
standing and made a Jump for the
other one. Fortunately [ caught the
sill firmly, drew my body up, and
looked III. There was a woman on the
floor on her knees. AS [ sprang in she
turned and grasped me convulsively.
Save me, for Gods sake. she cried"
The brave fellow took her up and
dragged her to the window, calling to
Clarke for help. He grasped her
firmly around the waist and climbed
out on to the Intel of the window be-
low, holding himself close to the build
lug. Clarke was already outside of
the window, and tried to reach, but
the distance was too great. The
woman was afraid tia. she was going
10 fall, and kept praying and shrek
lng TO be saved, st the same time grasp
ing AZ everything within reach, and
| greatly hampering the movements OF
the men. at last SAID Ford, 81
shook her free from her hold On the
w~iDdow-slll. She then became un-
conscious, and was a dead weight on
my arm" All this time the fire was
eating on the woodwork Of the room
toward the window. and the part to
which Ford was holding began to
scorch. 81 shifted my hold" hes said,
for another on the top OF the sill
and bent nny head and shoulders be
low 70. get out Of the range Of tue
flames, which were already sweeping
o0t Of the window. ] called to Clarke
TO reacn over to me. IS [ could no.
hold any more. lie leaned as far rs
he cclll.hold on with his left hand
AMI reached oit with his right.
lifted the woman toward him with al
tae strength | had left, and he seize(
her aroand the waist. Clarke IS a big
powerful man, and succeeded iii get
ting her to the top Of the ladder.
Clarke then took the woman down It
NAC 5tNtGN1.h aLl Dlou1Ul HcA 10
drug store. She was found to be Mrs
C~noisholl. a gr2y-hairel lady of tif:,
O. sixty yeas. This was the last Yer
son taken from the building, and tire
CT four inmates later the walls fell IN
Helped Ont by a Fear.
Aaol3 although rather brutal stor.
e. a mans adventure with a bear. !
told IL the .Histcrv OF William
County, Ohio John Gillet lad mad
- his mind, FROM various signs, tina
taere was a nest OF te.r cabs some
where IN his nelchbornood. One day
when he was ont hunting for them. h
So I st. an. as his good luck ha
u, sat Gown to rest beside the YER
stump IL which the nest was hidden
hearing the cubs scratching inside
Re leaned the branch OF s tree aga!ls
tee stump, which was q verv tall one
climbed u, looked down into Il