The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1900-11-21
in IMMINENT PERIL.
Clings to the Narrow Ledge Of
Roof 354 Feet High.

Chicago, Ill.,, Nov. 17-Clinging to a
| narrow ledge 3 feet wide, just below the
nineteenth floor of the Masonic temple
H. c.. Marks passed through sixteen
hours Of narrowing torture before his sig
nails attracted the attention of people in
the street 800 feet below and enabled
the employees of the building to extricate
him from his perilous position by means
of rope,
Marks, through some accident which
he was too unnerved to explain when he
was rescued, fell from the roof of the
Masonic temple down the steep slide of
the southwestern gable at about
o'clock Thursday afternoon, and man
aged to save himself from pitching into
State street a distance of nineteen sto-
ries, by clinging to the gutter. The
man remained there all Thursday night,
and it was after IL o'clock yesterday
when the janitors of the building sue
ceeded in getting him into the building
again.
Marks. who is about so years old and
lives in Englewood, went to the Masonic
temple early Thursday afternoon. He
purchased a ticket emitting him to go
upon the tower and it was just little
after o'clock that the man went up.
When one of the janitOrs went up to
the observatory at about 6 o'clock Thurs
day night he saw no one, and, supposing
that every one had gone, locked the door
leading to the tower, and went home.
Mr.. Marks said yesterday that he
wandered about the inclosure for short
time, inspected the huge time ball, and
then he was seized with the desire to
climb over the railing and look down into
the street from the edge of the roof. The
rail is only four feet high, and surrounds
the platform, which is just below the
flagstaff. Mr.. Marks said he remem-
bered going TO the edge of the roof and
looking over into the street, but beyond
that he could tell nothing. He said that
he must have become dizzy at that time,
and had become unconscious when he fell.
Mr.. Marks could not remember much
of his experience through the long night.
Part of the time he was unconscious and
part of the time he slept. When he
awoke it was about 9 o'clock in the
morning, and he realized his position.
There is stone facing which extends
down the apex of the gable. and by
drawing himself back into the angle
which the steep roof makes with the
front of the building, Mr.. Marks man
aged to shield himself little from the
cold blasts of wind.
by crawling along the gutter he could
have reached the ladder which extends
up the side of the roof to window in
the nineteenth story, but he had been ex-
posed for so long that he was numb and
dared not make the attempt. Casting
about for some eXpedient to attract at
tention,. he found lath lying in the gut
ter, and to this he affixed a piece of pa
per. Then with his improvised flag he
began to make signals to the people pass
ing in the street below.
Shortly after II o'clock man visited
the office of the building and told Man
ager Williams that he believed there was
someone on the edge of the roof who
was unable to get down. Mr.. Williams
hastily called Henry Glazier, one of the
janitors, and, going to the window in the
nineteenth story, looked down and saw
Mr.. Marks lying there Glazer climbed
down the ladder to the coping. and upon
finding, that Marks was helpless, ex.
planned the situation to Mr. Williams.
A rope was lowered down through the
window, and GlaZier took several turns
with it about the body of Marks. Archie
Mcclellan, Lawrence Rice and James
Campbell, three employees of the building.
had hold of the other end, but Mr. Marks
climbed up the ladder and entered
through the window.