Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1901-08-01
EVERYDAY HEROES.
Fremen in Great Cities, Whose Life
Is Always In Danqer.


Is Always in Danger.
In ST. Nicholas Cleveland Moffett
takes up The Firemen. en- all its
history" he says, 81 suppose the world
has seen no heroes like these, who
join the skill of gladiators with the
valor of crusaders. Does that sound
like exaggeration? 1 should call it
rather understatement.
AS Illustrating the things firemen
do every day, and do gladly, he gives
some incidents of one particular fire
that happened in New York on st.
Patrick's Day, 1899. 1t was pleasant
afternoon, and Fifth Avenue was
crowded with people garthered to
watch the parade. A gayer, pleas
anter scene it would have been hard
to find at three o'clock, or a sadder
one at four.
The Ancient Order of Hibernians,
coming along with bands and banners,
were nearing Forty-sixth street, when
suddenly there sounded hoarse shouts
and the angry clang of fire-gongs, and
IOh44 VI -0CSOAd StlCCI SoAlO lOON
and ladder 4 on dead run, and swung
into Fifth avenue straight at the
pompous paraders, who Immediately
became badly scared lrishmen and
took to their heels But the big
ladders went no father. Here they
were needed, oh, so badly needed; for
the Windsor hotel, at Fifth avenue
and Forty-seyenth street. 1t was on
ire, aud far gone with fire 1.-THE thing
seems incredible), before ever the
engines were called; and that every
body supposed that of course some
body had sent the alarm. And so they
all watched the fire, and waited for the
) engines, ten minutes, fifteen minutes,
and by that time great column OF
flame was roaring up the elevator
shaft, and people on the roof, in their
madness, were jumping down to the
street. Then some sane citizen went
to q fire-box and rang the call, and
aMithin ninety seconds engine 65 was
on the ground. And after her came
engines 81 and 81. and then the hook
and-ladder companies. But there was
no making up that lost fifteen minutes.
The fire had things il its teeth now,
and three, four. five alarms went out
in quick succession. Twenty-three
engines had their streams On that fire
in almost as many minutes And the
20 fire-tower came from Thirty-sixth
rect and ninth avenue. and six hook
Aand-ladder companies arrived.
Let us see how hook and ladder Il
came. She was the mate of the fire
tower, and the rush of her galloping
horses was echoing up the avenue
lust at Battalion Chief John Binns
made out woman in seventh-story
window on the Forty-sixth street side,
where the fire was raging fercely.
The woman was holding little dog
in her arms, and it looked as II she
was going to jump. The chief waved
to her to stay where she was, and
running toward the truck, motioned 1t
into Forty-sixth street. Whereupon
the tiller-man at his back wheel did a
pretty piece of steering, and even as
L0Hy pluuSCU dAOA5f eAN SA~'
hosting the big ladder. Such thing
is never done. for the truck might up
Yset with the swaying; but every
second counted here. and they took
the chance
AS they drew along the curb, Fire
man McDermott sprang up the slowly
raising ladder. and two men came
behind with scaling-ladders, for they
saw that the main ladder would never
reach the woman. Five stories Is
what it did reach, and then Nc
1Derrott. standing on the top rcr7f
a mashed one Of the scaling-laclsr'
through a sixth-story window, alc
climbed on, smashing the seconc
scaling-ladder through seventh-story
window, and five seconds later hat
the woman in his arms.
To carry a woman down the front o.