Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-08-07
PIPHAAN PAT EGAN.
rY WILLIAM PRESCOTT CORNELL.

cold weather. The temperature hov-
cred between three and five degrees
| below SerO. The hour was 6 O'clock
and thousands OF clerks ana business
and professional men and women were
hurrying through the chilling blasts
| 10 the warmth OF their firesides
These who happened in the vicinity
Of Washington and Dearborn streets
wesa suddenly startled by the cry of
! fire" The three upper floors of the
( Mason block were in Il blaze, and be-
/ fore the alarm was turned in the
flames were fast mounting to the
roof, while burning brands dropping
down the elevator shafts in the rear
were kindling new fires on the lower
hoorg.
Three blocks to the south was en-
gine 3s house. The men were scat
tered around thsir quarters, some
( playing checkers around the warm
stove, while others We're preparing
/ for an early bedtime.
Ding, ding, ding-ding, ding, sound
! ed the Joker" bell for box 32. Mar
shal Horan, whose headquarters were
in the same house, took the location
from the running card. washington
and Dearborn" he yelled as the horses,
| released automatically from their fas-
! tening, came running to their places.
Pipeman Pat Egan was one of those
| preparing to retire for the night. He
came down the brass pole with a rush,
! did his share of the hitching and
| Tipped the tail end Of the hose cart as
| it rolled swiftly out in the freezing air.
| The flames could be seen mounting
| high above the roofs of the surround
| ing blocks. Egan hadn't time even to
don his helmet len the corner was
/ reached.
From the west there came with
noisy rattle and changing gong the
ponderous apparatus of Truck 6, stop
ping abruptly, with brakes hard set,
directly in front of the burning build
ing.
A cry of horror from the crowd al
ready assembled caused Pipeman Pat
Egan, among others, to look upward.
A window on the fifth foor was raised
and man stepped out on the sill. He
| felt his way cautiously over the mar
! lON, u GdClIGIouo ltolllS W lut llcAJ
window on the west, and SO on until
he reached the adjoining building.
Then he broke window and disap-
peared through it to safety.
Scarcely had he performed this feat
when young girl appeared at the
raised window. The knowledge that
/ her only safety lay in the same method
of escape and the fact that the fire
was raging fiercely behind her, un-
nerved her. She sat down on the mar
row stone sill, while the ruddy glare
of the flames above, now bursting from
every window, revealed a white,
frightened face glancing appealingly
from the dizzy height for help.
Already Truck 6s men were raising
their aerial ladder as fast as the wind
lass would turn. 1t was Pipeman
ESap's duty to lead out the hose with
the men of his company. But he saw
another duty before him, and the eX-
tension had not been run out to its
height when he was half way up the
ladder, mounting the slippery rungs
with the agility of squirrel. Close
behind him was Marshal Horan.
Pipeman Egan reached the top
rung To his dismay he found that
the imperilled girl was seven feet
| above him. A hoarse groan of an
| guish rising to his ears, above the
| roar of flames overhead and the din of
battle below, conveyed to him the
fact that the crowd below had dis
covered the new peril of both.
stay where you are little girl"
he gasped through the thick smoke
which almost enveloped him. Don't
jump till l tell you. I'll save you
| somehow"
He made sweeping motion with
! his right hand. Truck G's men under
stood the signal. couple Of turns
of the windlass and the frail top of
tn. ladder swung out two feet from
the wall. Then Egan stepped to the
topmost rung and placed his hands
against the hot brick wall for support.
The smoke nearly choked him.
Small fakes of stone Clipped off the
| sills by the intense heat above him,
fell in showers upon his barred head,
innicting tiny cuts from which the
| blood trickled slowly. One piece
larger than the rest cut a deep cash in
his head and the blood almost blinded
| him. He brushed it away with one
hand and st2adied himself again.
Flames now appeared in the window
behind the half conscious girl. Her
dress had begun to blaze.
"Jump toward me-" he said hoarse-
| ly, and with wild, agonizing scream,
the girl launched herself from the
window. She fell squarely in those
arms and sircws Of oak braced against
the hot wall. which was blistering
Egan's hands.