The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-06-13

those, not being able to help them
selves or others were the widest q
all in their. frantic efforts to brea]
through the bars.
The crowd in the street watchfn,
the desperate situation Of the me,
behind the screen was simply an ii
sane mob. They shouted all sorts q
J commands and directions at the me,
and gave orders to the firemen. VIII,
were doing all that men could to re-
through the bars from the outside. Al
the flames came steady toward the
men the people in the street jumped
up and down and screamed in. help
less rage. It seemed as though moth.
ing could be done and that all Of the
men would die within six inches OF
freedom. That any Of the men escap.
ed at all, is owing to the work Of w.
p. Davis of. Cedar Rapids, Ia, a pa
tient in the institution. He induced
the men to a their disconnected
pulling at the screen and to unite
their efforts. Four men at first took
hold Of the screen and in almost a
minute the crowd behind pushed them
away and before the four men could
get to the screen again they were COM
PEELED to fight with their fists. Davis
managed to get his men to the window
again and after a few desperate pulls
they managed to tear down a portion
OF the screen. Nerved to the work by
their success, the bodies Of the men
swayed back and forth as they put
all their strength into one last effort.
Finally the screen came down, but
the bars remained and they were
heavy, placed there for the purpose
of withstanding all the efforts OF in
sane men.
AS many as could place their hands
on the lower bar took hold. It bent
almost double and six men went to
the floor with a crash, holding on to
the iron bar which they had torn loose.
They were badly trampled on before
they could rise.
Another bar was soon torn away
and the path to safety was opened.
No Ladders Raised.
The men at the windows fought to
keep their places until the firemen
could raise ladders, and the men in
the rear, some of whom were already
being reached by the flames, fought
gain the window. The first man
through was DR.. c. Anderson Of Chi
cago. No ladders were in front Of the
window and Anderson's one hope was
to reach the platform of a fire es-
cape in front of the window Just
west of where he was. He hesitated
and then sprang for the fire escape
,lutching it and was safe. The next
man through the window vas G.. s.
lott of Laverge, Ill. Anderson was so
much exhausted that he was not able
20 drag Colt after him and Colt was
80 badly burned that he was not able
% make the leap himself. He crouchc-
I'd on the window sill while the men
IN the inside clamored for him to
Jump. Clinton Osborne, a real estate l
lealer of New York city, was the t
bird a He crawled out beside {
and told the men inside to grasp l
lis feet. This they did and telling i
lott to take hold of his wrists and
lrop over the window sill, Osborne, {
Ianging head downward swung Colt Il
o and fro until he had acquired suf-
+ciene momentum and then swung O
i'm up an on to the landing Of the
escape, where DIR. Anderson seiz- b
d and held him. b
Anderson and Colt then formed a t,
hahn, Colt holding to the fire escape c
nd Anderson, tightly held by Colt G
18th n hand, reached toward the &
'indow so that the men, one by one, II
they crawled through, were able tt
} take one step on a ledge and make
short leap to the platform of the fl
re escape, down which they made N
way to the ground. b,
twenty-five men made their escape fl,
this n
After the fire was over the police
VIM. Lanahan, the engineer;
ee Seymour. the fireman. of the
and j. P. Nagel. the inventor u
a gasoline plant in use in the base IN
ent Of the institution. There are no Oh
rect charges against them, but the Of
,lice have the idea that the fire may Tn
I've originated from mismanage- 81
ent of the gasoline plant. W
- TO
Coroner at Work. pc
Chicago. June lO.-Of the "a ner. w