The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-06-13

from the outside. As the flames came
steadily toward the men, the people in
the street jumped UP and down am
screamed in helpless rage. 1t seemed
as though nothing could he done an
that all Of the men would die within six
inches Of freedom.
That H. of the men escaped at al is
owing to the work OF W. z. Davis. OF
Cedar Rapids. Colo, a patient In the in
stitution. He induced the men to cease
their disconnected pulling at the screen
and to unite their efforts. Four men
took hold of the screen. and after a few
desperate pulls managed to tear down
a portion of II. Nerved to the work by
their success the bodies of men Swayed
back and forth as they put all of their
strength into one lost effort. Finally
down IL came. the men in thei despera-
ton pulling with ii large pieces Of the
mortar in which it's sides la been in
cased.
The screen as gone Tut the bars re-
NAMED. AS many as could place their
hands on the lower bar took hoid. 1t
bent almost double and six men went
70 the floor with a crash, holding on TO
the iron bar which the had torn from
It's fastening. So quickly did the men
behind them spring to grasp the second
bar that those who had torn down the
first, We're badly trampled on before
they could rise. Another bar was soon
torn awav n the path to safety was
opened.
The first man through was DR.. c. a.
Anderson, OF Chicago. No ladders We're
IN front of the window, and Anderson's
one hop was to reach the platform OF
Il fire escape in front of a window just
west of where he was. He hesItated for
an instant then sprang for the fire es-
cape, clutched it, and was saved. h
---A $1,000 I-4v,L H. rnfn6nu- y-nC -
S. Colt, OF Lavergne, Ill. Anderson was
so much exhausted that he was not
then swung him up n onto the land
ing of the fire C where DR.. Ander-
son seized and held him, and he and
Colt then formed a chain, Colt holding
to the fire escape and Anderson tightly
held by Colt with one hand, reaching
out toward the window, SO that the
men one by one as they craWled
through were able to take n step on
a ledge, and make a short leap to the
platform of the fire eScape down which
they made their way to the ground.
Twenty-Five men made their escape in
this manner and when the last one
passed under the iron bar the building
was a furnace close behind him. He
says that there were seven men lying
on the floor overcome by smoke when
he left and they all persisted.
DIR. G. milford Silvers, chief of the
medical staff at the hospital was absent
when the fire broke out. When word
reaced him of the disaster, he hurried
to the hospital. DR.. Silvers said that in
the institution were sixty patients, of
whom fifteen were wOmen
able to drag Colt after him and Colt
was so badly burned that he was not
able to make the leap himself. He
crouched on the window sill while the
men on the inside clamored for him TO
jump.
of New York CITY. was the third man.
He crawled out behind Colt and told
the men inside to grasp his feet. This
they did and telling Colt to lake hold
of his wrists and drop over the win
dow sill. Osborne, hanging head down.
ward, swung Colt to n fro, until he
had acquired sufficient momentum, and