The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-24
Imprisoned by Fire in Third story of
the Polk Flats They Were Caught
on a Mattress.
THREW THE BABY OUT FIRST
CHILD UNINJURED BY FALL OF
OVER THIRTY FEET.
Firemen Worked HeroicalIy to Spare
the Woman the Dangerous Res
cue-Fire Loss Small.

A fire that jeopardized two lives and
furnished a dramatic though dangerous
rescue occurred late yesterday afternoon
in the Polk flats at Sixteenth street and
College avenue. These flats occupy the
second and third stories of the pressed
brick building erected about two years
ago by the j. T. Polk Sanitary Milk Com
pany, which occupies the ground floor for
its creamery and milk business
The fire started near the apartments of
Eden Tilson on the third floor. 1t was
caused by a plumber, John Griffith, who
ignited two gasoline cans, each containing
five gallons, by the explosion Of his gaso-
line melting furnace. The two cans made
a great explosion and Immediately ignited
the stairway between the second and third
floors. thus shutting off the descent from
the third floor. 1t also prevented escape
from the apartments occupied by Ernest
Johnson. Griffith was not near the explo-
sion and was not hurt
A number of boys ran to the fire station
at Sixteenth and Ash streets, directly in
the rear of the Polk building, and shouted
Fire" This is frequent practice of the
boys and like the old fable of the cry,
Wolf! Wolff" was not at first needed.
The captain. Tom Howard, went out to in
vestigate and found that the alarm was
we'll founded. The company turned out
at once.
Just as IL reached the building a woman
with baby was seen at third-story win
dow on the Sixteenth-street side She ap-
peared frantic and seemed about to throw
herself from the window. There were many
excited men in the street, and they called
to her to not leap from the window, but
to wait. She shouted that the fire was
coming up the stairway and that she would
have to leap to save herself. She prepared
to leap several times, but yielded to the
warnings not to. The woman was Mrs.
Maud Johnson, wife of Ernest Johnson,
and her fifteen-months-old boy baby.
Captain Howard ran back to the engine
house and seized a mattress from one of
the cots Returning with this he placed
Ii in tarpaulin that is used to cover the
| hose wagon and thus formed life net. He
called for assistance to accomplish the
| rescue as the firemen had attempted to
enter the building and reach this stair
Citizens, Albert A. Womack, ex-sheriff,
Charles Pegs, William Pohl and Sylvester
Elzey supported the net and Mrs. Johnson
was asked to throw out the child. She
| tossed the baby directly into the net The
| distance was over thirty feet. The specta-
tors were breathless while this was being
done The baby struck the mattress, rolled
| over and cried. Except for slight bruise
| on its eye it was uninjured. but by its
cries appeared to be badly scared.
MRS. JOHNSON LEAPS.
Mrs. Johnson. seeing that the child was
safe, did not hesitate to throw herself
from the window. She alghted on her feet
| in the net, her weight bearing it to the
ground. AS her feet touched the ground
she fell against the brick wall of the build
ing and was badly bruised about the
shoulders.
The whole performance was intensely ex.
citing and attracted an immense crowd.
The fire company is composed entirely of
colored men and they worked heroically
to extinguish the flames so that the neces-
sity of leap from the window would be
spared Mrs. Johnson. The quick
| magnitude of the fire was astonishing and
| Captain Howard does not know of any
explanation except that the burning gas
able area. 1t would have been Impossible,
| he said, for Mrs. Johnson to have descended
! the stairway and not knowing how large
the hre was on the moor where she was
| ing. The fire made such progress that soon
| the windows about Mrs. Johnson poured
forth smoke In great volumes and gave the
| appearance of immensely. However when
| the flames had been extinguished it was
| found that the stairway was the most
damaged. The department estimated the
| loss on the building at $50.
Last night both Mrs. Johnson and the
| baby were practically over the shock OF
| their experience and Mrs. Johnson's in.
| turies were found to be of a trivial nature
| Spectators praise the woman for her ex
cellent judgment and also the heroic work
| OF the nremen who attempted to ascend
| to her apartments to make a rescue.