The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1903-02-14


mncd white faces touched with the
glow of fire It seemed as If the COM
pany was unuually slow Before tho
ladders had reached a perpendicular,
before they had trembled, swaying
over toward the building, dozen faces
appeared at the upper windows beside
the child with her charge, beckoning
frantlcally for help.
See See therew Barton cried agnin
with the same nervous tension which
he had shown since leaving his rooms,
A figure leaped out of the upper win
dow, whrled over twice striking the
upper extension of the ladders, and fell
into the street. The crowd groaned.
A second figure stood out on window
sill and, throwing up It's arms, with
shrill cry more beastly than human,
dung itself out toward the ladders now
leaning over toward the building. II
was woman She actually touched
one of the ladder rounds with her hu-
gers and for a second the crowd
thought she had grasped II, but for
only second. The body shot down
ward, and Barton and Gordon closed
their eyes and invOluntarily put their
hands up over their ears TO shut out the
horrible sound. Again the crowd
groaned. and wild beast yell arose.
"The life blauketw some one shrek
ed, and II was only after the whole
thing was history that Bowen street
learned that owing TO the narrow
courts and the broken puvemcnts the
department was fatally hindered In all
It's movements and the wagon carrying
the life blanket had overturned at a
corner, killing the driver and manning
one Of the horses SO that IL had 10 be
shot Make out another indictment for
murder against a municipality which
deliberately robs the people OF its
rights in order TO keep the wheels Of
the political machine moving. What
are human lives compared with the
spoils of office and the plunder that is
part OF political service TO the powers
that be:
The ladder fell over and touched the
window sill where the child OF the
tencments was standing with her bur
len. and then scene occurred that
will never leave John Gordon as long
as he tolls on bearing human woes on
his brave and bleeding heart.
The child suddenly disappeared, and
in her place could be seen two men ana
woman lighting like wild beasts for
he first chance at the ladder which
rested ON the sill. A fireman was climb
Ing up and had almost reached the
inaddened lighters At the other win
dows wild. imploring faces begged In
agony for life. Two more forms were
seen 20 jump from the windows at the
corner farthest from the ladder. The
ere was now bursting through the roof,
aud one group from the window next
the lighters above the ladder fell back
as il door had given way-all this In
the few seconds it took to be burned
luto Gordon with awful detail-when he
saw the ladder rise TO a perpendicular
as II some giant hand had pushed Il
back. II rose until IL stood straight, the
solitary figure Of the fireman silhouet-
ted against the blazing wall, and then
the entlre front Of the house with a
roar that gathered volume IN a slcAeh-
Ing rush OF death. fell over into the
sheet burying In one mingled mass the
fireman who had been standing on the
ladder, his companion at the foot ana
the crowd in the street that caught In
q trap, could not escape even II there
had been time 10 give warning OF the
danger.
For one awful second Gordon ami
Barton, who had been standing just
outside the reach OF the falling wall,
looked into the blazing interior Of the
tenement. Figures within that roaring
furnace leaped down into II from floors
and window lodges. Others jumped In
% the street. They looked like great
insects leaping into iefs Of name. Than
With a deafening crash the remaining