The Savannah morning news., 1903-08-26
IN FACE OF DEATH
FIREMAN JOHN LADY JUMPED ON
DRIVERLESS ENGINE.
CRAWLED ON THE SIDE
WHILE THREE WILD HORSES
DASHED MADLY ON.

WHILE THREE WILD HORSES
DASHED MADLY ON.
Gained Drivers Seat just in Time TO
Prevent POnderOus Machine and
PIunginE Animals from Rolling
Down steep Hill mt Foot of
BrOughtOn Street-Firemen John
Duffy and Tom Pounded Had Been
Hurled to Asphalt When Engine
COIIided with Coupling Wagon.
Duffy Lost Two Fingers and Had
Miraculous Escape from Death.
While three wild fire horses galloped
madly to what seemed certain death
yesterday afternoon Fireman John L.
Lady sprang on the rear of the big
LaFrance engine from No. Station,
crawled along the suction pipe on the
side of the heavy machine, pulled him
self into the drivers seat and brought
the crazed animals to a standstill as
they started headlong down the steep
hill at the foot of Broughton street, in
front of Kehoe's iron foundry.
Hundreds of people, attracted by the
sounding of an alarm, saw the brave
fireman clinging to the side of the en-
CINE as it tossed from one side of the
street to the other. A shout went up
when Lady swung himself into the
drivers seat and grasped the reins
with a grip of iron. The strong brake
was applied and with almost superhu-
man strength the froth covered and
quivering animals were brought to a
standstill.
Two f1remen had already been in
jured. Only block away John Duffy
was lying on the asphalt bruised and
bleeding and Tom Founder was pros
trate a few feet away. Lady saw both
of his comrades go down in front of
the horses. A minute more and en-
CINE and horses would be in heap at
the foot of the hill. He did not stop
to consider that he was attempting to
accomplish what seemed an impossible
feat, and as he swung on the foot
board behind the rocking machine the
spectators thought him crazy. 1t was
his day off" and he was not in uni
form.
Horses in n Hurry.
At 4 o'clock, the hour for sending in
the daily test alarm, the Big Duke
rang out and the indicators in the fire
stations showed UP box 5, at Bay and
East Broad street. Box 80, at Wayne
and West Broad streets, was scheduled
to be tested and the box on Bay street
had to be answered.
At Station No. on Broughton street,
between Houston and Price, the heavy
engine, one of the larEest in the de-
partment, is pulled by three horses
and it takes three men to make the
hitch" Firemen Tom Founder and
Fireman John Duffy were attending
to the outside horses and Driver Cleary
snapped the collar on the middle horse.
Founder and Duffy were holding their
horses while Cleary started back for
the drivers seat. The bells in the
fire station were changing and the
horses were wild to leave the station
and show their speed on the asphalt.
Driver Cleary had gone back only
foot when the hose wagon left the
station amid the clatter of bells. The
engine horses refused to be left behind
and plunged madly forward. Founder
and Duffy held fast to the bits and
were dragged out of the station into
all their might and main to stop the
animals, but the horses went in leaps
behind the hose wagon. Each moment
the spectators expected to see both
men fall from exhaustion, be trampled
under the hoofs of the horses, and
then crushed by the big engine.
CoIIided with Wagon.
On the east side of Houston street
coupling wagon got directly in the path
of the horses and collision was in
evitable. Men and women shouted hut
the negro driver could not get out the
way, and the two fremen refused to
release their hold on the outside horses.
Over the long pole that joined the front
and rear wheels of the wagon the three
horses jumped, and the pole broke.
Founder was sent rolling on the as
phalt on one side of the engine, but
Duffy was less fortunate and dropped
directly under the horses. One of the
big fellows trampled upon his left hand
and the heavy shoe took two fingers off.
With rare presence of mind Duffy roll
ed backward as the front wheel of the
heavy machine grazed the back of his
head Those who witnessed the coils
ion thought that both men had been
killed.
Lady Missed the Wagon.
Fireman Lady had heard the alarm,
and started for the fire station, as is
required under the rules of the depart
ment. He just missed connections with
the hose wagon and was waiting for
the engine, when he saw it coming to-
wards him without a driver. Then it
was that he performed the daring feat
that has made him a hero in the eyes
of his fellow fire-fghters. 1t was
with the greatest difficulty that he
managed to hold on to the suction pipe
while making his way to the seat. A
false step would have meant instant
death and a moments delay would
have sent him down the hill with en-
CINE and horses.
Lady did not appear at all excited,
and drove to the box on Bay street.
There was no fire, and Driver Cleary,
who ran to the box, took charge of
the horses. Fireman Duffy. badly
bruised, and with two fingers gone.
was taken to his home in the neighbor-
hood, where he received medical atten-
ton. His escape from death was mirac-
ulous. Fireman Founder was only
stunned and reported at the box a few
minutes after the accident. Fire Chief
Mcguire said that Lady's act was one
of the bravest that had ever come un-