The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-04
BORE OUT BLAZING COMRADE,
EyREHiN WiVOY DIVES INTO
FLAMES TO SAVE 4 LIFE.
McNa'iy Had Fallen Back Into the Burn.
Ing BuIIdlns--Nis Clothing Al Ahrc
When McA,oy Reappeareti with Him
Both Badly burned One Man Killed.

Both BAIL, burned One Man Killed
If Fireman James McAvoy Of Truck 3
does not get n medal for his rescue of a
comrade n, a fire at PSI First avenue, yester
day, it will not be because firemen, police
u,en and citizens who saw him do it don't
VIZ h it for him.
From battalion chief down, his comrades
agree tina, McAvoy's rescue was of the
,acdal- winning kind
Fireman William McNa,ly of the same
truck company was the man whom McAvoy
e~cucd, At the time McNaliys clothes
we're all ablazc. II McNally RECEIVERS as
T. is hoped he will, he will owe his life
50 his rr>cuor. Tho fire cost the life of
an occupant of the building, and three fire
men, including McNaly and McAvoy. were
burned.
Tho Luilding in which the fire occurred
j. AT First avenue and Fifteenth street.
and tie frat floor is occupied by Fred
Irrch en- bake shop. He occupies the
ret ,f the building with hi, family and
cts cut rooms to boarders. Tho building
L., four tories high, and on the Fifteenth
street ice there is only one window TO
floor.
The fire is believed to have been caused
by "A not Of lard boiling over in the cellar
Policeman CliEchy saw the smoke ABOUT
uoon and ran up the stairs leading from Fif-
tenth street. pounding on the doors Of the
rooms. He told all the tenants to follow
him ,lpsta airs. as the smoke had cut of re-
treat the other way. Clinchy broke open
the scuttle and saw that all got on the roof.
BY that time he had 10 get out himself.
1t was thought NJ first that every ore in
thp nll,,s had with the DDirpman
Whoa IN" first frcmen arrived they learned.
however, that Henry McWlliamS, q cabinet
maker, who had the corner room on the top
floor, was in the building.
Capt Martin Coleman of Truck 2 sent
roscuing party up n 35-foot ladder on the
Fifteenth street side. The ladder reached
to about five feet below the window, which
opened into hall just outside McWillians's
room.
McAvoy, IMcNally and James Shaug-
messy went up the ladder while it was being
raised, and when ii hit the wall each with
~ spring caught the window sill raised him
self up and entered by the window.
Just ns the last man dropped on the la nd
ing at the top of the stairs inside there was
a burst Of flames up the stairs that caught
them in a bunch The open window drew tho
flames out. and the crowd, which couldn't
see the fremen, thought all had persisted
until first one and then the other appeared.
Shaugnessy was first and as he dropped
to the top Of the ladder again there was
cheer. There was another when McAvoy
got out through the smoke and hame-tilled
window. Then McNallys head appeared
and it was seen that he was trying to pull
himself up to the windowsill;
He had almost succeeded when he gave
a cry. let go his hold and disappeared in
MeA~,y -te~rvi- him. turned around and.
seeing the vacant window. guessed what
had happened. In fash he was climbing
hack up tho ladder.
BY that time the window. according to
the watchers, was like the top of blast
furnace, with just little clear space below
the flames.
McAvoy pulled himself up and dived
in. 1t wasn't more than thirty seconds.
but to those in the street it seemed five
As he pulled himself up. it was seen that
he had one arm around McNally's body
and was pulling him up too. Then cheer
went UP from the fremen, policemen and
Tic danes we're under McNally's coat
and tn. oilskin lining was anlaze, As
McAvoy got him to the windowsill by the
,lraught his whole body seemed to burst
into fame.
battalion Chief Burns and Capt. Colo
man ordered a 10, of firepen TO stretch
he life net. expecting that McAvoy from
shear pain would have to drop his flaming
burden. But he didn't. although the sleeve
"f the arm ne had around his comrade
Ho got hold Of the wiudowsill and. with
on losing his grip. deliberately lowered
h;ins-if 10 the top of the ladder five feet
below, with McNally helpless and ablazc
in his arms. Shaugncssy got hold OF
McNaiy's feet then and crowd of rescuers'
all ,ha, he ladder would standardized
IN from below.
They arrived Just in time, as McAvoy
sank helpless into their arms while a
st"ean Of water PLAYED all over the group
and put out the blazing clothing. McNally
and McAvoy were carried to drug store
and there their clothes were cut from them.
All that was left of McNally's trousers, was
the seat His coat was half burned on
and his helmet and boots were charred rub
her. Doth Chief Burns and Capt. Coleman
said they had never seen anything like j. in
their experience, Only part of McNally'.s
chest vas free from burns. McAroy's left
arm. which had held McNaily. was burned
from tll" wrist to the shoulder, and so was
his left cheek
Shaugnessy escaped with badly burned
hands None of tho men was unconscious,
and although in terrible agony, McNally
was able To tell how it happened. He and
McAvoy were rushed of to Bellevue and
Shaugnassy went to the New York Hos
ptal.
In the mean time Fremen Schneider.
bartlett, Lang and beech, VINO mao re iadder
on the First avenue side and found McWil,
liams unconscious in his room He had
apparently gone out into the hall been badly
burned and had pulled himself back again.
They brought him out, but he died in the
ambulance. The damage done by the
fire was mostly confined to the kitchen and
halls
Battalion Chief Burns said of McAvoy's
rescue:
1T WAS absolutely the greatest piece OF
nerve have ever seen and I've been good
many years a fireman. 1t wasn't the
climbing he had to do-for every rescue
means more or less OF that but 1t was the
dive into that open window that might just
as well have been the door OF furnace,
knowing all the time, that outside OF that
window, every other means OF escape was
cut of. No man that saw that exhibition
or the exhibition that followed, while
McAvoy held on to his comrade, Will ever
forget it."
Both Chief Burns and Capt. Colem an
said that the burning of McNally's outside
clothes was a most unusual occurrence
and was due to the fam es catching the
oilskin lining Of the coat.
1--we worn that kind Of coat for the
last time, +" said Chief Burns. 1T might not
happen again for a long time but that shows
there il always chance for IT, and once the
oilskin catches mans about gone. >,
McAvoy is a fourth-grade fireman. he
has been in the department only about six
months, and it was his first rescue. he ~