The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1905-07-20

3ON kins, veteran fireman on
the London force, thrust
the nozzle into the hands of Arthur
Scott, his new recruit from Yorkshire
Together they had dragged the hose
through the snow up the narrow alley
behind the burning building, until
twenty yerds from the street, a brick
wall barred their progress. Then, be.
fore the water came, Jenkins had
smashed a window with lis Ak, and
later had directed the increasing
stream through the shattered sashes
against the rear Of long stairway
from closet beneath which the flames
were beginning to burst.
Hold her there. lad. I'll be back
presently" he shouted in the deafened
ears OF his subordinate, and was of
down the alley to head an attack from
another quarter upon the fire.
Long experience had made him IA
miliar with every foot of his district,
and with the coolneSs and sagacity of
practiced fre-fghter, he saw in an
instant what needed to be done.
The scene Of battle was in South
wark, not far from London Bridge, in
a four-story brick building. the upper
part of which was a pasteboard box
factory. When the engines arrived the
flames were already bursting through
the windows. The only exit from the
factory was down three straight, but
steep and narrow fight of stairs,
one directly over the other, up which
fame and smoke were already Surging.
On the ground floor beneath the last
flight, the small closet filled with paint
and oil lent ready fuel to the confia-
grafton. Scott was to hold the fire at
this spot in check.
The first thing to do was to make
sure that every one Of the imperiled
lives in tie three upper stories was
saved. The smoke drawing up the
stairway had deferred all but few o.
the women and girls from attempting
to descend. Up the steps dashed the
firemen, and began to bring down the
half-Smothered workers. Lives first;
the building afterward,
Down in the gloom of the narrow
alley Scott stood like an artilleryman
at his gun. Before, behind and to his
left rose the brick walls He was at
close quarters with the foe.
1t took all his strength to hold the
nozzle in its place, directing the rush
ing water to the spot where it was
most needed. He heard with salts
faction the torrent kissing on the wood.
The volumes of smoke told him he was
doing good service.
In the street at the end of the alley
rose the stack of the shaking engine,
filling the air with sparks at each
hoarse, tremendous puff. That and the
spot of Pickering red through the win
dow in front of him were the sole
bright points in the hoseman's field of
vision.
Presently gust Of wind drove the
smoke down round him, and it grew
pitchy dark in that narrow, brick
walled canon. The engine disappeared.
and even the lurid spot before him
dimmed and blurred.
AS Scott stood awaiting further or
ders. he felt impatient to be actively
at work inside the building. His mates
had the inspiration of each others
presence and help. They could move
about. He was chained to single
place.
He could hear the shuffling tread of
feet, and now and then the smothered
Shrek Of a woman, as men. bearing
heavy burdens, passed down the stairs.
He could hear the crashing of wood,
as doors and partitions gave way under
the swinging axes of his fellows. On
the front of the building he knew that
they were raising ladders, and he
longed to be in the thick of the fight.
But. as he stood there, holding the
flames in check, he was the pivot on
which all turned, the link without
which the life-saving chain would be
useless.
Jenkins knew men; and he felt sure
that in the young Yorkshire recruit
lie had a subordinate whom he could
trust.
From the street came a shrill
whistling. Intermittent orders were
shouted hoarsely beyond the smoke
barrier:
'This way with your ladders"
''AIore water"'
"Steady, everybody"
Scott heard it all, but could see moth
ing. He was enveloped by black, roll
ing clouds. that at times hid even the
building from him. The broken win.
dow had hitherto been fairly clear, but
now it puffed out choking flood of
smoke full in his face. Still he kept
the nozzle unflinchingly pointed
through the window.
But high above the hoseman's head
was gathering a danger of which he
did not dream. AS is the case with
many of the older buildings OF that
district. the valleys on the roofs were
lired with sheets of lead, which melted
in the intense heat, and began to
trickle down the steep channels in
cleaning threads.
Soon these threads grew to silyery
streams. which filled the cutters, over
flowed them, and poured down toward
the snow-covered ground. Scott was
right beneath the end of valley down
which one of these streams came dart