The Saint Paul globe., 1905-01-22

toners at fire headquarters, and Cor
man, being the big man of his class
had despised him from the day that
the instructor, having pitted them
against each other in a race with seal
ing ladders, had then publicly compar-
ed German to a baby hippopotamus in
point of nimbleness because Hanrahan
had run away from him.
These two were being broken" to-
gether with all the hard work Of the
company, but there was no friendship
between them. They rarely spoke to
each other; sfor German had found
Hanrahan'S conversation all "hOt air
an free silver and had quarreled with
him about this wearisome enthusiasm
for politics. They continued stolidly at
their work, now, in the silence of mu-
tual Indifference. The growing strength
of the stream threatened to tear the
nozzle from their hands, and they
raised the hose to their shoulders to
bend it in a swans neck arch that sent
the water kissing down the bricks.
They were busted SO, when they saw
bluish-green flame flash in the red
of the fire in the roof below, and
belch of smoke rolled up to them on
the burst and echo of an explosion.
Before it reached them they heard an
other roar beneath it; the cloud OF
smoke was split with flame, and they
leaped back from the parapet as if from
the crater of a volcano, and threw
themselves on their faces, as the burn
ing gases, freed by the collapse of the
roof-f1aring two hundred feet in the
/. air and licking up the side of the Man
sard building, to break every window
glass in it's upper, ten stories and ignite
every window curtain, window sash
and trim in its. north wall-rolled
over them in a heat that nipped their
ears like a frostbite and was gone.
German pinned down the pipe that
was threshing about on the roof, and
staggered back to the parapet with 1t.
The beat of heat was unendurable, and
he could see nothing for the smoke
that blinded him with tears. He did
not know that the gale was carrying a
solid tongue of fire into the hidden air
shaft, and that every window on that
shaft was already splitting flames. He
could just see that the woodwork of
the window below him was afire, and
he called Hanrahan to train the pipe
on it with him. They doused it black
at once, and scattered the smoke, to
to see another blaze below. Then, sud-
denly, the stream from their hose
weakened and fell short. 1t was plain
that the crews were using the water
on the lower floors.
Were wanted down below, guess" ,"
Hanrahan said. Yves no good up here
now"
German nodded. They shut off the
nozzle and turned to drag the line to
the door of the stairs.
They were too late. German saw the
blaze in the airshaft and cried out an
oath. That shaft, he knew, lit the
stairway from the ground up and cut
them off from the elevator shaft in the
center of the building. They dropped
!, the line and ran to the door. Smoke
was pouring from it and flame was be-
hind the smoke. German ran back for
the hose, turned the neckguard of the
helmet over his face and, with the wa
ter to open the way for him, fought
down three steps into a blaze thai
could not be faced. The wind, blowing
in the broken windows of the airshaft
brought up a smother of heat and
smoke against which his pipe was USE
less. He was fighting prarie fire will
the stream of an extinguisher.
Hanrahan pitched forward on his
shoulders. German braced himsel1
against the weight, turned to catch hin
under the armpits and carried him up
himself half suffocated, to lay him or
the roof. They were greeted by the
fierce purring Of the flames. Hanra-
han groaned.
"Y' all right?" German asked him.
He rolled his eyes. Lets get dowI
out of this he gasped.
German Strengthened up and looked
around him. The doorway was the only
entrance to the roof. He walked back
to kick the useless hose down th,
staircase and shut the n-sheathet
door on the blaze below. He went t,
the stone railing that surmounted tn,
cornice on the front of the building
The coping overhung the lower win
dows in a sheer drop to the street. H
/ hurried to the south wall. The win
dows there were twelve feet down, ant
there was no pipe-no foothold. H
went to the back Of the roof and fount
another coping.