Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-08

began to gather at the scene and the po-
ice lines were pushed farther back, hold
ing thousands of curious and excited per-
sons in check
Chief Croker, Acting Chief Bnns and
FIRE Commissioner Lantry came to aid in
the direction of the work of rescue as soon
as they heard that one of the firemen was
still alive, but doubtful of the truth of the
report until they had it from the lips of
the men who had heard the signals.
The movement of a single timber or a
Spadeful Of the meal-like ashes on top of
the cone of debris might send tons Of stone
and brick down upon the living and snap
out the life so wonderfully preserved.
After half an hours work signal was
again set by means of the beam, the first
line Of communication, and was answered
Hello. below! Hello, Jack! Hello Dan"
called Fireman Decker, with his mouth
close to the beam.
Listening closely they heard the faint re-
sponse-"Da n-Jack-Dan-Jackv'
Inc answer convinced the firemen that
poth were alive and the work went on
with almost constant communication by the
tapping against the beam for an hour and
again Decker shouted to the living below
rms time the response came back clearer
rather different direction than was indi-
Gated by the signaling on the beam.
Replies, Giving His Name.
Hello, below! Who is it?" called a fire.
man.
the response.
The men who heard the answer realized
with sorrow what it meant 1t was only
one man who had been signaling, and he
was calling for his comrade when they
heard him calling the name of Dan. the
comrade who was carried down to death
from his side. He had believed that he had
been signaling to him by tapping on the
beam.
Hello, Jack, we're above trying to get
to you. Is Dan with your
mo. l thought 1t was Dan"
Have you seen DAM"
There was no response for a moment,
and then came negative reply, fainter
than before.
How are you? Are you hurt badly?"
mo, l am not hurt but there is a beam
across my legs and one of my arms is pin
ioned.''
How do you feel?"
"All right, but 1 am very cold and
thirsty. 1 would like to have a ball."
"I'm Not Badly Hurt"
Are your legs broken?'
mo. 1 am certain that 1 am not badly
hurt I'll be all right until you can reach
me-"
At half-past F. w. Deissroth, driver
for Chief Binns, began to talk with Seufert,
and the moment that he called to him
Seufert answered:
Say, have you fellows told my wife
about me?'
Wen tell her, Jack" replied Deissroth.
well. send her word right away that l
am all right and will get out of this fix.
And 1 am all right. All l need is a good,
big ball"
get it to you, Jack" replied Deissroth, and
then he tried to arrange a plan with the
entombed man exactly to locate his posi-
ton.
Seufert explained that when the fourth
floor directly above his head had fallen over
him it had broken In the middle and had
formed "a" tent over him, and had
most of the falling debris. He explained
that the floor had not caved in when the
tons of brick, paper and rags had crashed
into the cellar, but that this mass had
formed a sort of bomb-proof around him
which had protected him from fire and
water. There~w a shaft somewhere that
had supplied him with air, and he had
been conscious all the time and hopeful
that he would be taken out in time by his
His chief concern was about
the fate of Campbell.
DeisSroth flashed an electric flare over
the top of the debris in order to locate Seu-
fert but the buried fireman could not catch
a CLINT of the light and his position re-
unknown.
After the failure to locate the position of
Siefert in the ruins an attempt was made
to tunnel into the mound of brick and ashes
from the cellar in front of the building, but
it was found impracticable because it was
calculated that Siefert was ten feet back
of the place where the tunnel was started,
and twenty feet below the top of the mound
of debris 1t was feared that an attempt
to tunnel would prove fatal to the man.
Tried to Aid Rescuers.
Siefert then told the workers about that
he had a stick in his hand with which he
had been tapping his signals and that he
would try to push it up, but he could not
force it through the wall which had formed
above his head.
1t had grown dark while the firemen were
working over the ruins, and gasoline flares
and portable electric flares We're brought
to light the work. Under the weird glare
of these lights the dark figures of the fire.
men, engaged upon soul-possessing work
the purpose of which was not evident on the
surface, worked in sight of thousands who
blocked the streets the scene.
Shortly before $50 a heavy piece of tim
Der was carefully removed, and to the de-
ligh and establishment of the workers dis
closed shaft into the very heart of the
mound Of debris, and their flares showed
them Siefert helmeted and booted as he
was when he went into the building, lying
at the bottom of the shaft, pinned down
with one arm free.
With his free arm he waved a salute to
the kindly faces looking down at him, and
said with cheerful smile:
Keep up the good work, boys, you are
doing bully"
At lao the men reached him.