The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-11-01

prayers. Thls roofs goln' to drop you
In hole NO hot Il won't leave enough
OF you fer the devil to raise blister
on. Shut up. viii you?"
He turned away from him and
climbed the ladder 10 the top OF tho
tank, so that he might sit down there
In quiet lie could hear the engines In
the stroct whistlIng frantically FOR coal
from the fuel wagons, and they sound.
cd very far away. He reached down
into the scuttlc and drank from his
helmet again. The air came up cool
from the tank, He lay with his face In
the draft OF Il and shut his dry eyelIds
on his aching eyes.
Although he had threatened IIanra.
han with the collapse OF the roof, no
had spoken In anger to tcrrlfy him into
silence and not because he believed
That either OF them would lose his life.
He was not u man of Imagination, and
his breath was too strong In his body
for him to realize the possibility Of
death. II the crew below did not find
some means Of reaching him. he hoped
to live out the fire where he was.
Chiefly he was angry and bewlldcrcd
by his own anger because Hanrahan
had gone TO pieces and made such
noise. Iic could not think The heat
was wearing on him. He lay there
waiting.
And, N fact. the men below were al.
ready planning to reach him. For
time Captain Ball had been so busy
fighting back the flames on the twelfth
floor that he did not think OF the two
men whom he had left on the roof. II
was not until sparks and burning
woodwork began TO pour down the ele-
vator shaft that the possibility OF the
situation occurred to him Fortunate
ly the building was "nreproofed," and
the progress Of the flames would be
slow.
He called two of his crew to get seal
Ing ladders, and, leaving his lieutenant
In charge Of the pipes, he ran to the
southwest end Of the building to be
farthest from the fire and, opening a
window there, looked up. He could
see no signs of fire In any window
above him. Looks all right" he told
the men. "But you'll have to be quick.
Keep your eyes open for the windows
behind you"
They had coil of life line and two
ladders. They used but one Of the lat
Ter, going up together for greater speed.
At their first window they saw the wis.
dom Of Captain Balls instructions.
The room within was sitting with
smoke and heat, and as soon as they
opened vent In 1t the fire showed In
the darkness.
At the fourteenth story a light of
flames was already glimmering be-
hind the broken pane. The smoke
poured out on them as they beat in
the glass and hauled up the ladder.
They went ahead, however, and while
they were climbing up the wall from
that window they heard the rush Of a
back draft below them and looked
down to see the flames In the thir.
teenth story cutting them Off.
A cry Of warning from Captain Ball
was answered by faint shout above
them. They looked up to see German
peering down over the edge of the
water tank. Captain Bah shouted to
them, "Come down the roper They
looked down to see him waving to
them They looked up to see that |
German had disappeared.
"Jim," the upper man said, 1--WE can't
reach EN-" They tied the end Of
their rope hurrledly around the shaft
Of the ladder and each took a twist
Of 1t In the hook Of his belt and
lropped