Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-02
R|SKED LIFE TO SAVE
Heroic Rescue From Fire of
Deaf Mute by Policeman.
DIZZY LEAP FROM A LEDGE
Worked Way Along Narrow Coping to
Flames Prisoner.
ARRIVED IN NICK OF TIME
Crowds in Street Cheer Gallant Deed
Chung to Wall by Toes and
~Fingers-May Get Medal.
DIZZY LEAP FROM A LEDGE
ARRIVED IN NICK OF TIME

| NEW YORK, January 2-Policeman Rob-
ert ]. Mathews of the West 47th street sta
| ton performed an act Of bravery at fire
| yesterday afternoon for which he is likely
| to get a medal. His feat consisted of a
climb from a fire escape in the front Of 436
West 10th street to a window of 434 West
10th street, which building was afire.
Ten families live at No. 434. These fam
| lilies seemed deeply engrossed in their
| New Year festivities that they were slow
! in moving when the fire started. In less
time than it takes to tell it the halls of the
tenement were so densely filled with smoke
that the tenants could no longer get out
through them. There were, besides Police
man Mathews and the firemen, who arrived
promptly, many would-be local rescuers
All did good work getting women and chill
dren out of the building. There were high
estimates of the number rescued, one going
as high as forty.
About ten persons were actually in jeop-
ardy who were carried out. But the other
rescuers all took off hats to Mathews Math-
ews Is young and athletic. When he got to
the building smoke was already coming out
Of the windows in huge volumes, and men
were rushing into the halls trying to get the
dilatory tenants out. Mathews eye lit on
young woman who had crawled out through
the window of her fat on the fourth floor
and was standing on the ledge, apparently
ready to jump.
Stay there!'' yelled Mathews, I'm COM
ing up for you"
The crowd echoed the yell. They saw
Mathews disappear in the hallway of 1885,
Ready to Jump.
The woman on the ledge still acted as
though she meant to jump. She seemed to
pay no heed to the encouraging yells of
the crowd and appeared to gather herself
for leap. Smoke was curling out of the
window behind her.
By this time Mathews appeared the
fire escape in front of 436 The crowd
cheered him, but the cheer quickly died
down. The fire escape is small and was
evidently built only for the tenants in that
building. There was good fifteen or
twenty feet distance between the police
man and the woman, and there was al
most nothing for Mathews to step on but
air in order to get to her. The woman on
the ledge got a glimpse of him and seemed
encouraged. In another minute Mathews
saw that the top ledge Of window pro-
truded out about an inch from the smooth
brick wall a little below him and between
him and the woman He was over the
railing of the fire escape in jiffy. The
noisy crowd now ceased it's yelling.
On Toes and Fingers.
For a minute Mathews seemed glued like
bat against the smooth brick wall of the
building, but he was moving toward the
woman all the time. His main support
was the inch of coping which he stood
with his toes and the tips Of one of his
hands to the fire escape he was leaving.
With lunge and a leap he reached out
his left hand and grasped the brick win
dow ledge where the woman stood. In a
moment he stood beside the woman.
The crowd gave another yell then
Mathews grabbed the woman around the
waist with one arm and held on to the
window frame. He looked back into the
smoke-flled room long enough to see that
a man had his face up against the open
window the inside, trying to get his
breath. 1t was clear he could not get the
woman out through there.
At that moment the first hook and lad
der company arrived, and they had lad
der up to him in less time than it takes to
tell it, and had the two down safely.
When the woman touched the ground
the crowd closed in upon her. your
name your name.' they yelled at her.
But she shook her head. At length, when
she seemed to understand what they
wanted she put her fingers to her mouth
and ears. The crowd slow in under
standing, but at last little girl pped up:
Was Deaf Mute.
why, that's Lizzie link; she's deaf
and dumb
A fireman brought down the man whom
the policeman had seen in the fat He
was her cousin, John II. link.
Several other women and children who
We're overcome by the dense smoke We're
rescued.