Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-14
Fire Fighting Adventures
Incidents Of Am05ing Her0ism Displayed BY the Medal
Of Honor Members of the New York Fire DEPARTMENT

struggle brought the safely to the ground
single error of judgment or one misstep would
have been fatal to both.
On or off duty, iremen always ready to save
lives There is the instance of Patrick o Keefe,
who jumped from a moving elevated train to a
plank at the edge of the track and ran back
to fire in which he that lives were ENDANGERED
He was on the scene before the engines arrived and
rescued three women. He off duty at the time
and on his way home For this act O'Keefe was
placed on the roll of merit, and he since has been
promoted.
1t was at hotel fire that the act characterized
by former Fire Commissioner Sheffield the bravest
deed IN fire history performed by Captain
Vaughan of the fire patrol force The old Hotel
Royal, veritable fire trap at the time, filled
with guests, when fire was discovered on the lower
floors. Guests on the upper floors were cut off
from fire escapes and stairways. Vaughan had
rescued four persons by making bridge of his body,
and was pretty near physical exhaustion.
While standing in the courtyard in the rear of the
hotel, he looked to see if there were any other
persons at the windows of the burning building.
He heard cry for help, and, peering through the
smoke, he saw figure standing on the ledge of
window the fifth floor. Calling four of his men,
Vaughan went to the roof of private residence
which joined the hotel on the rear. By reaching
over the coping Vaughan could get within about
Vaughan called to the man in the window to keep
cool and he would get him out all right Then
resting himself the coping he instructed his
to hold him by the legs and lower him far as
possible. In that way he able to get within five
feet of the man When he felt himself secure he
called to the man and instructed him how to Jump
and catch his hands. The strain was awful but the
man had strength enough to make one desperate
leap and caught Vaughans hands
How the Man Was Saved
THEN he became unconscious, and Vaughan was
faced by new problem, for unconscious
is dead weight, and his men could not pull them
back to the roof Vaughan's athletic training came
into play, and he began swinging the dead weight,
slowly at first, while he told his men to watch the
swinging body and try to catch it. Fortunately
fto 41,a G,,o11
caught its hem and carefully worked up to the
shoulders until they were able to get safe hold
and pull him to the roof Vaughan was given
medal for his bravery; and the rescued man is
now living in Hazeton, Pennsylvania, where he is
well known in social and political circles,
In 1902 there was down town fire in the base
ment of the store occupied by the New York
Betting & Packing Company. Burning chemicals.
including arsenic and sulphur, generated fumes that
were deadly. Thirty fremen were taken out over
come by them, and the street nearby looked like
field hospital Chief Kruger was with the men, and
was dragged out unconscious. giant in stature
and strength, he quickly revived, and made
three trips into the cellar to himself that
none of his men was missing This is merely one
of many such instances in the life of Chief Kruger,
and to show why New Workers respect him.
and the men under him always ready to speak
in his praise.
Chief Duane is of the veterans and has a
record that compes admiration. 1t begins with his
entrance into the department in 1863 and is not
ended; for, carrying his sixtyfve years if they
thirty, he does full duty and full hours with
the youngest man in the service Only three
years ago he made many younger men stand
back as he entered burning factory West
25th-st. He encountered the charcoal fumes with
his men, and sent number of them back for
medical attention while he remained at the dan
ger point until the fire under control. Dur
ing this year Chief Duane and three men
entered a burning house use on West + s9tht The
which they had passed burst into flames and cut
off the chief and the men with him. 1t looked for
the moment as if there chance for them; but
the with him saved themselves by dash