The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1907-01-10
BURIED FIREMAN SAVED
Man Entombed in Burned Building
Taken Out Alive.
COVERED WITH TONS OF DEBRIS
After Being Buried "a Hours He
Heard Workmen About Him and
Cried Out-Tube Forced Through
Debris and s,timulants Given Him.

buried alive under tons of debris for
over "a hours, Fireman John Seufert
was rescued from the ruins of fire
that destroyed Hills paper warehouse
on Roosevelt street Sunday night. Seu-
fert will live. although he is very weak
and his right leg is badly injured.
Seufert made his presence known to
comrades. who for nearly "A hours had
sought his body. He had been stunned
when his companions were killed and
for hours remained unconscious. When
he regained his senses he heard work
men about him and cried out
Into the debris a tube was forced
and communication with the fireman
established.
Through the tube Seufert was given
stimulants and a priest heard his con
fession. Near him Seufert said was the
body OF Fireman Campbell. The body
of Lennon was recovered.
The search for the three hremen
who went down with the ruins when
Hill's paper warehouse was burned
was suddenly halted as the sound Of
some one rapping on a timber from
within the debris was distinctly heard.
For nearly "a hours, with brief re-
spite. the firemen had sought the
bodies of their comrades and at first
they doubted their seuses As they
stared at each other a voice from be-
meath the charred pile and recognized
as that Of John Scufert was family
heard. Seufert said:
8" am alive and so is Campbell. We
can't see anything. The debris is all
about us. Get MS out as quick as You
can" Then later: 1T is cold here. |
have to keep kicking my legs 10 keep
warm"
1t was thought that the second mos
sage was from Daniel J. Campbell, but
this was afterwards doubted.
With new energy the firemen re-
doubled their efforts until warned
that overeagerness might defeat their
purpose. More cautiously they pro
ceeded. while Seufert's wife who had
been on the scene since midnight.
turning from despair to hope encour-
aged them.
The men were caught among the
a. ,,fT,xo.- Icfrraap tho
second and third floors when the three
upper floors of the fvestory structure
went down. The third man. Thomas
Lennon. apparently was instantly
killed His body was located after
hours OF digging. 1t was buried in
tangle of debris from which a shat
tered hand protruded and the torso
was caught in such a way that il could
not be released until tons of timber
and steel which held il could be clear
ed away. At that time it was not be-
lieyed possible that the other two men
had survived their injuries.
Lennon. Campbell and Seufert all
members of Engine 80. with J. J.
Quinn. were on the fourth floor. when
the floors buckled in from each corner
The men in the center OF the floors
were carried down with the falling
timbers. Quinn was half buried in hot
brick and burning timbers. but as luck
would have it his head was not COW
cred. There he was found and car
ried 10 the street
When Quinn regained consciousness
be cried out where is Dan Camp
bell?" and before he could be con-
frolled darted back into the trembling
calling: Dan. Dan Camp
bell Where are you?"
Here's Campbell. No. 3d."
The voice was faint and far down
under the debris. Quinn recognized 1t
and he screamed for the other fremen
to come to the rescue. Battalion Chief
Duffy was badly injured in trying to
dig down to the man. whose voice was
fast sinking into a whisper. Battalion
Chief O'Connor was overcome by
smoke.
Once out of the building the fire
men set to work to put out the flames.
When the fire was under control a
of the firemen showed that
Thomas Lennon. Daniel J. Campbell
and John Seufert were missing. A
search for them was at once begun.
but it was soon believed positively
hat all three were dead. Hours after
wards Lemons body was found, and it
was night when the startling communi-
,ation from Seufert was recognized.
As quickly as possible after Seu-
'ert's voice was heard an ambulance,
With DR.. Beuwkes, was called from
he Hudson Street hospital A rubber
ube three feet long and half an inch
n diameter. with a funnel arrange
nent at one end, such as is used in the
hospitals as a stomach pump, was in
reduced into a hole in the debris,
which the workers made, and lowered
20 that Seufert could apply his mouth
o 1t. Through this he was given a
,timulant and afterward two cups OF
strong hot coffee. After receiving the
,timulant Seufert said he felt better
md could await with patience until
lis rescuers got him out.
Father Rafferty,, Of St James
church, and Father Smith, the fire de-
,artment chaplain, were called to the
building soon after Seufert's voice was
heard. Through the tube Father Smith
heard the buried fireman make his act |
If contrition, according to the rites Of
he Catholic church, of which Seufert |
s a member, and gave him absolution.
The west wall of the ruined building |
was tottering and threatened 10 fail at