Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1907-02-08
FIVE STORIES UP :
) BY Charles Newton Hood. :

saw, said the foreman of the COM
posing room, "was when I had a case
On a Buffalo newspaper.
THE paper had been sent to press
me morning, and most of the COM
positors. except the emergency men,
had hurried home, so as to get to
sleep while it was still dark. Several
of us had remained behind to paste
up our strings. What? 'Strings?'
Why, strings of 'dupes.' Proofs of
the stuff we'd set for the week, you
know, pasted end to end, so that it
could be measured for our pay. Well,
one of the fellows who had gone out
came hurrying back, and yelled, The
Cartons on fret
"The Carlton was then one of the
pest hotels in Buffalo We all Jumped
and rushed up Washington street,
but by the time we had run the few
blocks, the big hotel was belching
smoke and flame on every side. The
Bremen were taking guests and en-
ployes out of windows and down fire
escapes, and there were many brave
rescues; but in spite of everything
some people lost their lives.
I'VE made our way round to the
Main street side. We saw some hor-
rible sights that night. Window after
window crashed outward and fell in
gathering Of glass upon the pave
ment, to be followed by blasts of
tame and smoke.
It's all over for those who aren't
out remarked my companion. Sud-
denly he gave almost a sob, and
pointed up to a window five stories
above US. A man, only partly
dressed, was crawling out of the
smoke-filled room up on the narrow
stone window sill.
There did not seem to be the
slightest chance for the man. With
the greatest elaboration he stepped
out on the narrow stone ledge, and
carefully closed the window behind
him.
This, we knew, could keep the
names back for only few moments,
but in those moments he took
chance to prolong his life which
struck the spectators almost breath
less. The window lodges on that
door were continuous along the side
OF the building, projecting only
tribe over Eve inches from the brick
work. Some one had recognized the
man now. 1t was the assistant man
ager OF the Carlton Hotel. He had
been caught by tho fire on the fifth
door, while making desperate efforts
to warn everybody of the danger.
COolly and carefully he pressed his
back close against the wall, and with
rothing to cliog To on the smooth
brickwork. and with no room on the
narrow ledge for scarcely more than
his heels, he edged his way, sidewise.
Inch by inch, away from the window.
Hardly had he cleared the opening
before the flames broke through the
window in a great burst of sparks
and smoke. The room into which
the next window led had already be-
come seethirg furnace.
How the man stood on that mar
row ledse, at that dizzy height, must
be mystery now, even to himself.
1t was q marvel of nerve and clear
headedaess, but his desperate efforts
TO save himself seemed futile. No
ladder could reach him, and with ev
esy window on the Main street side
vomiting destruction, the scaling lad
ders were useless.
Suddenly the great Hayes truck
swung round the corner from its
work or rescue on the Eagle street
side OF the building, paused near the
centre of II e street, and the massive
ladder began to build its way up into
the air. Up and up it went until it
had attained its full height, when it
was found to reach but trifie above
the third story. The last reckoning
or hore seemed to have gone.
The great ladder was being
swayed backward and forward in the
air, and in toward the building
against the masses of wires. while
the unfortunate man stood like a bit
OF carved relief W X, flattened. mo-
ttonless, against the wall of brick,
the fierce glare of TIE flames beating
upon him like a calcium light. It
seemed that in a moment now he
must fall, and be crurhed to death
on the pavement.
But suddenly, as the top of the
ladder swayed back and forth in the
air, in to within ten or twelve feet of
the building-back-an in again, an
almost imperceptible movement of
preparation could be discerned in the
body of the intrepid M :. AS last
desperate chance, he was gong to at
tempt the leap to the top of the
swaying ladder almost two stories
below him, and far out from the
building.
AT almost the same instant the
crowd and the firemen seemed to di-
vine his intention. A fireman dashed
up the ladder to the very top, to be
ready with strong arm; and the
mechanical swaying of the ladder in
toward the building was made
stronger and more regular. There
was not moment to lose. The fame
and smoke were enveloping the en-
tire front of the building, and ais it
cleared away momentarily the man
ager could be seen gathering himself
for his mighty effort.
Never in the greatest hippo
dromes Of the world has the daring
feat Of an athlete had a more dra-
matte setting or spectators more
thrilled and breathless. ThrLc dimes
the ladder swung slowly inward, and
three times the man seemed to gath
er himsslf for the spring, and then