The evening world., 1908-02-13
Saw a Helmet Floating, SWAIN
After 1t and Grabbei
Drowning Mans Body.
HELP LONG DELAYED.
Later Girder Weighing ions
Fell Into Blazing Oil and
Five Men Were Burned.

An act OF heroism Mt the still burn
ing ruins of the Pratt Astral Oil
Works. in Williamsburg. to-day al
most passed unnoticed. The hrenen.
and black from the smoke of burning
oil. We're staggering about the ruins
when one of them. Joseph Collins OF
Engine No. 119. fell overheard not far
from where the fireboat David y
Boodv was pumping necessarily. lIe
made no outcry.
dozen yards south of where he fell
oil and naphtha We're burning on the
waters surface. In the b,ackness and
confusion ot it all Collins would undouot-
edly have drowned had not Fireman
Robert Eason. OF Engine No. 49, want
ed cup of coffee. The coffee wagon
was standing not far from the Boody.
and Eason passed along the pier on his
way to the wagon. On the water he
saw Colins's helmet floating lie
watched it for a moment. and. without
laying aside even his gloves. he plunged
In. Nobody saw him go over.
Swan for the Helmet.
The helmet was eating down toward
the blazing oil. and Elson swan after
1t. sud- reath him something
came up. 1t vas a ans BODY and he
grabbed it. The man was unconscious.
and Eason did not at the time rssog-
nize his featureA but he saw he was a
fireman and he made every effor, to get
to the pier before both were overcome.
The
most done for before he reas ned the
pier and siezed a convenient spike that
ha been IN OF ihe sp.ies i
foot above TIE line.
The putting of the fireboat drowned
his cries for help and he clung there
several minutes before he was discov-
cred.
ropes were passed beneath Collins's
body and ne was lifted out. y dozen
hands helped Eason 10 safety.
botn were attended by the fire sur
geon and Collins was sent home. He
did not explain how he GOT into the
water.
Eason is a son of Police Lieutenan,
Charles Eason. of the Clymer avenue
station. He is twenty-five years old
and has been in the department but
sIA months.
Fall of Heavy Girder. I
Some hours later an iron grdcr
W
OF me na!f destroyed store shops, IN ,
jurlng ,No iiremen and three employees T.
WHO we're occupied IN The hazardous
task OF removing small oil cans from
the path OF the flames
Fireman LouS BoOs, OF Engine No
lS. and John Morris, of No. IA. with .
Jonn Is Hakondon. Henry Seigke and
Gilbert Bunker, the latter an oltce
employee, are the injured men. Haken- .
don was the only one to be taken to .
q hospital. His injuries are not serious. .
homes in carriages, the extent of their
injuries being lacerated hands ana
faces and contusons OF the head
caused by flying spllnters and burning
oil.
A Miraculous Escape.
That Boos. Morris and Hakendon
were not killed outright Is Eeeurleu as
miraculous. Iney were aInOsL u.IectIy
underneath the hea,- beam when i
broke from its loose supports and
tumble TO earth Two streams OF
water had played on the half burned
structure all night, and the force OF the
water is believed TO nave gradually
weakened the girder and caused Il /
SLIP. a shout OF warning went up from
companions OF the three men wnen it
crumDled the bricks on which It rested
and began 10 drop. MOI. OF the men
knew Of their danger The g.rder
dropped amos. in front OF them pOth
Boos and Morris losing their hats as
the beam struck the debris.
one end OF the beam fell among a
great heap OF cases and small tanks.
burying itself in their depths and
throwing forth shower of hot splin-
ters and broken bits of iron The three
men We're bombarded with the flying
missiles. The other end struck among
some larger crates containing oil ready
for export Will had become igntcd
during the night, Seigkle and Runker
Were standing a few feet from the burn
ing watts.