The Richfield recorder. (Richfield, Idaho) 1909-1931, 1909-06-10

crew 10 reacn the rO0f or the SiXteeI
story mansard building. They had tn,
nozzle of line of hose that was bein,
laid from the standpipe of the TOT
floor to wet down the north wall Of
the skyscraper, and they came out in
to the night dragging their length Of
the line, to face a gale of wind thai
took the breath from between theil
teeth. They struggled against it
through the darkness, toward the light
of fire over the parapet, and they
looked down there through the smoke
at the flames in the roof of an adjoin.
ing clothing house twelve stories be-
low them
Captain Ball had followed them.
'Turn on your water!' he beloved
above the storm to the men behind
them, and in moment a feeble
stream swelled the line Of hose and
gushed from the pipe" He swore
at it. at can't spit past its chin" he
said.
1t Strengthened slowly as they
watched it. keep victim her DOWN."
he shouted in Germans ear "Get up
another liner he cried to the rest of
the crew.
The rushing of the wind drowned
their answer, but they hurried below
to obey him. He remained with Cor
man and Hanrahan, watching the fire
spread and brighten in the roof of the
clothing house. German was still
grinning at his "Cant spit past its
chin"
They were 200 feet above the street
level. and the storm, hurting itself
across the huddled roofs below them,
drew up draft of heat and smoke to
them as If they were looking down
chimney. They could guess what the
heat must be In the street, for across
the road the woodwork of the win
dows of five story building had
caught fire without the touch of any
fame, and pygmy crew We're drench-
ing it with stream which they shot
up straight from the sidewalk. officers
the size of manikins ran up and down
in the ruddy glow, waving their little
arms. The fire flowed over the roof as
if it were burning oil, and the smoke
more sitting with every breath
Their weak stream dribbled down
the wall to dry out on the hot bricks
before it touched the point of danger,
and German leaned over the parapet
to see that the paint was beginning to
peel off in great scales far below. Han |
rahan and he tried hopelessly to reach /
these by swinging the pipe from side t
to side. They might as well have
tried to irrigate desert with it. Their
eyes were dry and beginning to smart.
The rest of the crew came up again,
dragging a second line.
Captain Ball turned to the lieuten-
ant mo use bringin' more lines up
here'' he shouted. ''Windows II be
breakin' There amt a shutter on the
whole blamed buildin'. Fireproof?
She's matchwoodl Back down to the
twelfth floor Get lines stretched to
the air shaft therew
The men went back with their hose.
do the best you can up here" he
advised German Chiefs orders to
wet her down. Look out for the air
shaft"
German caught the first of these in
structions, but the wind carried away
that last warning of danger, and the
captain turned and left the two men
unconscious of the catastrophe which
was preparing for them.
The air shaft, in fact, was acting as
a sheltered fue for the flames. 1t cut
a deep groove into the wall Of the
building at Germans left,
and the wind, rushing into it, rose
straight aloft, blowing up sparks like
he draft of a blast furnace. German,
only the wall and the win
lows below him, pitied the crews at :
work in the street He was wishing
or quid of chewing tobacco, and he
remembered with evaporation that
Ianrahan would have none. That was
me of Hanrahan's social limitations
lie did not chew. He had been nick
FAMED delicate Pete" by his fellow ,
at fire headquarters, and
sorman, who was known dis Bail Cor. ;
nan. being the big man Of his class, '
lad despised him from the day that ;
he instructor, having pitted them
gainst each other in a race with seal
ng ladders, had then publicly com d
AIRED German to baby hippopotamus
n point of nimbleness because Han Il
ahan had run away from him. G.
These two were being "broken" to- t.
ether with all the hard work of the E
but there was no friendship II
etween them. They rarely spoke to n
ach other for German had found II
[anrahan's conversation all "hot air a.
n free silver" and had quarreled with fe
i'm about this wearisome enthusiasm re
or politics. They continued stolidly u
t their work now in the silence of mu- III
lal Indifference. The growing strength al
{ the stream threatened to tear the q
ozzle from their hands, and they
Used the hose to their shoulders to l.
end it in a swans neck arch that oC
mt the water kissing down the bricks 10
They were busted so when they saw 10
blush green fame flash in the red OF
the fire in the roof below, and bl