The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-01-03
(Copy1ght.)
A S the old man reached the doorway
IA of the burning building the wom-
a an threw herself upon him and,
fCopynght.)


~ of the burning building the wom-
4 4 an threw herself upon him and'
Selling him by the shoulders. wheeled him
back toward her.
81 tell YOU they're not in the fat she
shrieked above the roar of the names
katie told me she was goin' across the
hall to the Cassidys."
The old man stood staring at his wire
with his mouth wide open and his arms
hanging impotently in front of him. Il
thought they was to home, he mumbled-
..honest. 1 thought they was to home
Kerrigan picked his way over the net
work of hose to the old couple, and
shaking the man by the shoulders, tried
to rouse him from his stupor. whats
up?e he asked briskly.
The old man with wide frightened eyes
looked up at the young one but his
tongue refused to move. so he raised poth
arms and waved them toward the BURN
ing tenement. But it was different with
the. woman There was an assurance IN
Kerrigans manner, and a certain eager
ness in his eyes that made her pelleve
him to be some one In authority, ana SO
she seized him by the broad shoulders ana
pulled him down to her, so that she coulo
they'll be burned alive. The old man told
the fireman they was in the third floor
front but / know they was at Cassidy's
across the hall in the rear building.
He seized the old woman and put his
mouth to her ear. 1.-The third moor PACK
he shouted. The woman nodded her mead
at him, and then in her frenzy turned 10
the crowds pressing agalhse the .. ,upes
"For Gods sake" she shieked, wont
somebody tell those firemen about my
kidsln A passing fireman stopped at the
woman's cry. "Have you got KIDS In
tbere?" he asked The old woman only
shook her head and with her arms beat
the air in the direction of the flames.
sWell YOU got to get out of this, said
tho fireman: that wall is liable to go any
time now" With both hands he half led,
half dragged the old couple away from
the building, and with the aid OF ponce
man finally forced them behind the ropes.
In the meantime Kerrigan stood looking
into the open doorway of the burning
tenement. The fire had not yet reached
the lower floor, and 1t was quite possible
that he could find the fireman who had
gone for the children and tell him that
they were in the back of the house. For
a moment he hesitated, then he pulled his
hat down hard and ran for the open door
way. Inside there was a pale gray smoke
that smarted Kerrigan's eyes, and so he
nose He knew that this must lead to the
Arenen and so, with one hand on the
+hrobbfng rubber and the other one feel
ing against the wall, he CROPPED his way
along the narrow hallway. Halfway down
the passage he found the stairway.
THE smoke was much thicker here and
the roar of the flames and the cracking
Of the timber overhead was quite deafen-
ing. but the hose led him on up the wind
ing staircase For q moment kerrigan
opened his eyes, and through rl1t IN the
smoke he was almost sure that ne saw
tie outline of a figure at the next land
ing. He clutched the banisters with both
hands and called aloud, but his voice
seemed to have lost all of its power, ms
eyes smarted terribly, too, and the awfui
heat was becoming unbearable.
Outside in the sunlit streets half
grown girl pushed and fought her way
through the dense crowd of onlookers
massed before the fire lines. Mother
she shrielked to the old woman, who
was still calling on some one to rescue
her children. Mother, shut up, won't
you-the kids are over to Myers drug
store"
"Glory be to God" whispered the old
woman and doubled up over the rope In
front of her. And as she did so the upper
half of the front wall of the burning
building wavered, while the crowd shouted
its warning and the grimy, rubber-coated
fremen raced toward the crowd for
safety. For moment the great wall of
brick and iron ladders staggered in midair
and then with sullen roar fell back
ward and crashed its way through the
burning floors.
The lights had already begun to twinkle
in the skyscrapers when the four men
gathered about the city desk that night
and talked of the Canal street fire and
the past the present and the future of
.'Beauty'' Kerrigan. Through the open
windows there came from the park below
the shrill cries of the newsboys, the
rumble Of the elevated trains and the rush
Of many hurrying footsteps. The tall
building trembled slightly and then set
tied to the ceaseless throbbing of the
presses down In the basement throwing
the night edition. The city editor shut