The sun., 1919-06-05
WOMAN Is SAVED
FROM DEATH LEAP
Poised on High Window Sill
5 When Fireman Jumps
to Rescue.
ACTS AS A PENDULUM
Fitzpatrick Crashes Against
Mrs. Canda and Knocks Her
Back Into Room.

1t is the judgment Of Fireman Tim
Fitzpatrick Of Engine Company 224 of
Brooklyn that the world is filled with
men having the qualities of courage and
physical hardihood, but that the supply
OF those who think and plan will never
be in excess of the demand.
He set his Ave wits to work the
moment the telephone rang in his engine
house yesterday and word came in that
n woman was standing on the sill of a
ninth floor window OF the Hotel Bossert,
at Hicks and Montague streets. and an
nouncing her intention of leaping to the
Tagging of a court below. It was her
husband, NJ. NJ. Canda OF 121 Third
avenue, who called up. He explained
that she had locked herself in a room
In the hotel and was shrieking to a
group OF policemen and hotel servants
who were trying to force their way in
that she meant to leap from the window
within few minutes in any event, but
that she would do it forthwith the
moment one of them put his foot inside
the door.
The husband was so agitated that he
had difficulty In sending his message
over the telephone, but before he hung
up he managed to add that his wife had
been suffering from a nervous break
down for several weeks and had shown
especial depression within the last two
days. She had left her home on Tues
day night and gone to the hotel. insist
ing that she was unable to sleep in her
own house and refusing to permit any
member of her family to accompany her.
Fitzpatrick Does Some Thinking.
The street outside the hotel was
crowded with people gazing at its upper
windows when the engine drove UP.
Mrs. Canda was at a rear window. and
even IL she made good her threat to
jump there would have been no spectacle
for the multitude out front. But the
hremen made no effort to dispense the
crowd. Wherever a fire engine comes
for duty there are always people looking
up
They went into the hotel carrying a
fire net with them. Fitzatricl. who had
one end of It. denied last night that the
net was any part of his planning. saying
that where there IL time and opportunity
nets are regulation and always stretched
under persons balanced on high lodges.
But the coil of rope over his shoulder
was all his own idea and as soon as
the elevator took him upstairs he I'M
folded plan to his captain.
Captain Manning began to issue ap-
propriate orders forthwith. He sent a
hotel employee for pass key. He had
other men gather up enough pillows from
other rooms to cover entirely the floor
of the room next to the ono in which
Mrs. Csnda had barricaded herself. A
door connected the two and a group Of
f1remen and policemen stepping in sill
ence over the carpeting of pillows ar
ranged themselves against 1t. Meantime
the fire net had been spread from win
dows a floor below Mrs. Canda to receive
her II she leaped. Mr.. Canda and a
couple OF others were posted at the door
of Mrs. Canda's room opening into the
corridor to keep her engaged in con-
versation. This was wholly Fitzpatrick's
notion.
"As long as they stay there" he told
his chief. and give her q chance to bawl
them out through the locked door they
ought to be able to keep her mind of the
Jump"
He and Capt. Manning and four more
fremen went with the rope to the floor
above. There, from a room to one side.
they fed the rope out of a window until
they learned how great a length OF II
was needed to reach to the centre OF the
lower half of the window of the floor be-
low. Having estimated this they hur-
ried to the window directly over Mrs.
Canda and fastened an end of the rope
in a double sling about Fitzpatrick's
shoulders and waist.
Bounces Woman to Safety.
He had vetoed a suggestion that he be
let down vertically and by degrees He
insisted that the moment the woman
saw his feet she would jump and he
would lose her. He explained that the
laws OF mechanics and gravitation are
constant: that II with the rope at just
the right length he were to jump straight
out he would begin to describe a quad
rant through the air the instant the rope
became taut and would literally fly in
at Mrs. Canda's window and carry her
into the room with him.
30 with his captain and four house.
mates holding the rope at a mark they
had made he sprang straight out and
al, was fulfilled according to his specifi-
cations. Those watching her said after
wadr that Mrs. Canda collected herself
to leap. when for an instant his bulk
appeared between her and the sun. But
she was not quick enough and the i'm
pact Of his arrival carried her irto the
loom and to safety. He and she were
a; trips on the floor when the men who
had been standing on pillow. In the
rom adjoining swept In and relieved
him OF further responsibility.
Mrs. Canda was taken to a hospital
and from there to her home. She has
heen in a highly nervous state for more
than year. her condition being due
TO worry over son who has Just re-
turned home after a year service in
France. Fitzpatrick is Just out OF the
army himself. Various of his friends
tried to tell him what a good days work
he had done yesterday, but he reproved
them all.
Cant any OF you sec that nerve Is
:he commonest quality going? II you
want to tell me ! used NV head that's
different. I'll say then that I'm much
obliged"