Evening star., 1924-11-02

dow of the fifth floor Of the building.
in imminent danger of falling down
the narrow light shaft. 1t; was sp-
parent that he was overcome, as VOL
umes of smoke and heat were pouring
outward from the room behind him.
Capt Smith ordered the nozzle of the
charged hose line closed and this hose
line was pushed across the shaft.
RERLIN. semi-conscious. was just
ID able to follow the orders given
him to pass it through the window on
which he, was seated. A small step
ladder was then placed on the hose
line and Berlin was told to reach as
far as possible across the shaft. In
the meantime, Capt. Smith. directing
other members of the company to hold
him by the legs, reached across the
shaft and grasped the. dazed fireman.
When Berlin had reached the center
Of the space the ladder broke and fell
to the bottom of the shaft Capt.
Smith, however, retained his vise-like
hold on Berlin's now unconscious
form.
Both men were for several anxious
seconds suspended heads down in the
shaft. Capt. Smiths knee was
crushed severely against the stone
window sill and he was in great pain,
dogged determination. Fireman Ed
ward H. Linehan displayed superhu-
man strength in pulling both men
back from their perilous position.
This fire, although not a tremendous
one, Is an instance of what our fire.
men are expected to face in response
to any alarm in New York City. Fires
are as different in their characteris-
tics as are individuals. When the
- - NrN
one knows whether or not death Is
lurking near or just what kind of
danger will have to be met.
Terrible was the plight OF Lieut.
Harry Schooner of Engine Company
Is in q gasoline blaze at sos Water
street, which started among several
hundred barrels of gasoline stored in
an open space. Fire in wooden bar
rels overheated the metal receptacles
containing the gasoline and num-
Der of these exploded, causing large
quantities of gasoline to food the ad-
joining street and open<spaces. Lieut..
Schooner was cought in the flaming
oil near the curb. and in trying to es-
cape slipped and fell, becoming COM
pletely covered by the blazing fuel.
Capt. Patrick Walsh of Engine
Company Z, seeing the predicament Of
the lieutenant and wholly disregard,
ing his own danger, stepped into the
blazing oil and raised the fallen man.
whose clothing was now on fire from
head to foot. Others carried Lieut..
Schooner to a place OF safety, at the
same time extinguishing his burning
clothing. The lieutenant was SO
badly burned that he is to this day
unfit for fire duty.
This rescue required Quickness of
thought. cool Judgment and precision
of action. Several firemen, acting on
the impulse. started toward Capt.
Walsh and the blazing lieutenant. but
with great presence of mind he or
dered them back, as they would only
have added to the number Of those in
danger without being able to render
effective aid.
TN many cases firemen at great per-
L sonal risk have rescued persons
demented with fear and suffering in
tensely from burns and smoke who
were about to jump from roofs or
window lodges. In other instances
lives have been saved by swinging
heavy person like a pendulum from
roof to roof or pulling bodies by su-
perhuman effort up over ice-encrusted
copings or roof edges high above the
ground.
recall in this connection an act of
great bravery performed by Fireman
James 7. Daniels in an early morning
blaze at 11S East 116th street. This
fire occurred in a private dwelling,
four stories high, and AAfore the first
fire companies arrived on the scene
the blaze had made great headway.
Mr.. and Mrs. Griffin found themselves
trapped on the fourth floor of the
building, and when Fireman Daniels
~ n Snccaade6 n
climbing out of the window and low
ering themselves to the third floor
The commanding officer called to.
them not to jump, and directed Fire
man Daniels to enter an adjoining
building, where he opened window
near to them. BY standing on the
window sill, only four inches in
width and spanning the space be-
tween the two building, distance Of
several feet. he succeeded in guiding
and pulling both persons from the
burning building.
The window panes behind the
couple had been blown out in a series
of explosions, and with the flames
swapping at them they were SO frantic
that it was extremely difficult to calm
them in making their perilous journey
from ledge to ledge. Owing to the
intense heat and smoke, Mrs. Griffin
was practlcally IN q IAlntlnS COnul-
ton, and the fireman, holding the
window sash with one hand. had to
pass the dead weight of an inert hu-
man body with his free arm across
the ledge about 40 feet above the
street, with binding flames licking at
his face.
Strong will-power Is required in
such rescues, together with muscles
of iron and nerves of steel. Firemen
know that there comes a time when
the will-power reaches what appears
to be a stone wall, where the senses
are deadened, perhaps for the frac-
tion Of a second, and where there is
an overmastering lapse wherein the
mind seems to lose it's sense of value.
To give up at this moment seems the
only logical thing to do. but at this
critical point there apparently arises
an unseen force that adds its weight
of will and enables the body to per-
form it's task mechanically. Truly a
psychological problem which might
be we'll worth investigating.
The rescue of Mrs. Rose Berone
from the fourth floor of 1888 Myrtle
avenue, Brooklyn, is a case in which
the element of personal danger was
20.
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