The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1936-07-09

Sure it was a sight. From the Court
Of Honor, from the Manufactures ex-
hibits, from the Art Galleries, from
the Midway and all the shows be-
tween, the people came crowding to
see. Thousands and tens of thousands
of them. Faith, pushing at the fire.
lines that day was city of people.
For the fire kept on gaining. The
water from the tower, like the water
from the ground, was nothing to it.
The blaze, it ran on top the roof; and
that was not so bad, for that the men
on the tower could see. But the flame,
it ran along under the roof; and that
they couldn't see till it broke up from
below sudden on all sides at once, and
cut off the tower entirely.
One man,-John Davis, of the Mid
way company.-he saw it the second
before it burst up; and he Rugged the
hOse-line and came down; and he
reached the roof and ran over it be-
fore it all was blazing. But scarce was
he down before the hose he rode was
burned away; ell other hose to the
tower was burned away; and the life
line like them. Twenty men-the even
score of them-stood at the top of the
tower, the blaze all about below them.
One hundred and ninety one feet
from the ground, they stood; seventy
above the roof blazing all about be-
low them. And God alone could help
them.
Winnie O'Connor O'Mara-she was
thirty-ive years old that month, and
her sons were twelve and fifteen, but
neither were there to witness the deed
of this day-Winnie O'Mara, wife Of
a fireman, got through the throng to
the fre-lines.
who's them on the tower, can ye
tell me?"
Kirkpatrick, assistant chief of bat
TALON
That l know; can We name some
that stand up there with him?"
CahiIl of Company Eight, 1 hear;
Bill Denning of One; Lieutenant Free
man, One; Garvey; and Breen Of
Chemical Fourteen; O'Mara Of Two;
Nat Howard"
"O'Mara, did ye say, of Engine Com
pany Two?"
"O'Mara. Yis; l hear he went up"
"He would!'
Lord save ye, is he yours? Do ye
know him?"
Yes; / know him"
Then she saw him on the tower; she
knew which, of the score of men be-
yond all human help, was he that was
hers.
They crouched, for shelter from the
heat Of the flames below, on bit Of
a balcony near the top. There, if the
tower burned fast, they had ten min
utes left them; at best, maybe twen-
ty-bare minutes of life TO those fine
strong men that stood in the sight Of
all and must die. And they, best of
all, knew it, as they looked down, the
twenty of them
And it struck all to silence.
Higher the blaze burnt, and hot
ter. Faith, you could feel it hot on
the ground where you was thrust back
by the fre-lines. What was IL TO
them On the towerl
But no shame showed there; there
was not a coward among them. All
could see on the tower a man shaking
hands with his fellow beside him.
Farewell between men, it was; and an
other gave his hand TO him.
Then the form of him hung In the
air over the flames. For a fash of
second, he seemed to stand in the
air; for your heart had stopped for
him. Then be came down. He'd TAX
en- his choice and jumped: and into
the blaze he went, to the end Of him.
Now a second shook his fellows
hands; and he jumped. Then they
stopped that
Some one on the tower had found
a length of lifeline. Like enough,
they'd spliced some poor pieces to-
gether. They let it down but only
to see 1t burn off. Yet twenty feet
of line hung down from the shelf; if
may have been twenty-five, but the
end of it burning. One came down
the rope TO the end-the hands of him
smiling the fire where the hemp was
burning.
He swung q bit on the rope, and
those above tried to swing him out;
so now you could see the dream of
them. There was a spot on the roof
below, which was not yet in flame,
and the plan was TO swing him at it.
He let go and dropped. And the
rope, where his hands had been,
caught fire again.
fourth came down; and his fell.
lows above swung to help him. He
dropped, and there was the rope afire
again, and each time shorter.
Who'd be next? On that tower there
was no man that shamed himself, not
onei "Ye gol I'll waitI Ye
goI' We could see them saying.
Fitzpatrick, he had TO order them;
and all could see him do it, as they
came down, one by one, each snuffina
the flame from the rope as he hung
and swung; and dropped-and Their
the line caught fire again.
ITO BE CONTINUED