Year: 1877

to do, but the scorching flames were
closing in on him fast, and he bounded
from the window. turning over twice,
and whirling to the stone below, strik.
ing upon his shoulder and head. lie
was Immediately picked up and car
ried into an adjoining saloon, and lived
long enough to say that his namc was
). +. Stevens, when he expired. Two
! other faces soon appeared at the win
dow from which he had jumped, but
the fame and smoke closed them from
view almost instantly, and left no
doubt of the awful fate that befell
them.


THE sWAY1NG ROPE AND EELLYISGi
LADDER.


On the Fourth street side the danger
did not at first appear so imminent.
There was lurid halo above the cor
nice-work. but the whole attention of
fire department seemed at first to be
directed to the Walnut street side of
the building. On the portico, for five
or ten minutes before the hook-and.
ladder company lent any aid to them,
were a crowd of at least seventy-fve
men and women. The men were
shrieking constantly for help, and the
women kept crying out constantly,
adding considerably to the terror CT
the others. Ladders were asked for,
but for several minutes no ladders were
in sight. At length one ladder was
brought in and placed up against the
pOrtico, and there was a general rush
for it. The ladies, in their night.
clothes, were first allowed to descend,
after which gentlemen, having rid
themselves Of their valises and other
superlluities. The ladies were taken
to the saloons opposite and provided
for as best they could. This, however,
was only a comparatively small por-
tion of the work. Shrieks and cries
for help were heard from the upper
stories, and whenever the smoke clear.
ed away and the blaze threw a lurid
glare around the eastern wall, there
were displayed from the upper stories
white sheets, as so many flags Of dis
tress.


The firemen rushed in one direction
! and another. The citizens seemed to
consider themselves so many Fire
Wardens, for the time being, and
everybody was directing everybody
! else as to the best mode Of rescuing
the persons who appeared at the upper
windows. A number of ladders were
brought and placed against the lower
portico. The shrieks in the upper
windows still continued, and SHEETS
were fluttered about from two Of the
windows on the very top floor and one
from the hall window on the fifth floor.
A long ladder was taken up the portico
and several efforts were made to raise
it against the side of the building but,
had it been raised, it would not have
been of the least avail, rs it was ten
or fifteen feet short. The men ON the
portico could not get sufficient pur.
chase, however, and their efforts to
raise the ladder above them were all
useless. The police and tiremen in tho
street called to the citizens to go aloft
and number went up into the porti
co, and few more futile efforts were
made to raise the ladder. In the mean
time the people in danger above kept
calling wildly for help. They asked
for Gods sake, that something be done
for them, and the people below kept
shouting to them to have patience and
aid would come in time. Some OF
those who had made their escape stood
upon the street and cried out that
something be done for their friends


whom they supposed to be within tho
building.


One man went up and down in front
of the building crying, "Oh,my God!''


go, Jerry!" and, upon being question
ed as to whether there were any OF


his friends in the burning building, he
pointed up to the fifth story window
at which two or three forms were dis
cernible through the smoke and mist
and said: "There he is.there's Jerry!
and, before any further information
could be had he was lost in the crowd.


For the people in the top story there
seemed to be the greatest sympathy
and the apparent, though probably not
culpable, dilatoriness of the Fire De-
partment was loudly and generally
deprecated.


The men and women above, seeing
that the efforts made for their rescue
were being made in vain, determined
to do as much as possible towards Sc
curing their lives, and there was &C


cordingly general precipitation OF


bedding from the windows, rs if the
poor creatures desired to make as soft
bed as possible for themselves in the
face of death. The top stories were
during this time, now and then lit III


with glow of fame from the inside


and again wholly enveloped in clouds
of smoke issuing from the various


windows. The men and women wht


had been taken from the portico b,


this time gathered sufficient strength
of mind to go out, and pointed ou


frantically to those whom they sus


pected were still entrapped above, ,an(


waiting for assistance.


! All pleaded earnestly, and citizen


and firemen alike hurried backwar,


and forward to procure ladders o


ropes to stretch out to the helpless


The extension-ladder was at lengtl


brought in. It was wheeled to an
fro. Guy ropes were stretched on


and taken hold of. It was placed u


against the p0rtico, was spread out
it's fullest extent, and found too short
this after innumerable wheeling
about in endeavoring to adjust it. I'm
precautions from the people in tn
; streets, and worse imprecations frOr
the people on the portico, who ha
done their utmost to succor thOs
, above. When the ladder was at lengt
placed in position and found too shor
to be of any avail. There was a ger
eral outcry for rope. Those in tn
, street kept shouting out to thos
, above, "Haven't you got a rope {!
and those above as well kept cryin
out for rope. When the ladder wa
. placed in position and the necessitie
Of the situation thoroughly under
. stood, couple of firemen rushed up
, the topmost rounds and threw co
, of rope to the people in the fifth-stor
window, and the rope was caught an
, was fastened to the iron pillar runnin
: down the centre of the window. Th
) smoke cleared away for a momen
, The suspense in the crowd was il
, tense.