Year: 1877

his head back, and swung slowly TO and
fro, swayed by the breeze which the
roaring flames above created. His
limbs swung around convulsively, as
though to catch upon something, be it
ever so slight. Then he let go, and
groans went up from hundreds of throats
as he whirled round and round, and
finally struck the stone tagging with a
loud thud. A few whose nerves were
equal to the occasion ran to him, and,
picking him up, carried him across the
street to saloon, and laid him ON the
floor. His arms and legs were broken,
but his white face, with great drops of
sweat standing out on it, was unstained
by blood. He breathed hard for few
minutes and died.


A man appeared at one of the fourth
story windows on the Walnut street side.
He was in his night dress, and his de-
meanor exhibited frantic excitement.
He yelled to the crowd, "What shall /
do ?" The crowd, as frantic as himself,
cried =" Jump" The man appeared to
hesitate. Jump !" Jump !" came again
from hundred hoarse throats. Again
the man looked down from his dizzy
eminence to the cruel stone pavement
below. "Jump - came again from the
throng now moving backward and for
ward with more intense excitement, and
looking up with wild agitation at the
sheeted, trembling object above, now
standing on the window-sili. The man
jumped. The figure wavered III its
flight, turned, struck the corner of the
balcony, and, bounding off, fell on to the
pavement, striking there with a heavy thud
on the head and shoulders. The man
rebounded with horrid cry, and fell
back on the pavement He gave the
name of j. f. Wilson. Before he could
give any further particulars he had ex-
pired.


A thrilling scene was witnessed at the
east front. At one of the windows on
the fourth floor appeared man in a
night-dress. Glancing around he APP
peared to realize his situation perfectly.
The ladder had been taken away, and
below him was sheer descent of sixty
feet. To Jump was certain death.
"What shall l do?" he asked. Stay
where you are" answered the crowd,
aroused to a clear appreciation of the
imminence of the danger and of the pos
sibility of securing help. "God de-
liver me, he exclaimed, looking up at
the lurid sky and down at the floors be-
low him, now all ablaze. He looked up
ut the sky, and his hands clasped in
prayer. Lord, for Jesus sake, could
be easily heard by the throng
below, calmed into perfect ST.
lence. 1t seemed hours before the
truck was brought. 1t must have
seemed centuries to the lonely man
standing mt the darkened window and
! lighted 10y an occasional flash from the
flames around him, and startled by the
crash that came here and there of falling
walls. Lord, for Jesus sake" he cried.
"Stand where you are, said fifty voices.
The truck finally came and was slowly
and clumsily raised to the window. Two
firemen went up and put the man on the
ladder. He came down slowly, his limbs
he raised himself up to his full height
&" Hurrah for ST. Louis y he said "New
York amt dead yet. Then he got de-
vout again. Raising his hand up to the
sky, he said, in lower tone Lord,
forgive me for every sin that l have ever
committed. To think of having your
door opened with cry and find the whole
building on fire and then to get out !!
Lord, l thank Thee. have been in fires
before, and in battles and fights, but this
beats all. He was too much excited to
give any rational account of himself, and
was hurried away in an overcoat which had
to be forced on his shoulders and held
there by the two strong tiremen, who
escorted him to a place of safety. His
name was Charles p. Kennedy. One
woman came down from fourth floor,
unaided, on rope, a feat which few
men would care to try. Two men
jumped from the fourth-hoor windows
on Walnut street about the same time.
One was carried into the drag store in
the northeast corner of the building and
appeared to be not dangerously hurt.
Another was taken up still breathing,
and carried into the ST. James Hotel,
where he expired in few minutes. A
thrilling scene transpired on Fifth street
about half an hour after the alarm was
sounded. man and woman had been
seen for some time in tifth-story win
dow. Finally the woman became panic
stricken and jumped. Her headlong
flight through the air was witnessed by
five hundred people who rushed across
to the spot where she had fallen. She
had alighted feet downward and
was not dead. They carried her
across and laid her on mat
tress at the st. James. All eyes now
turned to the husband, who just then
seemed to gain some keenness. He tore
up the bedding, and, tying the ends,
threw out the strip The firemen tied
rope to the end He pulled it up, made
it fast, and let himself down to the side
walk. His name was VIM. Stewart. A
few minutes later he had joined his wife,
of whose recovery there was hardly
hope.


One of the most painful yet thrilling
scenes in connection with the confagra-
ton was the peril of the group of six
women who were caught in the attic room
in the extreme southwestern corner of
the south wing of the building. They
had raised the sash and stood there a
prisoned and apparently doomed bevy
1t was long time before anything was
done that looked likely to effect their
rescue, but, fortunately, the fire was far
from them. A long ladder was final
w,