A line was passed to them from the street. Hinners, a foreman, made it fast. He ordered his men to precede him down the rope. When he undertook his slide for life the entire building was afire. The flames licked the slender cord and, just before Hinners reached the ground, it was severed.
Miss Mary Devine of Walnut Park, stenographer for John B. May, was in the office of the building with Mr. May when the fire was discovered. Although the other employes fled she remained and assisted Mr. May in placing valuable papers in the safe before leaving. There were fifteen persons in the building when it took fire, Mr. May said.
The fire is believed to have originated in the rear of the basement where the wood alcohol was stored. The explosions splintered the rear partitions and ceilings and spread the flames.
The building was an old one and burned rapidly. Within a few minutes after the alarm was sounded the flames enveloped it. Twelve engine companies were summoned and Fire Chief Classon took personal charge of the work. Tenants of the apartment building on the north of the paint company fled, but their rooms were not damaged.
The fire was fought with difficulty. Firemen "Jim" Moore and Samuel Walters of engine company No. 11 risked their lives on a ladder to keep the flames from an oil tank in front of the third floor which threatened to ignite the top apartments of Mme. Celloni's.
Firemen caused most of the damage to Mme. Celloni's. Costly tapestry and hangings were knocked down and trampled under foot. The place will be reopened soon. It has long been the meeting place of the "true bohemians" of Chicago's literary world and art circles.
The building occupied by the May company was owned by Esther McNain of Hyde Park.
2. Analyze the following story; can you improve it by rewriting?
Riverside residents' New Year resolutions were jolted at the
outset. Just at the break of the first day of 1913 the 110 foot
water tower, sole source of supply for the town, burned to the
ground.
From 5:30 to 10 o'clock no water was to be had. Then hard personal effort by members of the village board resulted in fire hose being connected with outlying hydrants of Berwyn, next village east; water trickled once more into kitchen sinks of Riverside homes. There was not sufficient power, however, to force the water to second floors.
The cause of the fire is unknown. It is believed to have been caused by a defective chimney, as the fire originated near the roof.
