1938-11-11 — Page 11

THE CHINA MAIL FRIDAY SUPPLEMENT, NOVEMBER 11, 1988 ·

"GINGER BATES"

(Continued from Page 1). touched up all the fireman's ten- derest spots excruciatingly. Op- position quickened his fighting zest. In a sudden ambition to become the Brigade's middle- weight, champion, he forgot the fairy of the frozen face; and the rest of the day was spent as usual amongst pleasure-making firemien. A visit to the dogs in the evening; a small win-thanks : to Buckley's crafty - questióning here and there-completed cure. He even felt that, ficiently tempted, he might buy Station Officer Pyman a quart of beer; by way of showing himself the little friend of all the world. That, however, was an emotion that quickly passed; and when he reported for duty next morning he found the friction existing be tween himself and his superior as acidly acute as ever.

the suf-

Pyman was in the very act of criticising Bates' general ineffi- ciency when the alarm went. Gin- ger and Buckley leaped to the seats; the engine screamed out from the station. In a vague way Ginger wished the haughty one of yesterday might see him now-- clinging monkeywise to the rail, tensed and ready to spring into worthwhile action. Half London appeared to be hurrying in the direction of the fire, with London's capacity for enjoying a free spec- tacle.

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"Blimee!" said Buckley. lt promised to be a fire. considerable warehouse, of seven stories in height, was blazing furiously. A hasty police cordon was already moving spectators from the immediate danger-zone. The roar of the flames was like thunder; woodwork was already snapping in a hearty way. A few scared or defiant girls,, smoky- faced, were explaining how they'd made their escape at the first alarm by sliding down improvised ropes from upper windows. They showed their chafed and glowing hands as evidence. Bates ceeded to run a line of hose, as was his duty. He was one of the drones of the busy hive; working in the background, and collecting no limelight; others-branch and ladder-men-caught the public eye and won the cheers of appro- ving idlers. Choking wafts of peculiarly foul smoke blew across his face. Smoke-helmeted

pro-

men.

snatched the nozzles and dashed within the building: all the rush and fury of a major fire were there.

It being in the danger-zone, other motor pumps and escapes came screaming to the scene. It appeared to be the two middle stories that were most seriously affected. Someone said that these floors were devoted to the storage of woollen goods, which, well-impregnated```with natural grease, burnt like loose cordite.

For the moment Bates' natural hankering after self-exhibitionism failed to manifest itself. When He gave the general scene a once- over, he noticed no dazzling young females who might act as gallery to his heroism. Men preponderated; policemen were i the majority. Nothing lay ahead of Fireman Bates but stern, drab duty

Someone, coughing and retching, staggered out through a basement exit. He was caught, - handed over to the First Aid Squad; he vanished. An odd whisper grew current, passing from mouth to mouth. Someone remained inside

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the building. Firemen equipped with breathing gear dashed inside, were lost to view. for tense min- utes; they returned, making ges- tures of futility. The middle staircases were so well alight that to attempt them was to court death.

Bates busied himself with ad- ditional lengths of hose, as, was his duty; he shifted half-shatter- ed articles of office furniture that had descended from windows. Es- capes shot up; water-towers joined in the attack. Bates locked the wheels of an escape; 'saw experts dance aloft. In a spare moment he paused to criticies the left- handedness of such as were de- tailed for this aerial duty. Sta- tion Officer Pyman discovered him, to light-to a length that Was volleying high-pressure water into an upper, belching window. Buck- ley lent a hand; the branch-man was vitriolically profuse in com- ments. Other Station Officers assembled and went into confer- ence; a Superintendent appeared as by magic; took superior control. The fire-fighting armies were mar- shalled; and the desperate attack proceeded. There were casual- ties. Flames surging viciously from a window charred an escape; half-suffocated a man aloft; he was brought down with difficulty. Inside, floors could be heard to crash; and the heat even in the street grew torrid.

Then a white-faced civilian showed up, accompanied by a police sergeant, who looked flus- tered. 'They approached the Superintendent, who at that mo- ment was conferring with Station Officer Pyman within earshot of sweating Ginger Bates. He caught snatches of talk:

A roll-call of employees had been made; somewhere inside the building there were threatened people. Six women had not been accounted for.

Lucky go for some bloke after a Police Medal!". Bates mumbled. It wasn't his affair, anyway. What he had to do was to lug unsympathetic lengths of fiercely pulsing hose here and there at the callous bidding of the superior will. There were many drenching leaks, for the pressure was high; but what did a wetting matter, anyway?

Escapes were shifted, fresh at- tempts were made. More likely than not the missing would have climbed upwards, as folks always did when in trouble. But the Incandescent heat of the middle stories was telling on the upper floors; timber was melting like ice. From the water-towers the roof was being drenched. It was, indeed, a fire!

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But to Ginger Bates a fire, from. his angle, was just another watch on deck. Presently there being uo appreciative audience would be relleved, at liberty to return to the station and-await another call! The canteen came into action hot coffee was served.

And the white-faced civilian still conferred with the Superinten dent, his head sharply back, scan- ning the roof and the upper win--- dows,

There were head-shakes pregnant with misgivings. An escape-was run back, its paint blistered, ita, woodwork ablaze. There were more casualties; and the smoke belehed sickeningly.

“Hi, you ? Pyman told Ginger; “you rellevé over there in the gunnel see what I mean?" They were readjusting the hoses, Cer- tain of them ran anakily down a

narrow alleyway dividing the. doomed warehouse from the next building. More mule-work!

"Ay, ay, sir," said Bates and moved off. :.. Buckley followed him. And actually, it was Buckley who pointed out the thing he saw, A high, blank, unwindowed wall towered loftily towards the smoke-a smeared sky. Unwindowed Baye for one small gable loophole high under the eaves: an almost.negli- gible opening; but from it: some- thing it might have been a woman's once-white, blouse—flut- tered appealingly.

"Cripes!" said Bates. The gunnel was too narrow to permit the entry of an escape of sufficient stability to reach that high point. The blank wall afforded no sort of purchase for the mobile pom- pier ladders, Botes dashed back to where Pyman stood in semi- futile control.

"There's some 'uns up topside!" he barked, and led the way. With- in, another floor fell with a rum-. bling crash that seemed like the end of all things. The police cordon pushed the spectators fur- ther back as roof-tiles began to spatter down. Pyman scratched his head, tilting his silvered hel- met to do it more efficiently. For the moment he was nonplussed. He told Buckley to find and escort the Superintendent to the spot; but as Buckley shambled away, Fireman Bates was seized with one of the more splendid inspira- tions of his chequered career. He was primarily a sailor; and it is a. man's early training that tells in moments of emergency.

"'Arf a mo'!" he gasped, and

went into action according to the best traditions of the Merchant Navy. Though the warehouse wall was blank, that opposite 'showed, as to its upper part, vari- protuberances; ledges of blinded windows, water-pipes; this and that. Topping the lot was a satisfactory. chimney. Bates measured his future battleground with a strategic eye.

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“Can do, by gum!" he said; and hurried to a tender where, he knew, a workmanlike length. of rope was carried. He collerted it, and asking. permission from no man, dashed into the adjoining building, whose staff was already evacuated .08 a precautionary · measure. He sped up seemingly unending flights of stairs, reached the top story, the long, light rope hampering but a little a man who had: often climbed to a masthead "with a cargo-fall to reeve from a truck-block; and found no im- mediate exit to the roof. What of it? For once he forgot to be a showman and became merely a cunning workman intent on doing a job. He smashed through" a window, unnecessarily, for it would have opened easily; and thrusting forth head and shoul- ders, studied his subject. The blouse-decorated window opposite, was higher than this through which he peered; the gulf be tween, though narrow, was too wide to allow an upward, outward leap. He heard another floor rumble into ruin as he gaped at that fluttering bit of feminine ap- parel.

Then he turned and stared ver-

(Continued on Page 8)

"I can tell WHITE HORSE

blindfold

it's equal to a fine liqueur

Sole Agents for South China & JARDINE Matheson aND COMPANY LT