As they came out of the warehouse Mr. Allen was there to meet them, with the chief of the department alongside.
“Here, Frank, the chief will attend to that.”
“No, keep as many men down here with the water as you can. Give me a couple of men to bring up a ladder through the lodge next door, and we’ll get to the roof. Then we can douse this powder down the shaft and slow it up enough to fight.”
“We’ll put a hose up there, too!” cried the chief.
“Look out for the garage over there!” went up a shout from the crowd just at this juncture, and they all turned to look.
Great fiery embers were floating down on the roof of the garage which stood on the opposite side, wherein was stored barrel upon barrel of oil and where a great deal of oily waste was lying around, gas also being kept in the tanks which were fed from the sidewalk.
“Put a hose on that garage!” called the chief. “Now, Tom, you and Andy get a ladder and go with these two boys. Get to the roof adjoining. Tell Micky to send a hose up through the stairway next door and try to get it to the roof.”
The two boys got around the corner, the police keeping the surging crowds back, and started up the steps to the lodge room at the top. Reaching there, panting hard for breath, the two boys faced the door of the lodge room, closed, locked.
But Frank knew better than to go this way. In all such buildings there is an opening to the roof from the hallway, and Frank’s observation was that this opening was usually at the rear. So it was in this case.
In another moment the two firemen with the ladder hoisted it in place. One of them scrambled to the top, unhooked the hatch, threw it on to the roof, and all four of them were very quickly out on top.