Show f ADVENTURERS' ADVENTURERS CLUB HEADLINES FROM THE LIVES o OF F P PEOPLE E 0 P L ELI LIKE KE YOU R S ELF I Tower of Terror HELLO You know boys and girls when I was a kid listening listening listening listen listen- ing to those time Christmas tales about Santa Claus there were two things I always used to wonder about One was how could a big fellow lellow like Santa get down that little bit of ofa a chimney of ours and the other was how he managed to come out through a fireplace with a fire lire burning in it without without without with with- out getting burned up himself Nobody ever did give me a good answer to the first of those questions and I had to wait until tn today to get the dope on the second one from Barney Donaghey of New York City And even the information Barney gave me doesn't help much Barney pulled that Santa Claus act once He lIe came right down the tile chimney and went right through the fire in inthe inthe inthe the fireplace and lived to tell the tale talc But Barney doesn't know how he did it Ho He just did that's all Now in the first place it wasn't a chimney Barney got caught in but one of those big towers in an oil refinery refinery- which Is a whole lot worse The refinery was Will located at Aruba In the Dutch West Vest Indies and Darne Barney was employed there as a. a I welder At Its Ite best that's a dangerous job in an oil all refinery An open flame is always risky when theres there's oil around and a welder has haa to do his work with a mighty hot open flame fiame Takes Every Safety Precaution On the night of ot November 8 6 1929 Darne Barney had a Job lob to 10 do ODone on OD one of the big hundred toot foot towers toen and he took look every precaution possible The weld be ho was wae to make Wa w. on Oil the Inside of the tower tow low er ex 90 feet from the ground and 10 feet from the tho top lie had to climb up to that spot from the Inside through a mess of pipes and coils colls but before he be started be he made a mental note of the fact that there was also a ladder running tip up the outside of that I tower to a manhole at the top If It anything went wrong wrong wrong-If If sparks from his welding apparatus set Ore ere to the oil off down dOWD at the bottom there was a way out But Barney wasn't going to start an any fire If It he could help It To make doubly sure he took oak along a helper and left him bins at the opening at the bottom of the tower with Instructions to watch for any sparks falling from above and put pot them out the minute they landed When that was done he started climbing op up to the spot where the welding was wal to be done Up I climbed says say Barney and went right to work as fast III as II asI asI I could I was working at night because it was cooler but it was still lun lie landed sprawling sprawling sprawling-on on something soft plenty hot and I wanted to finish as II soon as possible and end get out In the theair theair theair air again I worked steadily for about an hour and then I noticed that thata a thick smoke was Wat accumulating In the tower Barney Darny noticed the smoke but bat he didn't pay much moch attention to 10 It There are always fumes present around an ell n well and he figured that If U anything had gone wrong down at the bottom his helper would have bave warned him long lone since He ne was anxious to finish that job he was wal working on and he was wal working at top speed Working so 80 absorbedly that he didn't pay an any attention to anything else He lie didn't even stop to take a glance down dOWD the shaft And that absorption almost almot cost coat him his bis life Welder Light Saves Ills His Life Lifo It was the light of his welder that saved laved him Saved him by going out As long loni as It t was working the tower was bright as day But suddenly suddenly sud denly it died died and and then Barney Damey noticed that it wasn't the only light in that tower A bright red glow was wae coming up the long shaft from below The bottom of the tower was on fire Orel The first thing that entered Barneys Barney's mind was a question Why hadn't his hie helper warned him Loudly he shouted the helpers helper's name But Dut there was no answer At that moment Barney was wae more alarmed for his helper than for himself There was that manhole at Bt the top of the tower and the tho ladder leading down the side He could get out that way But Dut if his helper didn't answer something must have happened to him Barney started for the top lop It 1 It took him hardly any time atall at atall atall all to climb that 10 feet and roach the upper manhole Out But there a surprise waited for him a him a surprise that struck truck terror Into Barnay's BarI Bar Oar I nays ncy's heart beart A beam of wood a foot square was blocking the I opening 1 I couldn't get my hand through that opening let alone my head Barney Darney says And I couldn't move the beam because there was a block and fall attached to it IL There I was with the heavens above me and hell heil down below But the heavens were out of my reach and what lay below was hell and no mistake But down dO was the only way Barney could go so down he went I The blaze didn't look as though It were reaching far up the shaft Maybe May May- 1 be he had a chance after all I t The farther down I went sa says cay Barney Darney the more scared I got The smoke was thicker and the heat beat was wal terrific For Fora a moment I played with the Idea of staying In the tower and waiting wailing until the flames ames were discovered ered and pot put out oot But In my heart I knew that wouldn't work It 1 was late at night Supposing Supposing Supposing Sup Sup- posing no one discovered the blaze Suppose It spread and the whole place went up In flames And beside that I 1 didn't know bow long I 1 could hold on 00 In 10 that hot smoke filled shaft Suppose I passed out and fell In that Or fir are unconscious Ho lie Made Mado a Drive for lor the Bottom Opening No No Barney Barney knew he be had to take his hi chances chancel with that fire On down he went He lie was almost at the bottom and Ind the flames were licking Ucking up at his hili feet when he played his last card lIe He pulled his jumper over his hJ head and with hands protected by his heavy gloves he dropped into the midst of the blazing inferno and made a drive for the bottom opening I IOne One blast of heat beat and then theu Barney Darney was wal through the opening his bis body hot bot and his 11 clothes smoking lie He landed landed- sprawling sprawling- on something soft Barney Darne pulled the jumper off hi bli head and took a look at that soft lOft object It 1 was his bis helper just helper just waking up from a sound sleep p. p II He jumped up says Barney Bame and took one look at me And I haven't bavent seen een him sincel When It was all over there wasn't a single bum burn on my body But just the same tame I 1 did no more work that night I let the fire boys boy do the rest with the steam hose Copyright 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