ACROBAT HERO

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18858, 8 November 1935, Page 3

ACROBAT HERO

FIRE RESCUE SCENE CLIMB ALONG COPING CTRL CATCHES BABY LONDON. Sept. 26. A .sivofei acrobat, n waitress and a London detective oft' duty played leading parts in the dramatic rescue _of three families trapped in a burning building in Charlotte street, London, \V, last night. The acrobat, .Tames Poxon, climbed along' the coping, 60ft above the street, from an adjoining house to the top-floor room in which Mrs Roberts and her three children were trapped, iuid helped to hand them to the detective and' other men on the roof. Mrs Kyriaeon threw hot two-months-old baby from a .second-floor Window into the street 20ft. below, where it was eaught unhurt by ,the Waitress, Miss Lin a Maughttn. Several other people jumped into a window blind pulled, our for the purpose. The (ire broke out in rooms above a grocer's shop. The flames leaped rapmly up the crowded building, the occupants of which ran to the windows ealling for help. When Mrs Kyrineon shouted: "I am going to throw my baby out," the onlookers 'begged her to wait imtil the Arc brigade arrived. There was a scream from the crjowd wfron she threw the child, followed by a cheer when it was brilliantly caught by Miss Muughan. A few moments later the mother .jumped into window blind. She, also escaped unhurt. Another family on the first floor, Mr and Mrs Theodosidis and their son, ,:iged S, also jumped into the blind. DETECTIVE INJURED Meanwhile Mrs Roberts, with her three children, Lena, S, Robert, <i, and David, ."'., were seen at the top floor Window. While Poxon climbed to them lip the front of the building P.C. .lames Gr6on, a 0.1.1). officer off duty, I.uigi Oiordiani, and William Alfred George reached I lie roof from an adjoining building. Poxon lifted the children to the three other men on the roof, whence they were able to descend through another house to the street. Mrs Roberts was rescued by firemen. P.C Green, who was to have been, married this week, collapsed w'hen he reached the street and was taken to hospital with it shoulder injury. He was also treated for partial suffocation. George was treated for cuts. Mrs Roberts and the three children were taken to Middlesex Hospital and detained, suffering- from burns and shock. Poxon makes his living by performing 'before theatre queues. Three other people were rescued by firemen, and a woman was dragged through a window to an adjoining house by a police sergeant. So fierce were the flames that the top of one escapes caught alight. Despite the intense heat firemen wearing gas-masks entered the Ihuilding to make sure That all the occupants had been got out. Shortly afterwards the roof collapsed, but within an hour the flames had been subdued.