The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1881-11-08 00:00:00

A FIERY TRIAL

The Koiniothe Zeiteng publishes the following graphic
description of the to e-t fin, in Michigan. lUll .) written
'1 the wife of • German farmer who lives sear
Charleston —" Between II and 12 p.m, we were all of
irncie overwhelmed with darkest night and • thick
suffocating smoke, now and then tinged blood red by
lightning-like flashes from the distant ere spread all
over the tandems,. It was fearfully hot; and the f orlon,
wind which had cotno wit% t%e smoke, roared round the
trees which surrounded our (arm, as if the last day were
come. The storm met us like the breath from the mouth
of hell, when. anxiously icebox our way, we left the house
t aacei thin the state of things and to see—if one can speak
rf seeing—whether we mignt to prepare to die. It almost
seemed so, for large firebrands fell through the glowing
air, flames rolled in the distancs, and the storm howled
through the crashing tress as lilt would tear them up by
tho root.. At seven o'clock the flames approached nearer
and lit up toe fearful pictiare, till now veiled by the
smoke, with • lurid glare. We were iii crest danger ot
belog roasted alive I bad already male ray peace with
II , when suddenly to my inexpressible joy, I
observed that the fire was moving to one cde. But still
sparks and firebrands fell ha heaps Is our farmyard, and
my husband and I had to fight desperately against the
greedy element, My husband n left his put for •
moment, but bell .•ut tit we could say, ' Now it Is past.'
The situation was more dangerous abut nine o'clock.
Smelts fall like hail, and her, and there set on fire the
dry wood in the vieinitY if the house. Our children
screamed and mune I eixingh to break me hear', •nd no
help was to be expected from outside. At last I could
hear the misery of the children no longer. I took them and
fled to • clearing, witt:re I made them • bed of met theses
and clothes fetched from the house. My little girl
Bertha, tired with weeping, slept in spite of ft s and
smoke, and I left her quiet for a moment. But then I
was amid that the might be auffocaied and I !Gilt her
hack to the house, as now the great danger was over. I
rnsieel scarcely looked like • human being ; blackened,
half-blind, with dishevelled hair, I tottered about, tired
to death, and yet not daring even to sit down. It was a
fearful Might, and we all longed for day but at six in the
morning no light was to be seen, and we almost lost hope,
for we knew now that we they'd experience further
horrors in the dense darkness. And oo it was. It
remained so completely dark that we did not even know
when the second evening commenced. The following
night was terrible for the wind had changed unfavourably
for us and blew exactly towards us. Happily the path the
fire took was pretty well burned out already, and no we
were able with unceasing eff rts to save our hams once
&gain. The whole night long the sparks and firebrands
fell, but we exiaguithed them before thy could do any
harm. Now all around us, far and wide, everything is
desolate and black, and the smiling landscape is changed
into • dreadful waste. Men and animals have perished
in heap*. Two miles from us eight pervas were found
dead in a well. Corpses lie on all the piths and roads. It
is all so terrible that I fairly despaired. For three whole
days I could see nothing,, and my hushand's eyes were so
affected that I believed be would bo blind for ever. Now
we are pretty w•li recovered and happy to have escaped,
for, except 2,000 fe is:ll...jells, we have lost nothing. Charles-
ton is completely burned down, and the sufferers from
this terrible calamity are everywhere in the greatest
minty."