St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1859-12-29


F'RE.-Rcturning from a Christmas
Dinner on Monday nigh: about ten 0 clock
as we passed the office owned and occupi-
ed by T. ALDEN aud j. nj. McKELvY,
WILLIE MITCHELL, who was with us,
remarked that JAMES fire smelled strong.
lie would haye passed on, but VIC never
fail to investigate a smell Of fire. The
smell Of burning pine was strong. and we
knew they burned oak wood within, that
Mr.. ALDEN was away hunting, and Nc
kELvY sitting where We had just left
him, in Mr.. M1rcHELl.'s house. The
ctice.door was locked, but through the
unshuttered windows VIC could sec al was
dark. So VIC stopped and sent WILLIE
back tor JAMES to come and sec what was
the matter, and before he had git many
steps, called after him that he house was
on lire and the smoke coming through the
roof: 1u a moment, Messrs. AicKELvY.
TAYLOR, MITCHELL, and Sw1ssur14
were there with pail of water.
Opening the door, they were all driven
back by a dense volume OF smoke, Tut no
light IF fire. We started up street for
help, aud Won reputation for getting up
an excitement Oh short notice Nj. GATES
Was the first to enter; went on hands and
knees, and found that the fire Was under
the floor. CHARLES Taylor remembered
there T::s caniste: containing six ponds
OF powder in trunk in the back room.
just over where the fire was burning most
6ereely. He reminded McKKLvY Of the
fact, when Nc. rushed in, the trunk was
all on fire, he seized and passed it through
window to TAYLOR, who tore open the
lid, tho clothes were all on fire around the
canister, and when he got hold Of it it
was hot, but he hurled it safely Into a
snow bank and breathcd again. We
looked at the trunk next morning and
found hole burned in it, through Which
a hat could easily have been passed, aud
every article Of clothing in it was burned
so that only shreds are lett-yet the pow-
der canister was taken out! The house
on ere was not valuable, but it is attached
to row Of wooden store rooms which
run down quite close to Mr.. MlrcuEL,'s
dwelling, then Mr.. TAYLoR's, and Mr..
ScorlELD's, all pine HOUSES, so that if the
fire got we'll started there was no guessing
where it would stop; and few people
thought it would be possible to prevent a
general conaasration, except by tearing
down the burning house; but J. FOWLER
said there never had been house burned
in st: Cloud and they wasn't going to
have one burned now.
JOHN BALL, GATES and Fowler vent
foremost. Others seconded them, aud
we never saw men work IS they did
steadily, quietly, to the purpose. Men
and women carried snow and poured in
through the windows, others brought
water, while the head workers we're GET
ting out books, bookcases, bedding, etc.,
etc., choppins up the floor, pryinS it up
with great levers, and showing the burn
ing boards out of the windows. Hlr
BALL had the shoes almost entirely burn
cd from his feet, and several times Mr..
FowLER-himself working in some OF the
worst placcs-pulled him to the DIOR. but
as soon as he could recover breath, was
back again in the tLickcst OF the smoke
aud flames.
There were heaps of shavinss and
chips under the floor, lett by the builders
These were all on fire, the whole floor
burning underneath until some of the
joists and boards were burned throw; h.-
1t had been burning for hours when dis
covered, with people passing and repassing.
.
Yet they put it out with only the l.:ss Of
the floor and windows Of that one house.
Had we had two fire engines, with c"mpa-
Lies, the entire flock would most likely
have burned. We shall no longer regret
the want Of engines and hose; for town
which has twenty New-England men, as
many water pals, water within reaching
distance, and three or four good axes,
caa::cc! be At much loss for fire apparatus.
Humanity must be better than people
suppose, or else St. Cloud has more than
her share Of genuine heroes.
One lady, in the excitement, cried oat {:
"Oh! I wish it was Mrs. SwlssuELM's