Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1866-11-17

Let him 60 hrst,' says the married
man. "I'll wait"
"'Tain't his turn" I says, rather obsti-
nate like. "Over you 60" And at 81 Oh
a time one cant be interfered with, and
having made my plans 50 far, l ddn's
want them altered. So, "Over you go p
I says.
II think can crawl he says, and he
got out on the ladder but, instead of
crawling, he sat astrde of it and worked
himself along, with the crowd hurrahing
and cheering him tremendously.
And up came the fame and smoke and
the roar, aud crackle and falling in of
timbers vas getting terrible. Every place
was light as day, while as to the heat,
declare it seemed to scorch you terribly
"The sooner you're across end me with
you, the better like it," says, and then
I took a look around to see how matters
were, when there came crash md ruff
and in a moment the flames came whir-
ling and wreathing up from underneath
where I stood, and just as the last chap
had his leg on the window sill and I was
going to tie the rope around him, he gave
yell and fell back, or rather pulled him
back into the smoky room, and be tainted
dead away.
He must have gone down crash into
the court, if hadn't have dragged a,
him; but there was no time to lose. |
made the rope fast and got him 90 to The
ladder, with the flames darting up thro'
the rounds and burning bis hair; and
then / shouted to them to haul and haul
and they did, with ne trying to steady
him with my end Of the rope bat before
he was quite across something went snap,
and staggered back in the room, hold
ing on the piece Of burnt through rope,
and with my heart sinking AS | felt tba,
my own salvation was partly gone.
Just then the flames we're waf'ed on
one side and | saw ,ba. they were drag
ging in the last of the seven, and felt
that | bad done good nights work, and
it was time to save my elf, I'm not ash
AIMED to own it. dsi feel frightened AS
| threw down that piece of rope, and it
must have been something like a cry of
horror / gave when got ho'I of he lad
der and Gel, it burn my lands and then
as tried to bear upon It, felt it rrunbIe
AMI give way, AMI ,ha. | was with ,ut a
Way ID escape
Far above the noise of The fire. ami wa
ter came the shrek of the crowd as the
l-----il A. IA -, - .l-~:.-
by one end against the opposite honse,
whilst their came up such ruth Of flame
and smoke past he window that could
not look out; hut direc " after heard
the fierce rush Of water, aml could see
that four branches were della 5iny the
window, aud oil beneath Tor my mates
knew what danger | vas IN.
ran to the window and was beaten
back by the water, while the Smoke that
came up Vas quite binding Then tried
through the hot vapor in the room to see
if | could get oat Of the door and reach
the roof; but just a, ,ha. mo'n~n' there
came a full fash through the smoke, ana
could see that the back Of tie house
was IN FIRE, while from the way the flames
rushed up again in aud Sled the court. |
knew shat there was no help to be had
from the opposite side, for they mast be
beaten from the window
! had been in some dangers in my
time. but till now there had always seem
ed road ou: ; and as | tore furiously
around the place, with the sw.a, dropping
of me, end the horrible fear Of death so
close at hand, seemed to be regularly
unnerved, and fell to shreking and CRYING
out that my mates had deserted me, when
they were on the roof and had let down
rope to me, but | could not see i, and
then At last one Of them was let down
and tried to get in at the window, bur the
flames beat him back, aud groan came
from the people when they saw tina, all
that could be done had been.
As told you, l seemed quite to lose
my nerve, and run about >hri king FIR N
few minutes, and then fell down on my
lace upon the hot a or; bot, directly after
my mind seemed 10 c, M again, and
felt that il mus. die should have done
thy duty, and / had saved seven poor
creatures and as ! though, that, Irose to
my knees, and words came to my lips
words that come to my heart as l ,hought
Of those Who had been once saved from
the fiery furnace-and l prayed too that
might be saved.
Aud All it was hard to pray thereto
keep your thoughts in the midst Of the
fierce suffoca,ing heat Of smoke aud steam
from the water pouring in'o the room and
how everything else but the words Of
prayer came into ones mind and it was
as il devils-despairing, kissing devils
wora - h;onsrinu into my oar IN cnrse and