The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1866-09-20
THE STORY OF A HERO.
DY GEOEGa N.EVlLLr FINN.

J.
Here We are living about as exciting !,
N!c rs ucn can lead always on duty,
and ready at a moment 10 have set to
w;th the wrist fire th?t ever broke out.
No; | shall never &C. 70 take it as a
matte: sr co,.rSc; for it's all dark, rush
and excitement; and / iyc it, sir
Ela>', co,Acs TIC i:cws to us by tclc-
graph, most likely; out come the hor-
ses there's light put to the ready
trimmed fire aud then with train of
sparks flying out behind US, as the fire
roars, and the stcsns getting up, away
gallop the horses. Ay, it's Hi' ltoi
hollo! and they clear the road for us
and away we 90 full eallup down tic
streets, with the horses hoo:s striking
fre, the crowd shouting, aud the run
ming, mob increasing at every step
EThere's something in it as warns one
blood; aud as to the danger--wcll OF
course it's dangerous ; but when We
feel that VIC are doing our duty, and
know what's before us, why, somehow
We don't remember the danger, but 80
at it in earnest.
Now, there's only last week, sitting
as was waiting for call, there it Was
at last, late on it the night, when the
streets were clear; aud away we tore at
something like pace. Oxford street
Holborn, down the Hill, up Skinner
and Ncwgate street whoop! and away
at full gallop, with the horses ENJOYING
it, bless you, and lashing out till it's
hard to say whether they didn't make
more sparks than the fire under the
boiler. We wanted no more instruc-
tions, for there was the red glow on
ahead; and as we got nearer VIC could
almost see the sparks and at lost We
did see them come pouring and rolling
along with the smoke, and being Il
heavy, hot night, hanging like thick
star-spangled cloud just over our heads.
Two engines were there, and as it
happened so late, there were not 50
many people as might have been ex-
pected; but as soon as I got there /
saw as something particular was the
matter, and this is what it was. The
FIRE was in quite narrow court, where
they couldn't get the escapes, and
there were people burning to death ;
while above the shouting of the mob
and clanking Of the engine hard at
work, you co6ld hear their awful cries
for help.
N>w, don't you suppose that I'm
proud of all this Pm going to tell you,
because I'm not. NOW, II you
dash in and save any ones life, why 10
doubt it would be brave and gallant,
because you would have done it out Of
true compassion for suffering fellow
creature; but then with me it's quite
different. Pm paid SO much a week
to save life and property from fire; con-
sequently I only do what's my duty TO
do.
I runs up the court, axe in hand, and
soon sees the state Of affairs. One
house was in blaze from top to bot
tom, and the flames had worked through
into the next, and we're attacking the
one opposite, while with their escape
regularly cut of, there were about half
dozen people at the upper windows of
the same house, and no way Of getting
to them. There was no back door to
the place, being in one Of those crowd
cd city places; while the door in front
and stair case were now fast getting i'll
to state Of glow, off which tha water
sputtered ans steamed without making
any impression.
There was no time for ladders or any
thing else but the sheets, and them we
got stretched out for the people to jump
into, but poor things! they dared not,
and what to do could not tell. There
vas the fire blazing up higher and high
or, and lighting UP two Of them old city
churches that you sec lost down those
old courts, and locking as if they'd been
put there out O the way because people
didn't have any use 1or them ncw.---
There they we're lit up and glowing,
and the pigeons that lived up there
scared and flying round and round the
fire; there was the rush and roar of the
wind along the court as it set towards
the fire; and there were the flames
leaping up, the clouds Of sparks rising,
the clouds of smoke rolling away, and
the cracking sputtcr Of the states as
they few with heat, and then slid rat
Ting off into the court beneath, smash
upon the pavement. Every now and
then came louder roar aud crash as
rafter or beam fell in, and sent the
sparks up in a whirlwind. And there
all the time were those poor creatures
uttering the widest piercing shr'eks for
help that you ever heard. Now, I've
heard so much Of that sort Of thing that
you'd expect I shouldn't mind it; but
do though; and as said about the
fires, l don't think I shall ever get to
take it as a matter Of course for there
Is something very awful IN seeing fcl-
low creatures strong and hearty, and
yet dying before 5syour eyes. and you
not able to save them.
But I wasn't idle all this time not
bit of it, for every minutes worth
something at fire, and if you give it
too much time it will beat you. Under
the circumstances the first thing was tc
save life, and whilst them as had tho
branches did their best to keep the fire
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