The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-12-02

uGted group, while the lgnoble crowGing
went on maGly among the swiftly roasting
crowd. The tumultuous struggle had been
from the first a loathsone, unreasoning fear
moments coolness. a moments cessation
of the irigbtful efforts to wedge downward.
would have given life to all. The time
came, however, when the faithful Merrill,
stripped almost of clothing. and burned be-
yond recognition, had to give up the heroic
effort, and, plunging through the darting
hame. dashed his burning body in the well.
Earlier in the catastrophe half dozen heavy
sleePers had found taTGiness salvation from
the potato patch, aud they darted into the
timber belt, which had been carefully burned
out long ago to keep the fire from the houses
dere, prone on the ground. they protected
themselves, while the mad crowd. not ten
yards away, roasted in their blindness
The falling trees could be guarded against.
but nothing could save from the encompass
ing hre in the clearings. One came. too,
whose frail chance of life the ueanest crea~
ture struggling in that hot pit would not
have refused, an DID, tottering, half blind,
trembling woman, mother to the owners OF
the mill. She must have been forgotten in
! the first rush, for when she came toward the
| potato patch it was filed with a swarming
crowd thrown prone upon their faces in the
!
! her kindred wrthed in that hdeous knot.
Passing on with decrcpid step, the venerable
/ mother, whose eighty four years had not
Ucrn out GOODNESS and discretion, came upon
a great boulder near the edge of the tim Der.
| Climbing on this, although half suffocated,
she covered her head with her skirts. and
/ with clothes carefully tucked up from the
! running flames, kept fer hours on the back
OF this unique salamander. The only son
that came out Of the fire with his life. it is
said, did not forget his duty. and aided his
mother TO this foTlorn refuge Be that as it
! may, with thick blanket well wetted over
her body and her skirts out Of reach of the
! hot tlncneciary sand the brave old lady perched
on that rock through the long night of agony,
every shrek Of her roasting kindred splitting
her ears, and their burning bodies almost
within reach Of her helpless arms Twice
through the night she received succor, once
/ from her son, who came up and wetted her
covering, and once from the barn>mastsr,
Bush, who also bathsd her head and gave
her fresh water to drink. Thro' the whole
unsPeakabe tragedy Of pi;eous cowardice ran
this vein Of simple fortitude aud heroic en-
durance -
The mill blacksmith, Michael Adams,
stands out as though Of almost antique mold,
lie was man Of gigantic figure and grave.
rough reserve. When the danger came. he
gathered his three children and his baby in
his great strong arms, and with his wife
strobe to the center Of the clearing, where he
calmly placed them on ,wetted blankets. and
covering them with his coat. quietly bror {
water IN buckets and saturated the fraiI mr.
lection. The flames hissed and roare1 afr Mt
him, but he never desisted. RESISTING tbe
no! torrents with wonderful endurance, and
even when his hair was abIaza, his bands
nsShiess' and the Goals eating into his flesh
he continued his efforts for wife and child.
Inc Young engineer and the barn~master
shouted to him to fly to the woods He
seemed to hear them, but, calmly shaking
his head, firmly remained at his post. As
his strength and sight began 10 fail. he
looked with unutterabls yearning toward
the hopeless group at his feet, then glanced
anXlousv toward the wood. Whether he
saw that there was the better chancs cf safe
ty can never be known, for he reeled sud-
denly and dropped like shot in his tracks
When help came to that group the next day
an uLscarted baby lay in the arms of its
dead mother, the fathers arm about both.
They were, Of course. all dead, but the faith
er alone, with one arm burned eff. was nm
recognizable, save by bis. giant frame. Even
the dog that hOwled, smothering in the hot
air and kept in an scstacy Of restless motion
to prevent being roasted on the bot sands.
seemed tosbe impressed by this mans devo,
ton. Wagging delirious inouiry with his
tail, and intsrjeCting sharp barks, he seemed
/ 20 plead with his o6durate master. Hop,.
less OF recognition, then he would poke his
no under the vet blankets, and. after a hor
! ough cooling, emerge dejectedIy, as though
| deprecating the weakness while his master
stood exposed. Sands growing hotter and
hotter, the fOrbeariUg brute made for the
woods, but in mid~career. and almost in the
! performance Of jig-his legs were kept
moving so briskly to keep his from burning
he turned lougiE8ly, as if reminding the
man that this was to safety. No heedfwas
paid bin, and with painful limbs and pite-
Gus whines he returned, and settling his feet
on the blanket, stared eagerly at his master.
His poor singel body was found in that a.
titude OF love and duty.
At the well, which stood nearest the house
wretched group had taken refuge-not
only at, but 10 it. Six people flung them
selves into this last resort, counting corfi-
Gently on it as place Of security. Finally,
when crippled by the fire and exhausted BY
his long efforts, the young man Merrill threw
himself into that crowded pit also, the D ace
was packed Even here his presence Of mind
was all that saved life where life had yrry
little chance. The frail wooden curbing
above the mouth had taken fire and the
flames began 20 ran downward fercey. The
paraiyzed group dared not put cut their
heads. lest the flames would smother them.
But Merrill, without a moments hesitation,
uprose and flung the dangerous thing away,
and the barn-master, lowering about the
edge of the woods, presently refreshed the
smothered victims by bueketfu of water
The well was. notwithstanding, place of
death. The flames. sweeping savagely over
the clearing, lurched and spit down hate
fully into the crowded pit, and soon the
steady blaze from within indicated the fate
of its inmates. Merrill still held his mind
and resisted tie flames. In this he was aid
ed by Bush, who helped him to his final de-
liverance, and aided all who would listen to
him manfully. and to him the few that were
saved in a large measure owe their lives.
He brought water from the creek tn aid the