, 1871-12-04
their hold on tho friendly logs were swept
under the waters.
IN THE FLAMES,

their hold on the friendly logs were swept
under the waters.
IN THE FLAMES,
This was the situation above the
bridge; below. no less narrowing thing
happened. The burning timbers of the
mill, built at the edge of the bridge,
blew and foated down upon the multi
tude assembled near the flats, and in
ficted the most lamentable suferings.
The men fought this new death bitterly;
those who were fortunate enough to
have coats, flung them over the heads
of wives and children, and dipped wa
ter with their hats on the improvised
shelter. Scores had every shred Of hair
burned off in the battle, and many lost
their lives in protecting others. The
firemen had made an effort to save some
of the buildings, and the hose was run
from the river to some important edifce.
The heat instantly stopped the attempt,
but not before the hose, swollen with
water, had been burned through in a
hundred places. although the onslaught
of fire and wind had been instantane-
Gus. the fierce, sitting currents of heat
careered through the air for hours.
These currents were more fatal than the
flames of the burning village. Ignorant
of the extent Of the fire and the fright
full combination of wind and flame,
many of the company's workmen, some
with wives and children, shut them
selves up in the great brick building
and perished in the heats of the next
half hour. Others on the remote streets
broke for the clearing beyond the woods,
but few ever passed the burning barrier.
Within the boundaries of the town and
to the multitude the river ac-
WIS rather limited, and
when the animals had crowded in, the
situation was full of despair. The fats
were covered with prone figures with
backs ablaze and faces pressed rigidly
into the cooling moist earth. The
flames played about and above all with
an incessant, deafening roar.
The tornado was but momentary, but
was succeeded by maelstroms Of fire,
smoke, cinders, and red hot sand.
wherever building seemed to resist
the fire, the roof would be sent whirl-
ing into the air, breaking into clouds
Of flames as it fell. The shower of
sparks, cinders, and hot sand fell in
continuous and prodigious force, and
lid qnite as much in killing the people
IS the first terrific sirocco that succeed
ed the fire. The wretched throng neck
deep in the water, and the still more
helpless beings stretched on the heated
sands, were pierced and blistered by
.hese burning particles. They seemed
ike lancets of red hot steel, penetrat-
ing the thickest covering. The evil
lence now remains to attest the incredi-
ble force of the slenderest pencils of
larting fame. Hard iron wood plow
handles still remain, perforated as
though by mimic balls, and for the main
part unburnt. When the hapless dwell
ers in the remote streets saw themselves
cut off from the river groups broke in
all directions in wild panio of flight
and terror. A few took refuge in a
cleared field bordering on the town.
Here flat upon the ground. with faces
pressed in the sand, the helpless suffer-
ers lay and roasted. But few survived
the dreadful agony. The next day re-
vealed picture exceeding in horror any
battle field. Mothers with children
hugged closely lay in rigid groups, the
clothes burned off and the poor flesh
scared to crisp. One mother. solici-
tious only for her babe, embalms her
nnutterable love in the terrible picture
left on these woeful sands. With her
bare fingers she had scraped out q pit,
as the soldiers did before Petersburg.
and pressing the little one into this,
she put her own body above it as a
shield, and when the daylight came,
both were dead-the little baby face un-
Scared, but the mother burnt almost to
cinders.
These hardy lumbermen are not wont
to exaggerate, and the perfect accord of
every story and incident confirm every
episode Of this tragedy. Faithful to
he helpless, stout woodman carried
out on his shoulders one deadly sick of
fever. He burrowed for the helpless
body a sandy sepulchre, and then be-
gan the struggle for his own life. He
aad fingered too long. and his SCARED
body was found near the refuge of the
nan his heroism had preserved.
The tornado played through the deso-
ated streets, and swept the river and
he low land adjoining. The timber of
he mill floating down among the peo-
de, made additional labor and danger,
md daylight broke terribly on the satu-
ated survivors before they dared drag
heir cramped limbs from the icy waters.
The mingled crowd Of men, women and
hildren, COWS, and swine had held this
vatery refuge since 10 o'clock Of the