Oregon Republican. [volume] (Dallas, Or.) 1870-1872, 1871-11-18

terrified by the smoke and flame, rushed
in great lowing drove to the river
brink. Women and children We're
trampled by the frightened brutes, and
many losing their hold on the friendly
logs, were swept under the waters.
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
multitude assembled near the fats, and
inflicted the most lamentable sufferings.
The men fought this new death Bit
terly; those who were fortunate enough
to have coats, flung them over tha heads
of wives and children, and dipped water
with their hats on the improvised shell
ter Scores had every hair burnt off in
the battle, aud 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 edifice.
The heat instantly stopped the attempt,
but not before the hose, swollen with
water, had been burned through in
hundred places. Although the on
! slaught Of fire and wind had been iu
stantaneous, and the destruction almost
instantaneous, the fierce, sitting current
Of intense heat careered through the
air for hours. These currents were
more fatal than the flames OF the burn.
ing village, Ignorant of the extent Of
the fire and the frightful combination
of wind and flame, many of the eompa
ny's workmen, some with wives and
children, shut themselves up in the
great brick building, aud perished in
the raging heat of the next half hour
! Others on the remote streets br Ike for
the clearing beyond the woods, but few
ever passed the burning barrier. With.
in the boundaries of the town and ac-
cessible to the multitude the river ac~
comm odation was rather limited. and
when the animals had crowded in, the
situation was full Of despair The flats
were covered with prone figures with
backs abIaze and faces pressed rigidly
into the cooling moist earth. The flame,
played about and above all with au in
cessant and deafening roar.
The tornado was bat momentary, but
was succeeded by maelstroms Of fire,
smoke, cndcrs and red hot sand
Wherever building seemed to resist
the fire, the roof would be sent whrl.
ing in the air, breaking into clouds oi
flames as it fell The showers Of Gin
ders, sparks and hot sand fell in con.
tinuous and prodigious force, and did as
much in killing the people as the first
terrific sirocco that succeeded the fire
The wretched throne, neck deep in the
water, and the still! more helpless being:
? stretched on the heated sands, were
pierced and bIistered by these burning
PARTICLES, They seemed like lanccts o.
, red hot steel. penetrating the thickes
covering The evidence now remains
to attest the incredible force of the
slenderest pencils Of darting flame
Hard ironwood plow handles still re
main, perforated as though by minnie
balls, and for the main part unburnt
When the hapless dwcllers in remote
streets saw themselves cut off from the
, river, groups broke in all directions il
, wild panic of flight and terror. 4 few
took refuge in clear field bordering on
the town. Here, fat upon the ground
with faces pressed in the sand, the
} helpless sufferers lay and roasted Bu
, few survived the dreadful agony. The
next day revealed picture exceeding
} in horror any battle field. Mother,
t with children hugged closely lay il
, rigid groups, the clothes burned off
and the poor flesh scared to a crisp
One mother, solicitous only for he
babe, embalms her unutterablc love i,
, the terrible picture left on these woefu
sands. With her bare fingers she h&t
scraped out pit, as the soldiers dic
s before Petersburg, and pressing tn,
e little one into this, she put her owl
s body above it as shield, aud when tn
n daylight came, both we're dead--th
h little baby's face unscarred, but til
q mother burnt almost to cinders.
: l..3t..fnl to the Helpless, a stcu
0 woodman carried out On his shoulder
= one daadly sick of fever. lie burrowe,
e sar tne helpless body sandy aopulcre
h and then aegan the struggle for his owr
n life. He had fingered too long, and hi
i sacred body was fclnd near the refug
g Of the man his heroism had preserved
e The tornado played through the des
i olAted s'reets, and swopt the river an
., the low land adjoining. The timber @
& the mill floating down among tn
IL people, made additional labor and dan