The Red Cloud chief., 1874-06-18

E
Iron the sprissaesd CNs.a, Republican,
The marvellous escape Of young Dun
ming at Leeds has already been referred
TO, but his story is 90 Interesting that it
il worth giving in detail. When the
alarm was given he was at work in the
spool-room of the Nonotuck siIkvorks,
end. rushing on. Of the mill, his first
thought, of course, was for his family.
He found that his father, wife and
three children had all left his house.
He shouted to them to for their
lives. at the same time pointing TO them
what direction to take. His wife and
children obeyed him and we're saved
but his father, an old man Of seventy
eight. thinking that something might
be got out Of the house before the food
reached it, went back. In dashed his
son after him, begging him to leave the
doomed building. While raising one of
the windows the floor gave way beneath
their feet and his father disappeared
from his sight. The young man had
Just time to Chamber out of the window,
and as the house tipped over crawled up
lis side to the roof just as the building
broke up, leaving him but q fragment to
cling to for his life, and on he went sail
ing down that awful food in full sight
of his wife and children, who, as they
looked on in terror and agony, expected
momentarily to see him sink beneath
the surging mass In o few seconds his
frail raft was crushed like an egg-shell,
but mis- presence of mind never desert.
ed him. He jumped for another, and
when that was gone for yet another.
He was fastening down with the current
at o terrific speed, and, intent on the
fearful task he had in hand, never once
thought of the dams toward which he
was Fastening. The first one is reached
in the awful crash and jam. He is
hurled seemingly twenty feet in the air
to come down and be submerged for the
first time far beneath the waves. As he
came to the surface and clasped another
piece Of driftwood he realized with an
intensity unimaginable by those whose
lives have never been impeIiled that
another and higher dam was but q short
distance below, and that he had abso-
lutely no hope for life nnless he escaped
from the food before that point was
reached, but fortunately the swollen
uldfS VI WdtcI huu ucOElo ~ tiAht uIO-
ment surged toward the shore, and seiz-
ing an opportunity, which seemed to
be p~rovidentially presented, he clam
bered across some broken roofs, which
served him as a bridge, and with a leap
again had q foothold on the earth. The
feelings of a man, who, like him had
scarcely q hope Of life on finding him
self escaped from the jaws of death,
cannot be depicted. Only a cool and
intrepid man could have passed through
that experience, and possibly Mr.. Dun
ming could not but for his experience
before as q raftsman in Canadian waters.
He had been swept half a mile down the
river, and was utterly exhausted by the
intense strain on mind and body, nerve
and muscle, yet as he lay on the bank
a moment to get his breath, he could
not suppress a smile at the appearance
of a man who escaped from tho flood
near the same place by seizing hold of
the limbs of n large tree on the bank.
Fleshy though he was, this man went up
the tree like o squirrel, and did not stop
till he was at least 80 feet above the
water.
Mr.. Dunning describes, as the most
remarkable. incident of the memorable
ride, the heart-rending screams and
groans { women and children in houses
that w~e.Ac1syept down with him and
seemed to be beneath him. He says
they will ring in his ears ~yae latest
day Of his life.