Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-10-05

Even now, when the long. long day is done.
q Mary ID. Brine, in Our Little Ones.
REMARKABLE ADVENTURE OF TWO
CHILDREN.
On Friday morning, July 81, 1882,
four little children living at Allouez
mine, started out with pals and baskets
to pick berries. They wandered along
the highway for about quarter of a
mile, and then turned on new road,
which leads through the thick woods to
the new mine called the Wolverine.
All went well until the youngest, a
mite of a girl, and very small OF her
age, being but seven years old, COM
planned of being tired and wanted to 90
home. Then for the first time, in their
efforts to retrace their steps, they dis
covered that they had strayed from the
path and were lost in the thick woods.
where in many places the trees are but
a foot apart, and the underbrush grows
as high as five feet. Vainly they sought
the right path till nightfall closed
around them-then, bruised and
scratched by the bushes, with head,
face and limbs bitten and badly swollen
by the nip of the wicked black-fiy, the
two older children belonging to the
Finn settlement beyond the Allouez
proper), tired and fri ghtened. lay down
and cried themselves to sleep, and were
found by anxious searchers the follow
ing day in woeful condition. When
these children were asked for their lit
tie companions, they replied: 1--WE
begged them to stay with us, but the
boy said he would go and find the way
to the road and then come back for us,
but his little sister would not stay with
out him. and they pointed the way
they had gone. In that direction a
party of men searched all day, aided by
the half-crazed Norwegian father and
Finn mother OF the lost little ones, and
all day the whistles of the Allouez and
Wolverine mines blew at intervals of
ten minutes to guide them to the
settlements.
Saturday night came and no children
found. The weary mother must return
to her babe, but the father with a few
men spent the night in fruitless search.
Sunday we found the road full of
Swedes, Norwegians and Films. while
large parties were in the woods, and
the whistles blew all day. Monday
came and the Calumet and Hecla joined
in the search, sending about four hun
dred men. Toward night, a little foot
print was discovered, and a piece of
the little girls dress. Tuesday more
men were sent out and success was
thought to be certain, but alas! no
children were found. At evening the
sky was full of dense black clouds
The thunder was awful-neyer before
do / remember such rainfall and
tempest as ragged for few hours, while
the rest of the night and succeeding
day was sultry with drizzling rain and
Wednesday night another tempest.
Still the search continued. Every day
the shouts of six hundred men or more
were making the woods alive. Friday
morning-one week from the children
disappcarance-cam and the Calumet
and Hecla mine was closed and the
whole force together with the Allouez
men were stationed along the road
front, five feet apart. with orders to
break through the woods in that line as
best they could, to search every hollow
stump, to remove underbrush, to ex-
anime holes and make sure of leaving
no spot unexplored, and yet night
brought nearly every man back with no
traces of the children. Some stayed all
night at their almost hopeless task, and
some, a party of four Swedes, were
themselves lost, and here is their won
derful story.
cat three o'clock Friday afternoon
we sat down by a brook to rest. We
were tired and bewildered and shouted
loudly for our companions to come to
us, when from heap of bushes came
boy saying: Where are you? Who is
itp'' We, thinking he belonged to some
party of searchers, asked: who are
you with' His answer came: "My
sister, Up we sprang to our feet, and
knew, even in our amazement. that the
lost children were found, and alive, and
in their right senses, although they had
been alone in the wood, amid lightning
and tempest, for eight days. with moth
ing to eat but berries. And the boy of
but nine years had built huts of brush
to cover them at night, had gathered
and loaded both himself and sister with
great punches OF blue berries where they
were to be found, and was trying to fol-
low the tortuOus course of the brook,
which, he remembered, emptied, into
Torch Lake. He was still brave. We
gave them small pieces of bread at in
tervals during the afternoon and night,
as we walked in or by the sides of the
streams as best we could with our Joy
full burden, or lay down for little
needed rest, each two men with a child
between them to give warmth to the
little, chilled frame.n
Saturday morning some one in the
street shouted to me: "They are found!
they are foundn' I threw up the sash,
and party of men were ri ht in front
of the house. They had the children
with them. They refused food and
drink. saying they had just fed them
and did not dare to give them any
more. Both children's eyes looked
wild and rolled restlessly. as they chung
tightly to the necks of their rescuers;
their bodies seemed covered with bruises
and their little feet were badly bis
tered; they were being taken to the i
hospital for examination Dr. D. the