Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1893-10-21

I ~NALhilAhfAH 4 2AA'f' W Jun ~ Inv RAHAl
Of the vessel-there was nothing to
/ hold one by, and | recled back 10 tho
little spot Of level footing in the bot
tom, conscious, for the first time, that
/ was in a trap, out Of which there was
no escape. / Had no time for reflection.
for a shower Of rubbish, patterins on
the head of the vessel, and filling I'm
through its mouth, drove me again o.
seek for shelter NJ one side. How !
chung so long | cannot tell, but 1 dill
suce-ed in fastening myself to the
O~vprhauging conceive. until a consider
able quantity Of bricks and mortar had
fallen Ia. Immediately after. the main
wall OF The burning building the only
barrier between the space Immediately
above me and the iames--dye a crack,
and tumbled over 10 the other side.
causing such a cDucusslOn as made the
mortar leap off the floor, and threw mp
"a cloud of dust, that, for a time, OBJ
scured everything around me. Expect
ing each moment to be my last, with
The instinct Of one who waits Il blow
which he cannot avoid, l shut my eyes
and stopped my head, shrinking to-
grtaer, as may wen be imagined, and
trembling i'm every limb. The first
thing that reused me was the glare Of
light from the flames. which now. um.
confined by amy partition, rolled over
head, Tapping and laboriug in the air
with such breadth and intensity that
their reflection made the whole cOucIye
in which | stood as bright as the in
side Of a gilt cup. I gave myself up TO
despair when | contemplated the fiery
torrent which now oyer-canOpied me-.
Embers were falling from its borders
like flakes Of snow; a sound like the
roaring Of hungry lions proceeded from
the midst Of IT.; the heat, when | turned
my face towards it, was intolerable,
and 1 felt that, 10 look at the sphere
Of FURNISHED metal around me, would
soon melt the eyes out Of my heaT
But it was only the first fury Of the
fire, tossed about as it was by the fall
)f the gable, that supplied a body of
dame so huge and intense, and my
IIFEHANt VI Altllih ElsAlNlfllAA AiAAti NfA IL
/ found that its fury had soon so far
nbated as to enable me to bear the
mitigated glare from the metal around
me with comparative fortitude.
1 now began to consider some means
Of escape. The vessel was a hollow
sphere of about fourteen feet i'm diu-
meter, perfectly smooth, except at the
Jennings Of the metal plates of which
it was composed; but the heads OF the
riycts which held these together af-
forlel no more hold than just enough
TO enable me to get footing a very little
way up the curve at one side. out Of
the Immediate glare Of the flame that
beat full upon the bottom. The only
aperture, except the orihcc mt the top.
was that by which the contents were
intended to be drawn off, but this was
q much wider than the mouth Of a
large tumbler. To Chamber out without
the assistance of a ludder, or cope fast
ened from above, was impoSS bic. Had
there been a ledge on the rim of the
opening through which / had descended
I would not have deSpJirnd. for the
clothes | wore would have furnished
material for a rope strong enough 10
support my weight, and one of the
loose bricks that lay Mt my feet would
have given me the meEins If milking
10 fast above. / tried ths experiment
with a brick-bJ attached to one of my
s]llSpeudcrs, hut though / easily swung
il over the rim there was no ledge for
il To- catch on. aud / was forced to give
up All hopes Of escaping in that way.
/ had 10Y in a great measure recovered
my presence of mind, for | perceived
that there vels no longer danger to be
unprecedented from the flame above, and
/ kueN that tine mass of brickwoTk
which surroundcd my prison was suti-
cicut to protect me from all effects OF
the burning ruins of the Scaffold
around | need scarcely say that l
had already used every effort 10 make
myself heard by the crowd, both by
shouting al the top of my voice and
beating the sides Of my prison; but
such was the noise caused Ivy the
cracking and roaring of the flames
which still surrounded me on every
side for the ruins Of the ~scatfolding
burned hercely where they fell, and
,u.cwed the whole platform with fire
that either l had failed to make myself
heard, on could not hear the cries of
those whom 1 called to in reply. See
ing. than. that I had no chance Of an
Immediate escape. / made mp my mind
to compose myself MS we'll 9s l could.
and wait till the fire should burn itself
out and leave a passage for my rescue.
hand remained In this resigned state
for some time when the thought flashed
across ms mind, thai perhaps, III |
called trough the aperture of the stop
cock mentioned above, my voice might
hc heard The opening was i'm the very
bottom of the vessel, and had to hneel
down ON the rubbish to apply my
mouth to IL. My knees did moi come
i'm contact with the metal, and my
hands were defended 10y thick gloves.
thoroughly wcttnd, So that till !
brought my face close TO the aperture
....r. .h,t ,,.,.. v.vr 81, 1a1rm fine tDU-