The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1895-05-25
THE SILVER LAKE HORROR.
One of the Survivors Relate the Horrors
of the Holocaust.

Yesterday there arrived in the city
Mr.. ]. H. Buick from Silver Lake
with wagons which he will load with
the proprietor of the building in which
the holocaust occurred last Christmas.
Mr.. Buick was in the hall when that
terrible fire happened, and his wife
and boy seven years old perished in
the flames. He carried one boy out of
the building, and thought his wife was
| following him with the other; but on
| looking back saw that she nor the boy
| had followed him, and the hall was en-
veloped by the fiery demon. On the
ground around the store there were
several who had escaped death, but
were in a terribly burned condition.
The tale is yet fresh in the memory of
our citizens, and has often been relat-
ed: but our reporter could not help but
take an interest in the recitals of an
eyewitness. Mr.. Buick very wildly
describes the excitement when the
lamp was overturned, and the brave
efforts made by friends and relatives
to rescue their loved ones from the
burning building. 1t is mistake, he
says. that the weak were pushed back
into the furnace of death by the strong
in their efforts to escape. In many |
instances athletic young men perished,
while small children ana delicate |
persons saved themselves from the |
holocaust. When the first alarm took |
place from the burning lamp children |
and women ran out, while the men
stayed and attempted to subdue it. In |
his opinion the casualties were caused |
in many cases by persons being over
come by the gas from the burning
oil in the close room, which
suffocated them and rendered them
powerless to help themselves. His
brother, J. J. Buick, was one of the
victims, and the widow, aside from her
husband, lost her mother, two sisters,
one brother, an aunt, niece and other
all fourteenth this ter
rible harvest of death. Some families
were completely wiped out, and the
death list included husbands and
wives, who stayed and met their fate
mothers who perished in the
attempt to save their children, fathers
who fought the flames to rescue chill
1ren, and one young man and woman,
TO be married in few days, were
burned to crisp clasped in each others /
arms. The sight around the building
was something that was terrible to
and the memory of which will
never be effaced from the mind. Ly-
ng on the ground were several in the 8
asst agonies of dissolution, who had
to escape from the building,
,ut who were so badly burned that re- |
overy was hopeless. Others suffered :
rightful burns, and were rolling on
he ground as some means of relief r
rom the terrible pain they were suf- +
ering. The wild excitement of the '
rowd attempting to- save themselves r
nd their loved ones from the hell of r
ames in the building, and the shrieks r
nd groans of the injured and dying 9
made the scene perfect pandemonium. /
fr. Buick was loath to talk about the v
vent, and in relating the occurrence a
e seemed to live over again that ter n
ible night at Silver Lake, which cost e
i'm his wife, child and brother. The n
orror of the scene will haunt him
ways, and our reporter drew the VI
let's from him after very many ques- p
ons were asked. T
Mr.. Buick has his remaining son n
ith him, and in care of his sister-in- r,
wv, Mrs. j. J. Buick, he will send him n
, his father, Hon. D. S. K. Buick "
'rmerly editor and proprietor of the #
laindedler-at Roseburg. Although ii
10 miles distant from Silver Lake, fa
he Dalles is the most available trad az
g point, and the best way he had to q,
ach the Willamette valley, The
'ad to this city is very good, and pass m
,le at all seasons of the year, while r
Eugene or to Ager, Calf, it is hi
ountainous and almost impossible
r wagons.