Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-06-18
RACING WITH. FIRE.
TCopyright. Isl5.1

1878 a northern Wisconsin pioneer named James Landworth turned out of bed to find the smell of smoke heavy in the air, and he was not long in realizing that a fierce confiagration was raging in the denser forest to the west of him.
 Had his family been at home he would have gathencd up what he could and sought a safer spot, but, being alone, he deter mined to hold on as long as possible and clouds of smoke settled down on every thing, making it dangerous for even one familiar with the locality to wander far from home, every object taking on a strange look to mislead ones steps.
 The farmer had a cow and several head of young stock, and these were suffering so terribly from the smoke that he turned them loose Sunday afternoon to care for themselves. They started oil in the direc- tlon of the village, but probably perished in company with hundreds of other domes- tic animals. Landworth's well had been without water for a week, and his only resource was a small creek about 40 rods from the house. By digging hole in the bed of the stream about a barrel of water would collect during the day, and this he was using for drinking and cooking pur- poses.
 Just before dark that night Landworth's yard was almost oyerrun with rabbits, woOdchucks, coons and other small ani- mals, while more than 100 squirrels were to be seen about the house and barns. Tho animals moved about in stupid way, blinded by the smoke, and would hardly move away when approached.
 There was no sleep for the farmer that night. It was as much as he could do to breathe, the smoke creeping in and filling the house until his lamp could scarcely be seen across the room. Soon after midnight Ee ascertaincd that the wind had changed and freshened, and in an hour moro he could hear the hoarse roar of the fire and tho terrible crashings of the giant trees as they topplcd over.
 Between his place and the fro was q swamp nearly half n mile across, and he had great hopes that this would act as a guard to prevent the farther spreading of the flames. In one sense it did. The fro did not sweep across it, but ate its way around +, and the wind seemed to fan the flames each way, and when the farm CTS clock marked the hour of next morn ing tho smoke was so dense and the roar of the fire so loud that he decided to leave.
 Having little money to care for and be- ing poor in household goods, he decided to make the attempt to save some of the bed ding. Taking some small articles, as photographs, n small picture or two, the family Bible and his faithful clock, Land worth placed them on feather tick, wrap ped this up in n blanket and was ready to go.
 As ho stood at his door pcering this way and that, great flame suddenly shot up from his barn and haystacks. As he re- turned for his bundle, thousands of sparks and scores of burning twigs and branches swept in at tho open door, and ho lcaped I I. on road from Landworth's place to the will lagc, and he sought this means of escape. Behind him wcre the roaring flames, sweeping everything before them and travelling so fast that he had to strain every nerve to keep ahead.
 When the fire met with an open space or Q small swamp, its speed was checked for a moment and the farmer could get clear of the flying sparks But no obstacle could long stop the progress of tho flames. What they could not burn they would leap over until they caught a mass of grass or a heap of leaves, and in moment the fire was eating each way and progressing for ward nearly as fast as a man could run.
 Almost stined, his throat so parched that he could not swallow, and his lungs feel ing as if a knife was at work there, Land worth stumbled forward, scarcely hoping to make his escape. What he expected soon occurred. The flames, which had been sweeping down from another direction, suddenly jumped across the road in front of him, half dozen trees flaming up at once Behind was the main fire, to the | right was n solid sheet of flames, and the only avenue of escape was to plunge into the woods already taking fire, on the left side.
 It was now race for life, with the | chances against escape. Turning to tho left, the farmer hoped that by making a sharp run for 1t he might head off the fire, turn its path and again reach the road. He | had almost accomplished this object, when | he encountered "swale'' of considerable | extent and found that he must turn to- | ward tho main fire and endeavor to work around the "swale'' before the flames should reach it.
 Sparks and cinders were flying all around him. The ground was covered with | dry leaves, the wind sweeping through the trees in gusts and several times Land worth had to leap over the running flames | In one of his leaps he trippcd and fell, plunging hcadlong into soft mud and wa | ter.
 This was a most fortunate occurrence for him, as his clothing had already been scorchcd by the flames. He ran forward at his greatest speed, hearing tho fire roar Ing on all SlucS, ana when Do r6lCneu JDo l end of tho marsh the flames were only a few rods away, tho heat blistering his | check as he passed around the swamp and struck the high ground.
 In turning ard twisting and bewildored | by the smoke, he had dost all knowledge of tho country, and now ran forward with but the ono idea of keeping in advance of tho fire. As tho forest was here more l open, and the leaves had been well cleaned | off by the wind. he was not so closely | pressed. Almost every moment he ran across wild animals all fleeing for place of safety and losing their fear of man in l the general desire to escape the moro re- | lentlesS foo pressing n behind.
 At length LandwoIth passed beyond the roar of the flames and felt that he had cs- capped the fate which had for a time seem cd certain. Falling into holes stumbling | over logs, h0 pushed on and was at length clear of the woods. He had to pick his | way, making dctours where the fences l wero blazing, and at last arrived in a clear | ed space to find himself in q mixed crowd of human beings, cattle, horses, hogs, deers, bears and wolves. Of 60 houses composing the village not one was left, and though the flames could not reach the people sparks and cindcrs fell upon them for hours, and they had to use every exer- | tion-tO prevent the clothes being burned | off their backs. LIEUTENANT TRIGG.
 Take the Cake.