Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1896-12-03
THE CHICAGO FIRE.
MEN WHO WE'RE THERE RECALL SOME
OF THEIR EXPERIENCES.

OF THEIR EXPERIENCES.
4 Novel Way Of Saving Chickens-IAw'
books Dayied Like Potatoes - Stories
About safes and Their Contents-ssved
b Barrel Of Cider.
1.-THE funniest thing saw during the
IRE of 1871, though II didn't seem 80 funny
then," said James B. Bradwell as he grew
reminiscent, Twas the way some negroes
kept their chickens from escaping.
"The colored men were carrying big
coop, and suddenly the Stats broke and ont
bobbed the chickens
"'1rl fix you, howled one oolored man,
and grabbing each bipod as 1t appeared he
wrung it's neck till every bird lay dead.
my son Tom and I went on the second
day Of the fire over to the West Side to see
what the blaze was doing. remarked to
Tom how thankful We should be that our
home was spared. Later had reason 10
thank my stars our lives were spared. The
wind came up very strong, blowing In
northeesterly direction, and I said TO my
son, Ny gracious, II will get 10 our house
before We can get homo We ran with all
our might, and when we got home on
Washington street, Just east Of where the
Chamber of Commerce building now 10,
Mr.. Bradwell had got few things packed
and was preparing to get them out. She
was In her slippers and dressed In morn
Ing gown. On her head she wore my con-
sistory hat, with red and white plume.
She said to mo, II Masonry Is any good
at all, IL will be good now, and Will put
on this hat
II threw my lawbooks out Of the win
dow on the sidewalk and took down q
large picture Of my father, but by that
time the skylight had broken In and the
stairs were on fire. began to think that
/ should never be able to get out, but with
rush went down the stairs. As soon
as I reached the sidewalk and the cool air
struck me l fell exhausted. offered an
e1pressman $50 II he would take my books
TO place Of safety. he laughed at me.
Had II been ten minutes later would
have gagged the expressman, thrown him
In the wagon, loaded In the books and saw
ed them. At this time the authorities
were blowing up buildings 30 as to pre-
vent the Gre from extending southwark.
We went to the lake front and got an old
az and q spade and dug hole In the
ground, az ono would to bury potatoes, on
the baseball grounds on the lake front.
when commenced digging, police
man came and arrested me- asked him
what for, and he said, For defaoing the
baseball grounds, showing mo his star.
drew my OK and said, I'm make you see
more stare In a moment than you ever saw
in the armament Of heaven He left as
II he had a flea in his ear. went on dig
ging tho hole and put In our two trunks
and the papers We had saved and then COW
cred them up"
James Thompson, an old time Chica-
goan, was at the time Of the Chicago fire
In the employ Of the land department Of
the Illinois Central Railroad company.
Shortly before the confagration this de-
partment OF tho railroad company had
been housed in new building which was
tho first Of the type Of "hreproof construo-
ton" to be erected in Chicago This
building, which stood on Michigan ave-
nue, near Randolph street, went with the
others
I'm my office in a small safe inside the
large ono belonging to the company" re-
lates Mr.. Thompson, II had some az, 900
IN United States bonds belonging to my
mother. When the big safe was unearthed,
1t was allowed to stand three weeks In or
der that it might COOL When took out
the smaller safe, It did not appear to be
very warm, and we opened it to take out
the bonds, but no sooner did the air strike
the interior of the little safe than sheet
Of name shot out, and nothing remained
of the $2, 600 in securities but a handful Of
cinders Luckily the porter, who was In
the building when tho fire stared, had saw
- ne ho In Iocl nd
these contained the numbers Of the bonds
we were able to get them redeemed, and
my mother lost nothing"
Judge Jenkins, whose office was directly
above ours, found his safe tumbled out on
the curb away from contact with the red
hot bricks The combination was unin-
jured, and, with the help Of a passerby, he
set 1t up on end and took out his papers In
as good condition as he had left them"
A barrel OF cider played part In the
great fro quito foreign to the purpose for
which it wns originally intended, " said
Scott Fergus, who was in u reminiscent
mood.
"In 1871 there was on Grant street, in
North Chicago, a small frame dwelling
house perhaps a little farther removed
from its nejghbors than they were from
each other and act back from the street
about 20 feet I do not know whether 10
10 still standing or not, nor do remember
Its number, but II stood there couple Of
years ago, like the relic it was On Dot.
. tho man who owned the place-his name
I have also forgotten-saw the fire was
headed his way and knew that the little
home would soon, like thousands of 9TH
ers, be wrapped in flames. From it's COM
parative seclusion the thought entered his
mind that there might be fighting chance
of saving the place If only he had a supply
of wafer. He had resolved to remove his
family, as the neighbors all around him
were doing, and save what they could
carry, when he remembered that In the
cellar was barrel Of older which they
had purchased for their regalemens during
the long winter evenings. He would use
that. Quickly removing the liquid from
Its cool storage place, no gave dippers and
other containers to the different members
OF tho household, and, instruoting them to
watch for every little blaze, the resolute
band Of amateur hremen and Arewomen
worked and watched and while every
house for blocks on every side became the
prey of tho flames this little home was
saved, and that by mere barrel Of cider. "
Chicago News.