The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1897-12-07

- What's the use of talking about
lin ? says l. Tell me what were
going to do. There amt any sort of
use IN trying to run, / SUPPOSE
Not the smallest grain. saws Sam.
That fire is due here in about fifteen
minutes, and we might as well sit
down quiet and wait for it..
II saw that Sam didn't consider
that thcro was the least bit ola chance
Tor MS, and you can Ina yino whether
was scared or not.
81 did read once. saws Sam.
about chap who was riding on the
prairie aud was chased by fire. same
as We are now. He shot his horse
AMI ripped the hide OF aud wrapped
himself up in it, The hide being
green, you understand, didn't burn.
and the man came through all RIGHT.
It's n midlling tough yarn. but all the
same its thing that might have
happened. / was thinking that if the
fire would wait half an hour till my
boiler tubes cooled down. | could pull
them ont and we could get into the
boiler, the same as the man got into
his horses hide. But there's no use
IN signaling that fire to stop and Law
up on II siding for half an hour, Just
to suit MS
"'Ihere's water in the tender said
/, couldn't we do anything V it'll that =
Your head, pardncr, says Sam.
getting up and going toward the ten
der, amt so far from being level.
Let's see how much water we've got. >
"With that he opened the water
tank and looked in. We're all right. >
says he. 'fou come along here and
get into that tank with me. Wen put
the cover on when the fire reaches us.
and ! expect we can stand it for five
minutes or SO. It's scheme that laws
way over that fellow 5 horsehide game.
and shouldn't wonder il it turned
out satisfactory for all concerned.
The mpnholc was big enough to let
man through, and when Sam aud /
got into the tank and crouchcd down
IN sort Of sitting position the water
came just up to our chins. and we hal
about ten inches of head room. Sam
pulled the iron cover part way over
the hole and said, Now we're pretty
certain not to be roasted, which that
fire Is aiming at It'll be some salts
faction to get the better of it.
i don't see, said |, that we're
lettering things very much by putting
ourselves in tho way of being boiled
instead of roasted
don't suppose, said Sam, that
there is any great things to choose be
tween being roasted or billed or fried.
Or, you might say, baked. Bat thas
fire has set its mind on roasting us.
aud if we're billed, it'll be disappointed.
Besides, | amt so sure about the
billing. It'll take some time TO heat
up this water, and we may pull through,
after all
just then the noise Of the fire
showed that it was getting close to MS.
aad Whit of smoke came into the
tank. Sam pulled the cover on, and
says to me, just sit and take i, easy.
There's air enough here to last MS for
some time If we don'tusei lit up talking. s.
~ kept quiet, and said my prayers
to myself. The fire came down on us
with a whoop like ten tribes OF Iniuns.
aud the top of the tank was hot i'm less
than no time. The roaring of The fire
seemed TO pass ON aud away from us
but there WAS tremendous cracking
going on III our neighborhood which
showed that the fire was still around
us. We waited and waited, hoping
every minute that the fire would die
out and let It's open The tank The
water kept getting warmer and warm
er, and when | touched the top of the
tank, whore the water didn't reach it.
| burned my fingers. The air. too.
kept getting more and more chokv.
until | was very near my last gasp.
and Sam was about the same. When
he couldn't stand it any longer he
threw off the cover and put his head
ont. Then he broke into bic laueh
that was a little hoarse by reason of
the choking he had undergone. and he
climbed ont of the tank, calling to me
to follow him, which naturally / did
without wasting time
"Thc prairie fire was milcs away.
and the cracking which we heard was
made by the woodwork OF the tender
and The wreck of the engine cab.
which was all in blaze. There
WASH anything TO hurt us when we
were once outside the tank. bu. if we
had stayed i'm it long enough we should
have been boiled without the least
doubt We jumped down on the
ground, aud stood there to see Che
wreck burn. and with tn, exception
OF my burnt fingers ami % little hair
that was singed off the top of Sam s.
head. we were as cool and comfortable
I'D