The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-02-22
HECTOR M'LEAN.

the gale Of wind like a great column Of
angry demons, the forked flames fed by
the. rosin covered pines leaping from hill
to hill and from forest to forest, these
forked tongued monsters seemed to be
yieing with cach other as to which
could devour the most, they climbed up
the fat pines as though they were coy.
cred with powder and would then leap
from the dry c%onbustible limbs in great
sheets and ignite other forests hundreds
of yards away. The people in its path
were horror stricken, the very sky seem
cd to be ablaze. the air was filled with
a>',cs, smoke, sand and burning debris.
One mans barn was threatened and be
fore the stock could be gotten out it
was wrapped in flames and cows and
horses persisted. \ half mile or more of
of the cross ties en- the Aberdeen and
West END Railroad were burned, stop
ping the trains from running. An ). \.
l.. train attempted to pass through the
blaze between Aberdeen and Southern
Pines, but tho fire Was so intense that
it had to push back to Aberdeen. Sec
ton hands, railroad agents and their
! men were kept busy for hours putting
out the cross ties that caught on fire as
the flames crossed the track.
But little has been heard from out in
the country, where the fire ragged and it
ir feared that much loss will yet be to
chronicle. 1t was the %ticrcest, hottest,
most terrific inhuman II unf@ellng tor
rent that ever swept over this famous
pine forest and to-day the forest from
Rockingham TO Cameron is Il smoking
smouldcring area of charred and glisten-
ing high lands.
Mr.. John Blue. Of the Aberdeen and
- -. - , 80 100 ~ 1orn, ly-
the fire. He had only a day or two be-
fore the fire bought and paid for three
thousand acres Of timber land-bought
mainly for the timber. The fire swept
it from one end to the other and de-
Stroycd the best part Of the timbcr. Mr..
Blue also lost in the obstruction wood,
crosstipS and lumber on the line of his
road. The loss to the Pages from the
burning of cross ties timber and other
things reaches several hundred dollars.
Many small farmers in the track Of the
fire are left homeless, helpless and pen
niless. Nine farm houses were burned
within a radius of two miles near Can
dar. Some of the people took their
horses and mules and made haste to cs-
cape to save their own lives, leaving
their homes and everything in them to
be swept away by the flames.
At least one 0untIeu HIIltS OF ltlCt
have been destroyed and hundreds of
people are left destitute and but for the
heroic work of the people in the towns in
the oath of the fire they would have
been wiped off the map. Mr.. Henry
Page who with his brothers and all his
employees fought manfully to save his
railroad trains and other property says
thai he saw the sweeping avalanche Of
flame melt down seven farm houses n
almost as many minutes.
But it is all over and the people, the
citizens and the visitors are %congrat-
ulating themselves that it cannO come
again at least this season. Pinehurst
and Southern Pines are alive with win
ter guests. The Piney Woods Inn here
and the Holly Inn at Pinehurst nave
large crowds and dozens Of others are
arriving every day. This is the best
season in the history of the two places
and hotels. boarding houses and cot
taces are all nearly filled with visitors.
The EIkin Journal has been absorbed
1r Tho E1lin Times Mr. NNa1tnp p