The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-01-14
THE ACT OF A MAINE HERO.
How John Michaud of Fort Kent. Saved
His Little Family From Horrible Fire
Great Courage and Presence of Mind.
Bangor Commercially

| The greatest victory ever won by
living man could not exceed that of John
Michaud of Fort Kent.
! Mr.. Michaud is in critical condition
in neighbours house, his own having
been burned. His feet are frozen and his
hands, legs, arms and face are burned
in horrible condition. Four of his
small children will live, but the year
and half old baby girl may die-and
the wonder of the neighborhood is that
they were not all roasted or frozen to
death.
1t is the most ,heart.rending story ever
told or heard of in this part of the coun-
try. One night last week .when.. the Their
mometer registered rs degrees below zero,
Mr.. Michaud and his.fiye small children
were thrown into the cold, chilling at
mosphere from burning home, having
no time even to get clothing. The story
of their terrible experience has filed the
hearts of thescountry people with horror.
Mr.. Michaud, for the past year, hos
lived with his five motherless children
in little two.room, story and half
uOuES, uOU idE ILOlu tll6 V1llfbR6, Ull6
mother having died. the latter part of last
winter. Since then the unfortunate man
has provided as best he could for the lit
tie family, but in spite of all hisIeforts he
was still poor and by sickness sand death
was left with soanty means. He lived
about three miles from the railroad sta
ton at Clair,..N.ssB., and his nearest
neighbor was half mile away.
Ina the centre of the floor of his living
room was large stove with funnel
running up through the ceiling and roof.
The children slept up stairs. Mr., Mich
aud slept down. The night of the fire
it was SO intensely cold that he staid up
quite late, keeping hot fire. At about
10 O'Clock he retired, afer filling the
stove with wood. Some time later he
woke to find the room filled with flames
and smoke; the ceiling was on fire.
There was no steps, only n ladder. to
ing. He assembled and found the up
stairs filled with smoke and the roof al
ready burning and roaring like q furnace.
He grabbed three of the children in his
arms and got them out into the cold air,
before they awoke. He left them there
and rushed back for the other two. BY
the time he got there, the bed was on fire
".
rounding him. He was sure he could
not get them both down without expos
ing their naked bodies to the flames, SO
grabbing the older of the two, he threw
him out of the window, taking this chan
ces of dashing it to death rather than
let it roast alive. The other. a little girl
a year and half old, he rolled in his
shirt and started for the ladder. He was
descending through the flames when
burning board from the roof came in on
him, burning his face. neck and arms in
frightfuI condition, but he chung to his
child and managed to get outside, but
his feet and legs were fearfully roasted.
He knew that short time in this cold
night would freeze them all stiff, SO he
rushed into the burning shed and brought
out two old horse blankets He then dug
hole in the snow with his arms, which
were snlarting from the terrible burns.
Laying the blanket down he huddIed the
children together. threw the other blanket
over them, till nothing could be seen but
mound of snow.
After telling them not to move until
his return he started at full speed for the
next neighbours house. One may imagine
what that journey was like by thinking
of man nearly as baro as the day he
was horn, wearing nothing but shirt, no
shoes, no socks, his face, heads, arms and
legs horribly burned his feet frozen, run
ming against INC Wluu Win Gub Lner-
moIneter % below zero
When he got to the house he was ex-
hausted and tainted at the door from the
effects Of his experience and exposure.
The family were SO startled that it was
some time before they could realize what
had happened. Nurses were called and
doctors sent for, but the man did not re-
cover sufficient to explain till morning
and 1t was supposed that he was the only
survivor of the family; that the others
had persisted in tho flames. But the first
words the father spoke was of his chill
dren. He was too weak to go to them
and when he had told the awful story
party of men FASTENED to the scene. To
their surprise they found the children
all alive, and all well, with the exception
of the baby. 1t is feared that the child
will die, as it's face and body were burned
in horrible manner. The lad that was
thrown from the window escaped injury.
Steps have been taken to provide for
the family. A subscription paper has been
started and one leading man of Fort
Kent headed ii with $500.