The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-04-15
CHASED By A FOREST FIRE.
Marrow Escape Of q Pioneer In
Ozark M~ountaine.

Narrow Escape Of q Pioneer In the
Ozark Mountains.
An old man Of the name of Breshears,
who lives at Rogersyille, Mo-, says the St.
Louis Globe-Democrat was a very sue
cessful hunter before the war, when fine
game abounded in the Ozark country. He
saw some big forest fires in those early
days when the woods were burned off each
fall and the wild grass grew as high as a
mans head in all the mountain glades.
The old hunter describes as follows one of
his races with d forest fire:
1T was away back in the forties and
late in November when ] had to run seven
miles before the biggest fire that ever
swept over the country south of Spring
field. The fall had been very dry, and the
new coat of leaves on the ground was as
ready to burn as fodder in a barn loft.
South of the James river the young tim
Der was then growing rapidly, and when
the leaves dropped in the latter part of
November they mixed with the dead grass
aud made fuel for such fires al people new
er see now.
"The season had been too dry for good
hunting, and the game in consequence had
not been much disturbed. Herds of deer
and focks of young turkeys could be seen
all over the country around where Rogers
vile is now situated, but on account Of
the dry leaves and grass it wa difficult to
get near enough to the game to shoot.
We had no long range guns then.
II decided to go out on Finley creek, in
the eastern part Of what is now Christian
county, and try to kill a few deer. That
was an unsettled region then and fun of
good game. / intended to stay out in the
woods several days and took with me a
supply of bread and .ss-t, all that hunter
needed; for meat of some kind could al
ways be had for every meal.
Il reached the place where I intended
to make my camp early in the afternoon
and was preparing to stake out my horse
to Craze when I saw smoke to the south
ward and smelled fire. / knew what that
meant at such a dry time and at once re-
saddled my horse. I rode up on top of
one of the Finley hills to get a look at the
fro. / saw about a mile away flames
leaping up to, the tops of the trees and
sweeping toward me very fast. By this
time a brisk breeze had sprung up and
clouds of smoke now darkened the heavens
overhead.
81 saw the danger I was in and turned
horse northward and started in a gal
lop to run from the fire. In about two
miles l reached the level divide separat-
ing the waters of the Finley and the
James. Here I stopped to watch the
progress of the fire. | now had a good
view cf the advancing flames. As far as
the eye could reach east and west the
whole country was ~afialne, and the roar
Of the fire sounded like a tornado. The
air was hot and ~suffocating, and I could
The flames would sometimes appear to
teap forward 100 feet, and when the fire
struck a glade covered with the tall, dry
grass the bright, twisting blazes swept on
through the light fuel with the speed of a
TIL fire had startled every crea-
ture of the woods, and game of all kinds
1ed before the flames. There were plenty
of deer now in close srnshot, but / did
not think of yenison. Cow to escape the
fire was my only thought.
st was still five miles to the James
river, and that seemed to be my only
chance of safety. l could see no break
anywhere in the advancing pillows of
flame, and had there been a gap in the line
of fire it would have cost q man his life tc
breathe that heated air and smoke long.
two mile run, and I feared l could not
the James ahead of the fire; but
there was no other escape, and SO I gave
the animal the whip and again dashed On
over the divide
81 knew the country well and took the
shortest course for the river. Iavoided as