The San Francisco call., 1899-10-22

was one that was set as a back fire, but
being in the heavy brush it became un-
Controllable and had to burn Itself out
Talk about hot work, though. That
day in Warmers Canyon was one to be re-
nembered. The smoke became so thick
that nothing could be seen at times and
the thickness of the bank of it above US
ObScured the sun until every obiest took
on copper tint, and then all would get
black again. Our worst fight was TO save
the water tank. The fire would keep run
ming at II from every direction, and If its
supports once burned and let the water
out we would have had TO let the house
go.
When the fire was at its height and
when every one else was either busy put
ting out fires or attempting to save prop
erty one little child devoted herself to
praying in her own simple words for d.
vine assistance, and, strange as ii was,
rain was soon falling from small cloud
overhead, although the rest of the sky
was comparatively clear and starlit.
Il asked God TO come and fight the fire,
and at first l did not know how he was
going to do it, but when | heard the soft
raindrops falling l just thanked him for
So little Dorothy Putnam Sheldon tells
the story of her faith that was stronger
than fear.
Many times has rain been prayed for,
but never was urgent necessity more
Her family had been camping in a beau
tiful redwood canyon on the northern
slope of Little Tamalpais and had that
turesque tents by the threatening fire. All
day long she had watched its smoke puffs
hurrying along the ridges and the flames
at times seeming to envelop the men that
hewed and tugged at the thick brush
clearing trail in front of the advancing
cOnf1agratiOn.
To the child, deeply imbued with a sense
of the responsibilities in life il seemed
that she: too, must do something to stay
that awful fire She could not see those
men working so hard without help. Leav-
ing her terror-stricken little friends to
gaze awtully upon the fire she retired to
her room to call upon power that. as il
seemed to her, alone could master the
enemy.
The name of Tamalpais must have been
given by reason of some former experi-
ence like the foregoing Ia NAL p3is-
Take re-Beware-Stay-I recoIlect-
Bad country That is the meaning in
has just shown by this fiery exhibition
what could be done in the way of extern
pore volcanoes Less than 500 acres was
burned over altogether, and Tamalpais
has something like ten tons of combus-
tible greaSewood and laurel to the acre
Some time the MOUNTAIN, Will break
loose in earnest. Then Ia NAL pals
Take -Beware-Stay-I recollect-
Mischievous land.
The sides of Tamalpais and of its re-
cumbent foothills are covered with
brush known TO the earlier Californians
as greasewood, a shrub that viii burn
when growing merely by applying
match to the green leaves. Mixed with it
is the California laurel. which ignites less
readily, but when once fired burns with
semi-eXplosive fash owing to the large
percentage of pungent essential oil, in its
foliage.
About one hundred thousand tons OF
this inflammable material is spread
around over the mountain, laid on the
hot hills to dry, as it were Dried all
summer, scorched in the fall and by the
hot day of October the woods were
singed until ready to ignite with a match.
Had the rain not fallen it would have
fire.