Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1899-10-28
How the SigSbeeS Were Saved
BY james Raymond Perry


THE Sigsbees lived on a Wisconsin
farm five miles from the nearest
village The family consisted of Mr..
and Mira Sigsbee and three children
Frank, lad of 16, and Ruth and Mary,
aged respectively eleven and nine
For several days smoke had hung
over the landscape, and the forest fires
of TO the northwest were the topic of
conversation at the farm On Saturday
Mr.. Sigsbee went to the village, and
when he returned Saturday evening
with the county paper it contained sew
eral columns about the havoc that had
been wrought. Mr.. Sigsbee had learned
at the village that the fires had eaten
sheir way down to within eight miles
of the town.
The Sigsbee farm was northeast of
the village, SO the line of fire at the
northwest was about the same distance
from the farm that it was from the vii
lage. During the last day or two the
smoke had become thicker, and when
darkness fell Saturday night the Sigs-
bees for the first time caught sight of
the flames, dull red through the smoke,
"a they worked their way along the
crest of low elevation six or seven
miles away.
II wish it would rain" Mr.. Sigsbee
said, as he stood watching the flames
creeping through the darkness. He was
growing very anxious over the prox-
Unity OF the fire
During the night the wind shifted
from the northwest to the south and
blew the smoke away some; it also
checked the southwark progress of the
fire But before nine o'clock the wind
was back in the northwest again, and
the thick smoke was being blown down
over the farm lands.
"If the wind keeps up the fire Will be
down on us before night" said Mr.. Sigs-
bee II think Id better go to the vii
lage and see if I can get help. The north
lots ought to be plowed up"
So the farmer hitched up one of his
horses and drove away through the
thickening smoke. When he reached
the village he found every one there in
a state of great excitement and alarm.
Since the change of wind the village
was in imminent peril.
The men were all working with the
desperation of despair to save their
own homes and not one could be spared
10 go back with Mr.. Sigsbee.
The wind blew stronger and stron ger,
and he knew the fire must be advancing
rapidly towards the farm. The smoke
obscured everything, however, and IL
was impossible TO tell how near the
flames had approached. He wished now
that he had not left his family. He had
thought it was for the best, but now,
as he started back. ii seemed to him as
If he had deserted them IN their need.
He urged the horse on as fast as pos
sible, hoping TO get back before the fire
reached the farm Soon he began to see
the small denizens of the forest
IcamperiEg across the road toward the
south. They were fleeing from the fire.
Occasionally larger animal would.
break from the brush and clear the road
with one or two bounds.
The farmer could feel the air getting
hotter, and the finer flakes of ashes be-
gan to fall upon him. He knew the
burning brands would soon begin to
fall, and realized that it would be al
most impossible to get back to the
farm. Not far back he had passed a.
cross road leading south, and the
thought that he might seek safety in.
that direction came to- him. But he did
not do it, Somehow the thought that he
had deserted his family in a time of need
persisted in coming back, and he
doggedly determined to keep on.
If they must perish, then he would
Besides, there was one chance In a thou
sand, perhaps, that he might yet reach
them
Suddenly he thought of the Widow
Stearns, who lived three miles out from
the village toward the farm. What
would She do? Perhaps she had gone to
the village. That would be the natural
thing for her to do. He was getting
near the place, and soon recognized the
little driveway that turned up toward
the house. The smoke was so dense
<Aat the house itself was hidden. Ho4
smbers were beginning to fall in the
road, and now he could distinctly hear
the cracking roar of the flames. Still
he urged the horse on. He had not ad-
vanced an eighth of mile beyond the
Stearns' place before he realized that
the fire had crossed the road in front.
He could see the orange flames through
the smoke.
With a groan he turned the horse
about and started on the backward road.
Hhe instinct of self-preseryation IS