Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1899-10-12
He could see the orange flames through

Il
The instinct of self-preservation j:
strong, and wife and children were nov
nearly forgotten in his efforts to es
cape dreadful death. Reaching the
drive leading up to the Widow Stearns
house he turned the horse in and drove
up. He knew there was meadow LOT
south Of the house, and thought that by
setting fire to the dried grass in front
of him and following in the wake of the
fire he might escape destruction from
the flames behind. Then he remem'
bered there was very deep well back
of the house. That, he thought, prom
ised greater security than the other
plan.
The roar and crackle of the fire to the
north was deafening now, and the heat
was becoming intolerable. Springing
from the wagon Mr.. Sigsbee cut the
harness and turned the horse loose.
''Perhaps he can escape" he thought.
Then he ran toward the well. 1t did
not astonish him to find a stout rope
securely fastened to plank, which lay
across the mouth of the well. He was
too terrified to be astonished at any
thing. Selling the rope he quickly let
himself down, finding some interstices
in the wall in which he could place his
feet, and thus relief the strain on the
| rope. After descending many feet he
heard voice, and looking down recog-
nized in the shadow the Widow Stearns,
Finding herself in peril she had
sought safety in the deep well. The
season had been unusually dry, and
there was but little water in the well.
Mrs. Stearns was standing on the we'll
bottom, and the water did not reach
to her knees.
Comparatively little smoke pene-
trated to the depth of the well, while
the fire roared and cracked overhead
and gradually spent it's fury.
Meanwhile exciting events were
transpiring at the Sigsbee farm. When
his father had gone Frank hitched the
remaining horse to a pillow and started
to pillow the fed lying northwest of the
house. He wanted to get as large a
space as possible plowed up before his
fathers return. The plan was if help
returned with Mr.. Sigsbee to pillow as
large an area as they would have time to
clear around the house and barn. In
this way they hoped to save both struc-
lures. Accordingly, Frank commenced
blowing at considerable distance from
the house, and plowed quite long fur
rows. But he had not got many fur
rows plowed before he noticed that the
wind was blowing much stronger from
the direction of the burning forest,
and soon after little flakes of ashes be-
gan to fall about him.
''There won't be time to do It'll" he
said to himself with little gasp. II
wish father was here" he thought, his
heart failing him in the face of the
dreadful danger, whose full terrors he
was only just beginning to realize.
Something seemed to come up INFO his
mouth, which he gulped down. Then
he thought of his mother and two
young sisters. There was no one to
protect them now but himself. He
must think of some way to save them.
He looked despairingly toward the
house and barn, dimly visible through
the smoke. 1t was useless to try to save
the buildings; they were plainly
doomed. Life was the most precious
thing, and that was all that must be
thought of now. Bat how could even
life be saved in the face of such fire
Frank knew it would be useless to try
to reach the village. The fire would
have crossed the road before they could
get half way there. There was one
other road, but it ran right up toward
the fire few rods beyond the farm
house. The only direction in which
they could flee would be southwark
into the woods. Frank knew the forest
was thick there with dry underbrush
which would greatly impede their own
progress, and at the same time hasten
the progress of the fire. 1t would be
terrible to have the fire overtake them
in the forest. He would rather take his
chances in the cleared space.
A hot cinder, blown a considerable
distance in front of the fire, struck his
cheek, and he started as if it had sud-
denly burned an idea into his brain.
Hurrying with the horse and pillow to
the house, he called out to his mother.
She and the girls had been at the south
side and had not noticed how danger
ously near the fire was getting.
Mother" Frank called, 'you and the
girls see if you can pull the cart out of
the shed and down into the field south
of the house. The fire will be on us in a
little while, and we've got to save our
selves"
Hastily explaining his plan to her, he
drove the horse to the field and began
blowing at a spot about 100 yards south
of the house. Mrs. Sigsbee and the two
girls managed to haul the cart from the
shed and down into the field. When
they got it there Frank stopped plow.
ing long enough to help them overturn
the cart in the center of the space he
had plowed. The cart was boarded at
the front and sides, and when turned
bottom up left space under it about
two feet high, the bottom of the cart
serving as a roof. and the front and
sides as walls. Ingress could be had
through the open place in the rear. This
opening was turned away from the ap.
preaching fire. AS soon as they had got
it in position Frank resumed blowing
working in ever widening circles
around the cart.
"You and the girls get as many pals
as you can from the house, and fill them
with water at the trough" he said te
his mother. They obeyed his instruc
tons, and soon had several pals fillec
with water standing close to the en-