Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-08-31
The Daily Short Story
A Terrible Experience.

in sugar refinery. There were two
OF us on watch, and one night the
weather was so hot that we both fell
asleep from exhaustion. Suddenly l
awoke and smelled smoke and heard
the cracking OF flames. l awoke my
companion, Blackwood, and opened the
door of the room.
A cargo of raw sugar and molasses
had just been taken in, and this was
piled up on each side of the vaulted
passage that led from the main door
of the refinery. This mass was on
fire and was sending out dense vol
umes of smoke. On the other side OF
us were wooden stairs which led to
various parts of the building, and these
were also in flames. We were sur
| rounded by the flames, and the heat
was so great that it was certain we
could not survive long. Blackwood and
l looked at each other in dismay. His
boy appeared to be calmer than either
Of us and suddenly cried out, Father,
the beer CELLAR
The men who worked in the refinery.
on account of the great heat to which
they were subjected, had daily allow
ance of beer, which was kept in stone
cellar about II or II feet underground.
1t was to this place the boy referred.
The top of the stone stair which led
TO 1t was surrounded by fire, but we at
once rushed TO it and descended the
steps. In passing the flames at the top
of the stair my face was scorched and
my hair singed. The door of the cellar
was locked, but with the strength of
desperation we dashed ourselves against
it and burst it open. How cool 1t felt
after the fearful heat of the furnace
we had just left But how long would
ii remain so was the question that
Blackwood and considered in few
hurried words. We had hardly closed
the door when we heard the frightful
crash of the falling roof of the refinery,
and pieces of burned wood came kissing
and cracking down the stair. We
rolled two barrels behind the door,
which we did not fear would catch fire,
as it was covered with iron, and then
we waited while 1t began TO grow
hotter and hotter. 1t was quite dark
there, although we were so close to the
bright flames. l could hear Blackwood
praying as he knelt on the floor of the
cellar. He was good man. believe,
and well prepared for the death that
met him that night. l soon felt the
choking stencil of burned sugar, and on
putting my hand to the floor 1 was
burned severely.
The melted sugar and scalding mo-
lasses were flowing down the stair and
filling the place where we were. The
floor sloped considerably, and 1 re-
treated to the end farthest from the
hn fr,fn
and the vapor was sitting. l became
unconscious. and how long remained
so cannot tell. When recovered my
senses, the heat had not gone and there
was about six inches of water in the
place where 1 was lying. This had
come from the fire engines and was
lukewarm. 1 could not feel this with
my hands, as they and my face We're
fearfully scorched, but 1 did so with
my tongue. l had called on Black
wood. but there was no answer, and by
wriggling over with great pain for a
few yards found both him and his son
lying dead. The scalding sugar had
reached the place where they We're and
had apparently stopped there. 1 could
feel the hardened cake under the water.
conjectured that they, like myself, had
become unconscious and had been
burned to death by the boiling sugar.
The time during which l remained in
this place seemed like weeks. had no
hope of escape, as l knew that above
there must be an immense mass formed
by the. parts of the building which had
fallen.
| had not strength enough to reach
the door. At last, when my pain had
decreased little. fell asleep or faint
ed, / cannot tell which, but when L
awoke / felt somewhat relieved and n
longing for life. l also for the first
time felt hungry. l managed to get
some beer, which revived me consider
ably. 1 tried to open the door, but was
unable. The silence which pervaded
the place and the consciousness of the
presence of the two dead bodies had
their effect on my weak state. and l
knew l was becoming delirious. l re-
member 1 laughed Historically and be-
gan to shout. When / stopped, 1
heard n faint sound far above me.
This made me perfectly wild. There
was n hammer, which my hand acct
dentally came against, and l took it
and began beating an empty barrel in
frenzy. Then l heard a shout from
above, but / was mad now, and 1 re-
member as IL it were yesterday that
attempted to strike my head with the
hammer. and then 1 lost all recollec-
ton. When 1 regained my conscious
ness, 1 found was in the infirmary.
They told me that when the men were
clearing away the rubbish they heard
q sound, and, remembering the cellar,
had dug down to it. They thought at
first that we were all dead, and it was
not till a medical man had seen the
bodies that it was discovered that there
was still some life left in me.
I lay there for months and was
never expected to recover. A young
and strong constitution, however, serv-
ed me in good stead. and was at last