The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-04-18
An lnoipient Blaze in His Home
Leads to an Essay" on Fire.
ANCIENT THEORY OF TIE ELEMENT
Barlow Man Tells How the Alarm
Made Him Hump" Himself
Some interesting Statistics.

Things that cost the least ana are the
most necessary to our existence are
the most dangerous when unrestrain-
ed Last Sabbath evening my wife and
walked down to Jessies house to
comfort her In her sick bed, and play
with the little girls and help nurse the
little baby boy. Suddenly the fire bell
gave an alarm and my wife walked out
on the Veranda to find out where the
fire was. In a moment she came hur-
rylng back and almost screamed, IT'S
our house-lt's our house; run quick.
OH mercy" I threw the baby down
on the hoor-no, / didn't either-and
departed these coasts with alacrity.
Flremen and people we're hurrying that
way. / struck a fox trot for awhile,
but soon relaxed into fast walk, and
then a slow pull up the hill, for felt
my palpitatlon coming on. Before
4 reached the mansion | met some OF
the advance guard returning who said
the fire was out. So sat down on the
front steps to blow for minute. When
went through the hall to the kitchen
where the commotion was, found our
daughters and some good friends still
drenching the smoking walls and pour
ing water down the fue up in the gar
ret. The accumulated SCOT Of twenty
years had caught on fire and somehow
tgot to the lathing and then to the cell
ing and dropped to the floor. Nobody
was at home. The cook was in her
cabin asleep. Her little boy was sit
ting on the back steps and when our
girls arrived he very quietly pointed
Nto the kitchen and said, Oars a fire
lin dar." Then they heard the crack
ing flames and saw smoke pouring
through broken pane. On opening
the door they we're astounded, for the
whole room seemed ablaze. One ran
to the front door and screamed Fire,
fire, fire." and the other went to the
telephone, and then they flew to the
water faucet and good nelghbors gath
cred In and filled the buckets and went
TO work They were just in time, for a
delay Of ten minutes would have
caused the loss Of the house and all Of
our tlme-honored furniture and pict-
ures and books and my wife's fine
and golden wedding presents. When I
left Jessies house my wife hailed me
on the run and said save something,
but l am not certain whether it was
her fine dresses in the wardrobe or her
silverware in the dark closet or her
Bible l reckon it was the Bible that
she has read chapter in every night
for all these long years. had good
old Baptist aunt in Rome, and when
her house caught on fire away in the
4 night, and the firemen came running,
Ashe ran out in her night clothes and
begged them to save her Christian
Index. She had a stack Of them and
treasured them more than anything
else
Our good old professor, Charles F
Mccoy, of Franklin College, used to
lecture us students, and his favorite
subject was, "The Regularity Of IT.
irregular Things" and he satisfied me
that the longer my house escaped 9
fire the more liable l was to have one
The chances against me increased as
the years rolled on, and so have been
expecting a FIRE. The insurance com
panies understand this and base al
their calculations and rates upon it
They will tell you what is the average
fife of a dwelling, store, gin, plan
ing mill or a church. The professor
illustrated with dice box and said, i
you cast the dice dozen times the si1
spot might come up three or four time!
in succession, and the ace severa
times. but if you cast the dice thou
sand times, each number from ont
to six would show up about an equa
number Of times. That is according
4to the calculation of chances ant
proves the regularity Of irregular
things. so it is with the rainfall which
however uncertain in its coming
amounts to about the same every year
Since 1863 the losses by fire in thu
United States have averaged $105,000
600 a year the lowest being 100000
600, and the highest $110,OO0,0OO, ant
yet in 1871 the loss in Chicago alonu
was $500, 100000.
But where did fire come from an,
who gave It and when. There is NJ
mention Of fire in the Mosaic accoun
Of the creation, nor for two THOUSAND
years after it. Until after the foo
there was not much need Of fire, 70
the people were not permitted to ca
meat. Their food was the fruits Of tn
nnrth But I recknn thew did haY