The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-10-19
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San Francisco, Oct 19-No intrepid
voyager, daring the white waters OF
dangerous Canadian streams, ever en-.
countered a more thrilling experience
than did Captain Thomas @. Ashburn,
commander OF the Sixtieth company
coast artillery corps, when in order
TO escape death in raging forest fire
which entirely surrounded him near
Forest Hill, Placer county, he ran the
rapids of the middle fork of the Amer
lean river for distance of eight
miles instead OF the stanch and sea-
worthy canoe OF the voyager, Captain
Ashbun was forced to utilize as a
sailing craft an old packing box.
which had been left in the camp for
the storage of provisions.
With his improysed boat complete.
! ~ at the mercy of the rough and tur-
bulent stream and threatened each
moment witt destruction by collisions
with protruding rocks and boulders.
Captain Ashburn clung tightly to the
sides of his frail craft.
A few hundred yards from the point
Of embarkation the river narrowed
! TO a width of less than a hundred
| feet, and the timber on either side
was burning so fercely that the heat
! and smoke almost enyeloped the
brave officer, VINO, with smarting
eyes, blistered skin and singed hair,
lay In the bottom OF his uncertain
craft.
Time and again did the gray out
line of an immense boulder rise up
and defy further progress. but on
each occasion luck remained with
Captain Ashburn, and after a sirug-
| gle of almost two hours duration
the river widened, strip of smooth
water was reached, and the army off.
ieer finally reached shore.
\ Though suffering bit from the
effects OF the heat inferno through
which he had just passed. and thor
oughly soaked by flying spray. Cap
tain Ashburn was unharmed. Within
an hour he again led his men to the
attack upon the forest fire. which the
company was fighting in that section
The experience of Captain Ashburr
was brought about while engaged II
| directing his men in the battle Oh
| the flames that threatened with de
struction a large part of the timber
lands which surround Forest Hill
Captain Ashburns men were divided
into two detachments, each of whici
was under command of sergeant
Captain Ashburn would from time t(
time visit each detachment TO water
the work
On the afternoon of September 2
the officer visited the detachmen
commanded by Sergeant Davis. II
get to It II was necessary for hin
TO make his way through a stretch o
burning timber When he arrived a
the temporary camp he found tina
the men had some time preyiousl
\ realized their danger from approach
l ing flames and left.
CAPTAIN Ashburn then found tina
the flames had spread and cut off Al
retreat except by the river. BY
4 chance. which later proved Captai
I Ashburn's salvation, the artilleryme
\ had left the old packing box behint
n Utilizing it as boat, he started dow
the rapids on his perilous trip.
Three DAYS after this occurrence
when the fires were reported as on
i the whole company. including Cal
u tain Ashburn, started to march frol
\ Forest Hill to Auburn, a distance
twenty.two miles. Following the
i commander, the soldiers left the roa
\ to follow a shorter trail As a resu
I the entire company was lost for mir
\ hours.
II was only after long and veal
some march that the middle fork
u the American river was finally loca
i ed and the company found It's bea
: slings. After many hours OF effort,
II the course OF which the river vi
crossed and recrossed eighteen time
the artlllerymen made camp at A
burn. Forty miles were covered dl
ing this march. In the course
= which the men had nothing to e.
a. - Sou