Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1911-07-26

If it we've not for taking so much of
your valued space would delight to
recount some of the acts of splendid
heroisgsi which go to prove that CHI
valry still lives. Billy Moore, a
well-known prospector, put off with
others in canoe, which was fully
loaded. A barber rushed into the water
and implored to be taken in, as he was
doomed to die, If left, for he could not
swim. Billy let him in. Out in the
lake the big waves swamped the canoe.
Billy had used board for a paddle and
now used it as float. A friend was in
difficulty. He threw him the hoard,
saying, take this, can swim batter
than you can. A few moments later,
completely overcome, he threw up his
arms and sank. Some who came from
the intense heat into the cold water,
Just gradually dropped and sank under.
One man alone pulled several cut of the
water into his gasoline boat. The
amount of flying fire may be imagined
when canoes halfway across the lake
took fire. One man, finding his canoe
unsafe, turned it over and used il as a
protection against the suff oc ating
smoke. By turns he put out the fire
lodging upon it and lodged under the
canoe, in the water all the time. One
woman ran five and half miles to
Porcupine lake and then walked two
miles more around the lake to Golden
City, when the fire was over.
Strange tales come from the bush.
Rabbits in number crawled into the
swamps beside men, who threw water
over them and themselves to battle
against heat and flame. Two young
men were constructing raft ~ cross
lake before the fire caught them.
They were startled by a tremendous
crashing of timber, mingling with the
roar of the fire. They pushed off Just
as forty or fifty moose plunged into
the lake on all sides of them and all
together they made their way across.
At times The moose were so close they
could have Drained them with an axe,
the other side. In a short time the
crashing of timbers began agian. The
young men took warning and pushed off
into the lake. and here came the moose
wildly plunging into the lake once more
to escape from the fire, which had
doubled upon them in the other direc-
ton. One party threw a dam across a
small spring branch and sixteen men
lay in the water and threw il over them
until danger was passed. Two brothers
and another man fled to a creek. Here
one of the brothers was forced to see
his brother and the other man checked
and burned to death before his very
eyes. He saved himself by rolling over
and over in the muddy water.
One of the most touching scenes in
the whole aftermath was enacted at the
! West Done. Manager bob" Weis,
huge, jov,al fellow, weighing $40
pounds. His Nifs and little four-year-
old daughter persisted in the shaft. The
miners. who had passed Through the
terrors OF the previous dayswere work.
ing nohly lifting to light corpse after
corpse which went TO show the extent
Of the holocaust, when at last the body
OF little Ariel was lifted TO the surface.
| II was too much for the brave fellows
and they gave way. understood the
| feelings of the man who told me with
disgust that just at this moment ko-
daker stepped up and snapt picture
of the child.
With wonderful courage mine owners
and miners are already resuming or
+ preparing TO resume operations at the
mines. The same cars which carried
provisions yesterday for the living for
THEN present and future operations at
the mines were bringing back the bodies
of the dead wrapped in blankets. They
were temporarily buried but are mostly
to be reinterred at spot called Dead
Mans point.
| In another letter | may tell you some
thing Of the mines IN this region, not
with any view TO melting your readers
to this very risky form Of financial ven
ture, but merely for the interest Il will
be TO learn more of this field, where so
| many have persisted in homage to the
god Of gold. Suffice it now to say that
the greatest mine is the 'Big Dome"
as il is popularity called. 1t is very
rich in gold, which goes to depth. The
first time walked across it the first
piece of quartz | picked up from a reef
where the fire had Ioosened it contained
little nugget of gold. lost that and
! grieyed over it. The next time |
crossed the property ! pulled apart an
other quartz rock and found another
richer specimen. Others tell of much
more valuable pickings up on this mine.
| Surely gold must be plentiful when
mere novice, such as | am, can easily
pick it up on the surface.
Yours as ever in friendship,