The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1924-06-13
ZEN Of the Y. D.


Good boy. Lin!" Transey shout
ed. as he drew up and surveyed opera
tons. "She played US dirty trick.
didn't she?"
Under looked up, red-eyed and
coughing. ave can hold it here" he
said. but we can never cross the val
ley. The fire will be on us before we
have burned mile. 1t will beat around
our south flank and lick sup every
thing".
Transley jumped from his horse. He
seized Under in his arms and liter
ally threw him into the saddle. You're
played, boy!" he shouted in his fore
mans ear. ride down to the river
and get into the water, and stay there
until you know we can VIM
Then Transley threw himself into
the fight. AS the men said afterwards,
Under fought like wildcat, but
Transley fought like a den of lions.
When the wagon galloped up from
the river with barrels of water Trans
ley seized a barrel at the end and set
1t bodily on the ground. He sprang
into the wagon, shouting commands to
horses and men. A hundred yards
they galloped along the fighting front;
then Transley sprang out and set an
other barrel on the ground. In this
way, instead of having the men all
coming to the wagon to wet their
sacks, he distributed water along the
line. Then they turned back, picked
up the empty barrels, and galloped
to the river for a fresh supply. Soon
they had the first mile secure. The
back-fires had all met; the forward
line of flames had all been pounded
out; the rear line had burned back
until there was no danger Of it jump
ing the burned space. Then Transley
picked up his kit and rushed 1t on
to new front farther south. At in
tervals of hundred yards he started
fires, holding them in check and beat
ing out the western edge as before.
But his difficulties were increasing.
He was farther from the river. 1t
took longer to get water. One Of the
barrels fell off and collapsed. Some
Of the men were playing out. The
horses were wild with excitement and
terror. The smoke was growing denser
and hotter. Men were coughing and
gasping through dry, scared lips.
you can't hold it. Transley; you
can't hold It'll" said one of the men.
Transley hit him from the shoulder.
He crumpled up and collapsed.
A mile and a half had been made
safe, but the smoke was suffocatingly
thick and the roar of the oncoming
fire rose above the shouts of the fight
ers. Up galloped the water wagon;
made a sharp lurch and turn, and
front wheel collapsed with the shock.
The wagon went down at one corner
and the barrels were dumped on the
ground.
The men looked at Transley. For
one moment he surveyed the situation.
rs there a chain?" he demanded.
There was.
Hitch on to the tire of this broken
wheel. Some Of you men yank the
hub out Of 1t. Others pull grass. Pull,
like HI was after you ]"
They pulled. In a minute or two
Transley had the rim Of the wheel
fat on the ground, with a team
hitched to 1t and little pile of dry
grass inside. Then he set fire to the
little pile of grass and started the
team slowly along the battle front.
AS they moved the burning grass In
the rim set fire to the grass on the
prairie underneath; the rim partly
rubbed it out again as it came over,
and the men were able to keep what
remained in check, but as he length
ened his line Transley had to leave
more and more men to beat out the
fire, and had fewer to pull grass. The
sacks were too wet to burn; he had
to have grass to feed his moving fire
spreader.
At length he had only a teamster
and himself. and his fire was going
out. Transley whipped off his shirt,
! rolled it into little heap, set fire to
it, and ran along beside the rim, fir
ing the little moving circle of grass
inside.
1t was the teamster, looking back,
who saw Transley fall. He had to
drop the lines to run to his assistance,
and the horses, terrified by smoke and
| fire and the excitement of the fight,
Immediately bolted. The teamster took
Transley in his arms and half car
ried, half dragged him into the safe
| area behind the back-fires. And a few
minutes later the main fire, checked
| on its front, swept by on the flank
and raced on up through the valley.
In riding down to the assistance Of
Mrs. Landson Zen found herself sud-
| denly caught in an eddy of smoke.
! She did not realize at the moment that
the wind had turned; she thought she
must have ridden into the fire area.
To avoid the possibility of being cut
! off by fire, and also for better air, she
turned her horse TO the river. All
through the valley were pillows of
smoke, with here and there reddish
yellow glare marking the more vicious
sections of fame. Vaguely, at times.
she thought she caught the shouting
of men, but all the heavens seemed
full of roaring.
When Zen reached the water the
smoke was hanging low on it, and she
drove her horse well in. Then she
swung down the stream. believing that
by making a detour In this way she
could pass the wedge Of fire that had