Year: 1871

| RefuSee-Flfght Tor Lire ThrouSn


Flaming FOrest-Death Struggle


with a Manfae-A Rain OF Fire


The Rescue.
Correspondence New York World.l -


GREEN BAY. WIS.,, October IA. !,


In company with other people WIN
had been driven from their homes in
the interior of the State blythe dreadful
fires Of the preceding week and more,
reached this city last Wednesday, hoping
to find my husband. from whom | had
become separated in the woods when
the smoke was go thick that it was im
possible for US to see each other twhen
we were few feet apart.


1t seems strange to me, now that 4 can
recall so vividly all that passed during
that frightful afternoon and ahe night
which followed it, aud ,yetit is all inn
pressed on my mind in colors which can
never be obliterated. But perhaps lam
beginning at the wrong end ofny story,
which you must not expect to find at all
artistic or elaborate. Indeed, I-would
not have written it at all if Mr.. Wilson,
who has so kindly cared for me since
my arrival at Green Bay, had not tod
me that l ought to let the people know
what bardsbips hundreds, and as / heas
thousands of men and women, and even
poor little innocent children, have un,
dergone up here in the North
ives, fort both he and / be-
lieve that in some respects my
misery was paralleled by that Of many
others. 1t is by no means an unfre
auent occurrence to have fires in the
woods in Wisconsin which, in dry
season, burn for weeks and weeks. /
have often looked up toward the north.
west and seen from an eminence clouds
OF smoke lying above the woods steadily
for long time and never appearing to
move in any way. They looked like
piles Of white cotton in the daytime, and
at night, when the moon shone brightly,
there was peculiar weird look about
them which gave the darkened land
scape singular beauty, for often the
upper part Of them would resemble
masses Of purple and pearly clouds,
sometimes with tinge Of red from the
fire below. 1t was but seldom that the
fire itself could be seen. Nobody feared
an extensive contlagration even in the
dryest of times, much less was there
any apprehension that the time would
come when the flames would sweep
down upon us and almost in an instant
burn up our houses like so much stub
bic, and make us flee Cor our lives.
Still, when the drought Of the present
season had lasted much longer than
previous ones had done some Of our
neighbors began to lear that nsat any
time high wind should blow long
enough we should find ourselves in the
greatest danger. 1t was not, however,
until J. day or two before the actual
appearance OF the fire in our vicinity
that anything like apprehension took
possession OF our minds, or anything
like active measures was taken to ward
off the threatened catastrophe.


On the morning OF the lth OF tins
month, lust as we were sitting down to
take breakfast, Mr.. Richardson, neigh
Dor of ours, came running into the
house and told Mr.. Mechand that he
must come ont Immediately and see
wha, could be done. During the night
the wind had risen, but not so greatly
as to amount to any thing like a gale,
but rather did ii resemble the ordinary
fall wind. Mr.. Mechand did not seem
at all uneasy, and lei>urely swallowed
his breakfast before following Mr.. Rich
ardson, who had disappeared as soon
as he stuck his heaG into the room and
calle my husband Mr.. Mechand went
into the woods and STAYED Till about
noon. when he came running back and
said that he had climbed up to the top
of Browns Hill, where the wind was
blowing a gale, and from there had
seen the fire which was coming toward
US at a tremendous pace. Indeed | had
feared as much and had been exceed
ipglv uneasy all the morning, for the
smoke which for days had been in the
valley where we lived had become
more and more dense, and occasionally
hot puffs Of wind had blown down over
the hills, driving the smoke in dense
cloud before it. asked my husband
ii he thought there was any danger to be
feared; he shook his head and answered
NO" vet knew by his face that he was
far from being devoid OF fear. He
ate his dinner hastily, and then ran out
arain. and was met at the door 10y a
neighbor, who said that the fire was
advancing with frighttul speed. In
deed, the air had now become sutry as
il never had been before, except On
some hot DAYS in summer, Immediately
before the coming OF thunder storm.
The air was sitting, and the smoke got
into ones lungs and nostrlls in such a
way as TO render it exceeding| y unpleas-
ant Mother sat in a corner holding
little Louis in her lap. and | noticed
that she seemed restless and that her
ewes shone with light such as | have
sometimes seen in those of wild beast,
and had only seen in her in the Old
days when she was about to have an
outburst OF fury was frightened and
fdsety, and didn't DO anything in the
right way. went and took the boy
away from mother who reliuquished
him readily, and then, as | had after
ward terrible reason 10 remember,
although l hardly noticed it at the time,
she went TO the cupboard and secreted
something in the bosom o: her dress.
Mr.. Mechand stood at the door,
speaking hurriedIy to the man
whom he had met, when burning
branch of pine tell at his feet.
Instantly the air darkened, violent
| prT of vinI rushed uDOn us and