Year: 1871

the surface Of the ground. Men now living who came
almost unscathed through that night OF doom, tell how
before the evil time, whom the fires were raging about,
this spot had been xed place Of safety because
almost in the center Of the clearing with NO inamma
ble matter near 1t seemed TO promise breathing in
Of general conagraton There had been constant
jocoses and banter about this center Of salvation"
and actually attempting to enlarge the cavity
had been driven OF by good-natured ridcule Even
late Saturday 1t had been used place of refnge
Notwithstanding and when the actual danger came the
credulous mass remembered the deuSive pit II that
fatal spot had not BEEN the whimsical belief had not
obtained firm hold there the slightest doubt but
the 47 that pershed would have escaped in the neigh
boring woods. Into that cramped place. crowdng but
Ing begging cursing mpOrng, praying ahrieking men,
children and women ebowed and fought In the frenzy
of hdeous desperation and terror Not largo enough
to admit dozen by the closest packing, nearly 80
wresed and crowded in and about the fatal spot With
ostrich instinct in the abjectness Of their unreasonng
fear, plowed their burning heads under the living
pyre An inextrcable pyramid of bodies in all sorts Of
conceivable postures, stood In the hameswept place.


There were few in this awful time that preserved
amazing equanimity. The engineer Of the mill Bryon
Merrill, young fellow Of marked character and intel
gence, bated resoutely till the last chance to his
employers property and only when the futity OF the
effort and the danger to life became obvious his
selimposed duty resigned. bft Of tnges the





mi-owners Miss Magg1e williamson girl It is said Of
beauty and attraction. The young fellow bright
and cultured beyond his kind regarded with favor and
affection for many q mile around, had won her heart,
and the two to have been married The girl with
her kindred had fed to tho potato patch and here suO
eating with smoke their garments in flames, and writh
ing in awful agony, the young fellow found the chief
part Of the people he tried to scatter the infatuated


group; with his hat pressed closely his mouth and
nos directed the group to break and take shelter
In the edge OF the timber Hopeess The roar OF the
hurricane even the bloodcurdng shrieks Of the suffer
ers drowned his voice He tried by main force to tear
the hdeOuS asunder, but the strength Of giant
could not have broken the maddened clutch Of
the Vrctched sufferers The group was i'm
movably fixed to the fatal spot and from
burning sand fiery LaocoGn struggling with the cong
flames Merrill hastily fetching wettcd blankets threw
them over the nearest sufferers, meantime shouting TO
them to break for the timber not 20 steps away Use
less With the skin hanging In shreds upon his hands
and forehead carried water and poured it on the IN
fatuated group, while the ignOble crowding went on
mady among the swiftly roasting crowd The tumutu-
GUS struggle had been from the first lOathsome, un
reasoning fear; moments coolness moments cessa-
ton Of the fghtful effort to wedge downward would
have given life TO ALL Tho time came however, when
tho faithful Merrill, stripped almost OF clothing and
burned beyond recognition had to give up the heroic
effort and plungng through the darting fame, dashed





half dozen heavy sleepers had found tardiness their
salvation from the potato patch and they darted into the
timber belt which had been carefully burned ont long
before keep the fire from the houses Here prone on
the ground they protected themselves while the mad
crowd yards away roasted In their blindness Tie
falling could be guarded againstbut nothing could
save from the encompassinR fire in the cearings One
came too whose frail chance OF life the meanest
ture struggling In that hot pit would not have refused
old tottering half blind trembling woman mother TO the
Of the mill She must have been forgotten In the


first rush. for when she toward the potato patch
was filed with swarming crowd thrown pIone upon
their in the shallow depths Of the potato pit Seven
Of her kindred writhed in that hideous knot Passing on
with decrept STEP the venerable mother whose 81 years
had not worn out GOODNESS and discretion came upon
great bowlderfnear the edge OF the timber. Climbing
on this although hah suocated she covered her head
with her skirts, and, with clothes care
fully tucked up from the running flames,
kept for hours on back OF this unique salamandcr
The only son that ouIo the fire with his life it s
said, did not forget his duty and aided his mother to
this forlorn refuge. Be that as It may, with thick
blanket well weted her body and her skirts out of
reach Of the hot incendlary sand the brave old lady
perched on that rock through the long night OF agony
every shrek Of roasting kindred splitting her ears,
and their burning bodies almost within reach Of her
helpless arms. Twice through the night she received
succor once from her son, who came up and wetted
her covering, and from the barn-master, Bush,
who also bathed her head and gave her cool water TO
drink. Through the whole Iunspeakabie tragedy OF
pteous cOwardce this vein Of simple for!tude and
heroic endurance.


The mill blacksmith, Michael Adams, stands out as
though Of almost antique mold lie was man Of cisa-
tic figure and grave rough reserve. When the danger
came he gathered his three children and baby in hl5
great strong arms and with his wife strode to the center
OF the clearing where be calmly placed them on wetted
blankets, and, covering them with his coat, quietly
brought water IN buckets and saturated the ra proc
ton The flames hssed and roared about him, but he
never des1ted Resisting the hot torrents with wonder
full endurance and even when his hair was abaz, his
hands eshess and the Goals eating into his esb con-
tnued his efforts for wife and child The young enGi
neer and the barnmaster shouted to him to hy to the
woods He seemed to hear them, but calmly shaking
his head remained at his post As his strength and sight
began to fall he looked with unutterable yearning to-
ward the helpless group at his feet then glanced anx-
ously toward the wood Whether he that there was
the better chance of safety can never be known;
he reeled suddenly and dropped like shot In his tracks
When help came that group tho next day. an unscarred
babe lay In Of its dead mother the fathers arm
about both. They were, OF course all dead but the
father alone with one arm burned off, unrecOgnizabe
save by his giant frame. Even the dog that
howled smotheYing In the hot air and Kept
in an ecstasy OF restless motion to prevent beng roasted
on the hot sands seemed impressed by this mans devo
tion Wa9ping delirtous inquiry with his tail, and inter-
ectDg sharp barks he seemed to plead with his obdu-
rate master Hopeless of recognition, then ne would
poke his nose under the wet blankets, and after a
thorough cooling, emerge deectedly as though oepre-
eating the weakness while his master stood exposed
Sands growing hotter and hotter the forbesrng brute


made for the woods but mdcareer and almost IN the
performance OF O Hg-his legs were kept moving 80
brisky to Lgcp hls feet nom burnns-he turned long
ny a. II rerndng tho man that this was the way to
safety. No heed wss paid him. and with painful hmpS
and peous whines he returned and settling his feet on
the blanket stared eagerly at bis master HIS poor
stnged body found in that attitude OF love ana


Al the we'll which stood nearest the house, vretched
0roup had taken refuse--not only at, but In It. BIZ