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VOL. XtV.
jSTEAV" BLOOMFIELD, IJ-A.., TUESDAY, JUNE StJ, 1880.
NO. 27.
THE TIMES.
in Independent Family Newspaper,
II FOBLIBBID IVBRT TUHBDAT BT
F. MORTIMER & CO.
TEltMH I
INVARIABLY IN ADVANCE.
One year (Postage Free) II BO
Blx Months " " 80
To Subeoribers In this County
Who pay In Advance, a Discount of 25 Cents will
be made from the above terms, making
subscription within the County,
When l'ald In Advance, $1.25 Per Year.
r Advertising rates furnished uponappll
eation. Surrounded by 'Fire.
IT WAS In the last week of June, 1870.
I left Gorlier, a new raining town on
the East fork of the 0 rand I'le, a place
which takes Its name from the peculiar
shape of the mountains which surround
it, to prospect on the west Bid- of the
main range as for north as Eagle Tine.
We left Gothet by a trail leading north
up Copper Creek, which heads In the
Maroon mountains apposite the head of
a creek of the stme name which flows
north into the Roaring Fork of the
Grand Pie. Much as I love the grand
old Sierras, the span called Maroon
mountains has, to me, something pecu
liarly attractive about it, being nearly
as high as the highest peaks in the
range. It takes its name from the color
of the rock of which it is composed,
being above timber of a bright maroon
color, Interspersed with a lighter-colored
strata, which dips slightly to the west.
The inroads of time and the decompos
ing elements have worn away the rock,
leaving the distant peaks in the shape
of pyramids, steeples, domes and towers
which compare in beauty and grandeur
with the finest architectural wcrk of
human hands.
It being late when I left Gother I did
not cross the divide over on to Maroon
creek until the next morning. While
on the range above timber line I dis
covered that the timber was on fire six
or eight miles lower down the creek.
Our party pushed along as fast as the
unfavorable condition of the trail and
country would permit. Toward the
middle of the afternoon we went into
camp in a little willowy flat about three
fourth of a mile from where the fire was
sweeping everything before it. The fire
was much nearer to us on the east side
of the stream than on the. west, so I
started down on the west side to see
what the chances were for getting
through below it. We had not gone
very far when I discovered that the fire
had crossed the creek behind us, and
we had better make our best time back
to prevent being surrounded. By the
next morning the fire had sufficiently
consumed the timber along the stream
so that it was possible to get below it,
and we traveled along for several miles
down the canyon, when we discovered
another burning district below us. We
came to another willowy flat of about an
acre at noon, so we unpacked our ani
mals to give them a chance to graze,
while we ate a lunch prepaiatory to
Pushing our way through and beyond the
fire. After stopping an hour or so, we
saddled up and started. Matters at first
seemed favorable, as the wind had gone
down and the fire did not seem to be as
furious as it was a short time . before.
When we left camp our trail led along
the side of the mountain, a little way
from the creek, which entered a narrow
defile below us. Before we bad gone
half a mile we got into the fire, which
had first fed upon the fallen timber and
dead trees, the latter constantly falling
around us. The ground in places was
covered with dry pine leaves and boughs
to the depth' of four or five Inches,
which were soon In flames, and so burn
ed our horses' feet that I thought beet to
dismount and go it on foot. We travel
ed as fast as we could, hoping to get
past the fire as .soon as possible. The
heat was growing intense, and it soon
became so hot for us we could go no
farther. We concluded to grin and bear
it until it had burned iUelf out, but
suddenly the wind sprang up,, and In an
Instant almost everything seemed aglow
with fire. The place where wa stood,
and which before was a bed of smoulder
ing embers, now became a hissing,
crackling mass of burning con!. In a
moment our pack mule gave up and fell
down by the side of a burning log. The
pack luulied to him was soon afire. I
had been foolish enough to take with
me into this place a sixteen pound cau of
blasting powder, wrapped In a gunny
sack, which I had strapped to that mule.
Here was a new and terrible danger
threatening us. How to get the cau of
powder olTthat mule before some flying
spark should reach It was our first
thought. Every moment was fraught
with terror, for if it should explode
while we were hemmed in with fallen
timber on every side some lives might
be sacrificed. The anxiety to save our
property made us hazard, the effort.
We tried our mightiest for a while to
remove the pack, but it was no use as
the pesky critter was lying on the lash
ropes. Bo we left him to his fate and
moved along a little to await the
explosion, which we thought sure must
come very soon.
I confess I felt no little curiosity as to
where the biggest part of that mule
would land when the upheaval took
place, and as we stood around joking
about this most serious matter serious
not to the mule alone, but to ourselves
as well we fulled to notice that the
wind freshened into a gale and that the
fire was sweeping through the foliage
of the pine and spruce trees under which
we had taken shelter. Sprigs of fire
were torn from the burning wood and
blown in showers, which kept us busy
knocking away the hot embers that fell
upon us. Our horses suffered terribly,
and it web as much as we could do to
keep them from rushing headlong down
the mountain. They floundered around
as if they were possessed by evil spirits.
I expected every moment they would
go down. The old fellow who was with
me seemed to feel the effects of the fire
and smoke more than any of us, and
kept gasping out, " Oh, my lungs ; my
lungs 1" until his lamentations became
most pitiable. To proceed on our way
was impossible, to remain where we
were was sudden death. Our only way
was past that mule 1 Imagine the situ
ation if you can. The mule had fallen
so as to completely block the way, and
at any moment that can of powder
might go off, and two to one everything
within a radius of a hundred feet would
be blown to pieces. I waited a few min
utes for the explosion, which did not
come. The heat was getting terrible.
I was compelled to keep my eyes partly
closed to save my sight. My whole
body grew numb and heavy and my
throat parched. I realized that it had
become with us a matter of life or death,
and some bold effort must be made to
get out of this hellish corral, or we
would suffocate. All this came to me
sooner than I can tell you, -and the
resolution was quietly acted upon. I
handed the reins of my horse to a com
panion, and started for the spot where
we had left the mule lying. To my
surprise he had regained his feet, but
some part of the harness had fastened to
the log and he was evidently so exhaust
ed he could not pull loose. The pack
bad shifted under his belly and must
have impeded him in his efforts to tear
away. He was prancing around as well
as he was able, and realized more than
any of u,s no doubt the discomfort of the
situation. But I had no time to Bpare
to help him. My purpose was to get
him out of the way and that as quickly
as possible. The pack hanging to him
was burning, and the sack containing
the powder was half consumed. I took
hold of it and tried to tear it loose, so as
to hurl it down the mountain. I was
unable to do so as the lashing had not
burned sufficiently. However, I man
aged to get the mule out of the way so
that it was possible to get the other
animals past, and shouted to my com
panion to come on with the horses,
which he did, and all got safely past the
magazine. We then made our way
back to the little willow flat where we
had stopped at boon. We had several
narrow escapes from falling trees which
had burned off near the ground. When
we arrived at the flat we were very
much exhausted. A party of men had
arrived at the camp from above, deem
ing It unsafe to proceed further as the
fire was spreading In every direction.
Deer, with their tongues out, were com
ing down off the mountain, seeking
safely along and In the stream which
flowed through the canyo. Grouse
were flying about seemingly as much
perplexed as I imagine Noah's dove
must have been on its lonely hunt for a
rooBtlng place, and bear toddled along
the banks of the creek seeking a place
of safety.
Toward evening the wind went down,
and as the fire liad spent Its fury in the
vicinity where we had left our mule,
two of the men volunteered to go down
and see if they could save anything
from the wreck. They succeeded In
following our track through the ashes
and embers, when they finally came to
the place where the mule had been.
They found tools and other articles scat
tered about, but the mule, oh, where
was he I The first thought they had
was that the magazine had exploded
and blown mule and all to the four
winds, but after a short investigation
they concluded that the old fellow must
be in the neighborhood somewhere, aud
feeling anxious. to know what had be
come of Lira commenced a search. In a
little while they struck his trail, aud
following it for some distance came .to a
point where it led to the edge of a preci
pice. Over this the unfortunate animal
had no doubt blindly staggered. Sure
enough, about thirty feet below, on a
bench of rock, lay the mule, his heels
sticking up, and held from going over
by a clump of stunted cedar brush.
The men returned and reported every
thing lost. They had not been back
long before night set in. The wind
sprang up again and at times blew
almost a gale, and the fire took , a fresh
start. Toward midnight the scene was
terribly grand. Now and then the
wind would go down for a time aud the
smoke would hang In a great black
cloud above us until the wind again
freshening fanned the Are Into flames.
The lurid glare reflected on the blood
colored rocks made them look like a
huge mass of burnished gold. The crash
of falling timber could be heard for
miles, while massive pieces of rock cut
loose from the ledges above would go
tearing down the sides of the mountain
like an avalanche, carrying everything
before them. As they fell, striking
against other rocks, these great boulders
would burst like a bombshell and scatter
their fragments in every direction.
Rocks weighing several tons and glow
ing with heat went bounding along like
swift fleeting meteors, making a noise
not unlike the howl of wild beasts in
terror, and plunging with a hissing cry
into the stream below. It seemed like a
pandemonium let loose. We finally laid
down to rest but not to sleep. There
was a great tree slowly burning away at
its base, and we calculated whether It
was tall enough to reach where we had
spread our blankets. We concluded
that it was not but during the night It
came down with a crash, falling to one
side of where we lay and reaching a
number of feet beyond us. '
The following morning, after break
fast, we saddled up and started down
the trail again. On arriving where we
had been the day before, we found a
little heap of scorched flour here and
burnt sugar there, and bottles which
had contained acids and other chemic
als, together with the tubes, were all
melted. I took my carbine and went
down in search of the mule, to put him
out of misery, if he was yet alive. When
I got to the brink of the precipice and
looked over, Mr. Mule was nowhere to
be seen. He had evidently fallen from
the bench where he had lain, and as this
projected so that I could not see beyond
it, I went further down the stream until
I found a place where it was possible to
get down to the bottom of the canyon,
which I followed up with considerable
difficulty, as I was compelled to cross
the stream several times over logs and
floodwood. As I passed around a point
of rocks I came all of a sudden upon the
mule. He was standing on a little
gravel bar. I at first thought It was an
apparition, but soon discovered that the
old chap was worth several dead mules,
albeit badly burned and bruised. His
rumps looked like some old venison
bams that you often see hanging in
front of restaurants, besides he had re
ceived other Injuries (which, however
well-bred and circumspect be may be,
the euergetlo mule always makes use
of when you get near him) he hod lost
his tail I When he saw me he brayed
and such a bray 1 It was as the plain
tive wall of one who had bid adieu to
the pleasures of tbls life, and been shut
forever in a cave of gloom. I at once
began to look around to see if there
were any way to get blm out of there.
I went up the stream to a perpendicular
fall and found it Impossible to make
any further progress in that direction,:
so I started down the canyon and found
that by crossing the stream two or three
times, and cutting away a few logs, that
I could get him out that way, so I went
to where the other party was and got an
axe and a long rope, and asked two of
the men to go with me. We soon chop
ped the logs off and got them out of the
way. I went over on a log and fastened
a cable to his neck, and then towed
him across the raging torrent and land
ed him on the right side of Jordan,
which be undoubtedly realized was a
hard road to travel.
I then went back aud gathered up
some scorched flour and sugar and a few
beanB, which by the way were nicely
baked ; the "old fellow"aforeraentloned,
with the mule in tow, finally took up
the line of march on the old trail, a
little the worse for wear all of us, as a
consequence of our two days' experience
on the burning mountain.
If I were a Btory writer, you can see
from the facts I have so poorly strung
together, what an Interesting romance
might be written on " Surrounded by
Fire," or "The Adventures of a Mule
Who Lost His Tall." But you will be
content with the simple narrative so far
as it has gone. If you have any curi
osity to know what became of that can
of powder in the mule's pack you must
wait till the "day of revelation." I
have wondered more or less about it
ever since, and have finally come to the
conclusion that the mule with the pro.
verblal sagacity of the critter, must
have realized the danger to himself of
having the explosive material exposed
to fire and as a matter of precaution
swallowed it, can and all. I have notic
ed since the fire that he is a trifle more
"sudden" than he was before, and this
would account for it.
ABOUT LIGHTNING.
WHAT is lightning t
Lightning is the result of electri
cal discharges from the clouds.
What is thunder ?
Thunder is the noise which succeeds
the rush of the electrical fluid through
the air.
When does lightning occur ?
When clouds, charged with the oppo
site electricities approach, the forces
rush to each other, and combine in a
state of equilibrium.
Why does lightning attend this move
ment of the forces of electricity V
Because the atmosphere, being unable
to convey the great charges of electricity
as they rushed towards each other, acts
as an insulator, and the lightning is
caused by the violence of the electricity
in forcing its passage. When the con
ducting power is equal to the force of
the electricity it passes invisibly, noise
lessly and harmlessly whenever it finds
a sufficient source of conducting.
Why does lightning sometimes ap
pear forked 1
Because, being resisted in Its progress
by the air, the electricity divides into
two or more points, files from point to
point, and seeks a ' passage in different
directions.
Why is it dangerous to stand near a
tree during an electric storm ?
Because the tree is a better conductor
than the air, and electricity would prob
ably strike the tree and pass to the per
son standing near. '
Why is it dangerous to sit near a fire
place. Because the chimney being a tall ob
ject and the smoke a good conductor
would probably attract the electricity
and convey it to the body of the person
sitting near the fire.
Why is it dangerous to be near water
during a thunder storm 't
Because water is a good conductor aud
the vapor arising from it might attract
the electricity. , ' . .
' Are iron houses dangerous V
No ; they are safe, because their entire
surface is a good conductor and would
convey the electricity harmless to the
earth.
: Are iron bedsteads dangerous Y
No ; they are safe, because the Iron
frame completely surrounding the body
and having a great capacity for conduc
tion, would keep electricity away from
the body. j
Why is It safe to be in bed during, a
thunder storm 1
Bwaune feathers, hair, wool, cotton,
eto., especially when dry, are good in
sulators or non-conductors.
What is the safest position to be in
during a storm t
In the centre of a room,, isolated as .
far as possible from surrounding objects;
sitting on a chair, and avoid handling
any of the conducting substances. The
windows and doors should be closed to
prevent drafts of air.
In the open air, what is the safest sit
uation Y
To keep aloof as far as possible from
elevated structures, regard the rain as- a
protection against the lightning stroke,
for wet clothes would supply so good a
conductor, would that a large amount of
electricity pass over a man's body
through wet clothes and he would be
quite unconscious of it.
WOULDN'T RECIPROCATE.
THE following from the Fairfield,
(Me.) Cfwoniclo, is neatly done, aud
has wide application outside of Maine.
He was the manager of a church fair,
and one morning he walked into the
office, and said :
" Want an item this morning Z"
"Of course," replied the editor.
Whereupon the visitor laid the follow
ing note upon the table:
The ladles of the Street Church
will give a festival at their vestry hall,
next Friday evening. Literary and mu
sical entertainments will be provided,
and a supper will be served to all who
desire. The ladies who have charge of '
the affair have much experience in such
matters, and are sure to pro-vide a good
time. The admission will be only fif
teen cents, and it is certala that no one
can spend that amount to. a. better ad
vantage. Be sure and go and take your
friends.
When the editor read ii he said :
" Oh 1 I see; an advertisement."
" No ; not an advertisement. We pre
fer to have it In the local column," re
plied the manager. -
And seeing the editor looked skeptical
he continued :
" It will Interest many of your read
ers, and help a good cause ; besides, we
have spent so much money getting up
our entertainment, that we cannot af-'
ford to advertise it without increasing
the tickets. In snob a matter as this,
we ought to be able to help each other."
"Well," said the editor, "if it goes
into the locais, I suppose yon would re
ciprocate by reading a little notice in
your church next Sunday V
The visiting brother asked what no
tice, and the editor wrote and handed
him the following :
The Week! Chronicle, for the coming
year, will be the best and cheapest fami
ly newspaper in Maine. Its proprietor
has had much experience, and has all
the helps wbicfi a large outlay of money
can procure. His paper has a larger cir
culation than any other published in the
county, and is to be furnished at only
$2. It is certain that no one can spend
that amount to a better advantage. Be
sure to take the Chronicle and subscribe
for your friends.
The manager hemmed and hesitated,
and then said solemnly, that be " doubt
ed whether it would be judicious to read
such a notice ;" sugeeted that, if it
was printed, copies of It might be dis
tributed at the door of the vestry on the
evening of the entertainment
" Yes," said the editor, " but It would
attract more attention in the middle of a
sermon. It will interest a large number
of your congregation and help a good
cause, and besides, so much money is
spent upon the" Chronicle" that I do
not see how the owner can afford to
print handbills to advertise it without
increasing the subscription price. In
such a matter as this we ought to be
willing to help each oilier.
The manager saw the situation, and
withdrew.
(2 There is a beatitude of sorrow.
Gains spring out of losses. Benefits
flow from a flllctions. The morning is
born of the night, and the spring of the
winter. From the verge of destruction
life is redeemed. And from apparent
wasting and decrepitude comes forth
youthful vigor, like the fabled eagle's
renewal. Such is the wisdom of the Di
vine economy in nature, In society, and
in grace.