Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 206, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 August 1910 — EXPERIENCES OF MR. AND MRS. OSBORNE IN FOREST FIRES. [ARTICLE]

EXPERIENCES OF MR. AND MRS. OSBORNE IN FOREST FIRES.

Struggle to Lake and Stay In Water All Night, March Through Woods Like Exiles and Finally Find Refuge. Brief mention was made a few days ago of the experiences of Mr. and Mrs. J. Walter Osborne in escaping from the forest fires in Idaho. Mrs. Osborne is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Levi Hawkins, formerly of Remington, but now of Crawfordsville, and is the sister of Mrs. J. D. Allman, of Rensselaer. She formerly lived in this vicinity. From a letterwritten to her father we are able to give their terrible experiences in escaping from the flames. The letter came from Harrison, Idaho, and is dated August 22. It says in part: » “Dear Father—l sent you a telegram to-day from Harrison. Saturday evening, about 7:15 we noticed a great horse shoe of' red sky, and in three minutes it was a perfect glare. We put our boots on and by that time the roar of the flames and the crashing, falling timbers was almost deafening. We ran as fast as we could toward the open sky back of us, passed our neighbors who joined us, and started for our lives up the bed of the creek to the lake which feeds it. Old Mr. Andreas, a cripple who can’t walk a step, crawled the entire distance, and rwould .have undoubtedly perished with his son and daughter-in-law had not the wind turned the fire up a side gully. I think the flames would have overtaken the entire thirteen of us had not the wind turned sideways. It took us three and one-half hours to get to the lake, one and one-half miles away. It took the crippled man six hours. I can’t make you know what it meant to wade water almost to our waists, climb over logs, under logs, through brush, etc. We dared not leave the lake until daylight, and nearly perished with cold. At six we started, (in the meantime the wind had turned the fire backwards so it didn’t come to the lake to us). Walter came back to see if there was any chance to bury our trunks and bedding; and I carried Marion toward St. Joe. We were about one and one-half hours reaching the divide; then started down the mountain through the brush, reached a cabin at 2 p. m. I had to carry Marion all the way and several times fell exhausted. The lady with me went on for help, but I found a spring and revived, so I was able to go on by resting often and, got to the first cabin O. K. Everyone was grand to us, fed us, gave us beds, some clothing, some money, free transportation, etc. We took the boat near' St. Joe and come to Harrison. Expected to go to Lane to protect a few things we had stored there, but only the men went, as a brakeman told us Lane was threatened. I can’t tell you what we will do or where we’ll go. The loss o( Marlon’s trunk with all her earthly possesions breaks my heart. All our quilts, comforts, pillows, and ' our clothes—all, all, all gone.’’