Rensselaer Standard, Volume 1, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 September 1879 — A Ride For Life. [ARTICLE]

A Ride For Life.

PottsvUle (Penn.) Miner. , Between eight and nine o’clock ene evening last week, Robert C. Uffner, his wife and daughter, twelve years of age, left FrackviHe for Shenandoah In an ordinary farm wagon drawn by two horses. After driving a short distance Mr. Uffner on looking ahead a half mile or so saw that the woods were on fire on both sides of the road, but as the timber was small and the undergrowth light he thought he would be able to get through without much difficulty. When he entered the burning district the wind seemed to increase, and the fire moved with such amazing rapidity he could hardly keep pace with it. After driving through the fire three or four hundred yards the smoke became so dense that the travelers were almost suffocated, and a few seconds later were compelled to lie down on the bed of the wagon to prevent being smothered. The smoke so blinded Mr. Uffner that he could hardly see the road, and consequently he allowed the horses

to go along pretty much as they pleased. A half mile was traversed in this way, when the smoke suddenly cleared away, and the flames on either side of road increased in strength so rapidly that they almost roasted the now thoroughly frighted travelers. Seeing that If they did not escape very soon the entire party would be burned to death, Mr. Ulmer tried to urge the horses to a gallop, bat the poor animals were so frightened that they hardly moved, and at last came to a stand-still and began backing off the road. Fearing the wagon would be pushed into the fire Mr. U fiber jumped out and taking the bones by the bite managed to quiet them until be found a good, stout stick. Then ordering his wife to take the reins he proceeded to belabor the hones until they struck a gallop and along the road into the very heart of the fire. Uflher succeeded in clambering Into the wagon as the hones ran, and taking the lines from his wife urged them on at the top of his vote. This race was continued over the rough mountain road for several hundred

both ng in

y»da, with the flames roaring on both sides and myriads of sparks telling in Mrs. Uffher’s *ud her husband dropped the reins to assist her in ex- ? heD ** ***** in his hSSt to bring his wife back to consciousness the horses were tearing along at break--BP®fd > and the wagon swerved, iolted and. swung around in any thine but a comfortable manner. Mrs. Uffner became conscious in a few seconds, however, and Just then her husband saw a cloud of dense black smoke enveloping the road and knew that they had reached the outskirts of the fire traveler* were all riightly burned. Some idea ofthe terrible heat they passed through*^ay be had when it is stated that the paint on the wagon was entirely burned oft, and the horses’ hair was scorched in hundreds of places by the clouds of sparks that fell on them.