Rensselaer Union, Volume 8, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 October 1875 — An Incident of Pioneer Life. [ARTICLE]

An Incident of Pioneer Life.

Mr. John C. Iventon visited our office a short time since, and-gave us the subjoined sketch of an incident which occurred in his father’s family in early pioneer times. The sketch was recently published iu an TTrbana, Ohio, paper, and is vouched for by Mr. Kenton as true. The person- to whom it occurred— Thomas Kenton—is a brother ten years older than our friend “Uncle Coon,” as lie is familiarly called. The subject of this sketch, Thomas Kenton, is now a citizen of Mt. Olivet, the county town of Robertson county, Kentucky. The writer notiong since visited Mr. Kenton at his quiet home in the suburbs of Mt. Olivet, and found him to be a hale, hearty man, now closing up his eighty-fifth year. His wife, whose maiden name was Collins, and but two years his junior, we found able to take charge of the household affairs.

• In the year 1800 Philip Kenton, father of the subject of this sketch, was living at Blue Lick Springs, Nicholas county, and was engaged in the manufacture of salt at the original furnace of Daniel Boone, and on the identical spot where Boone and twen-ty-seven others were taken prisoners by the Indians ninety-seven years ago. In the month of June, 1800, an accident occurred to the said Thomas Kenton, which I now propose to relate the same being told to me by Mr. Kenton, and which has formally years been familiar to many of ; our older citizens. As before stated young Kenton’s father was engaged in the manufacture of salt. The furnace, which is still plain to be seen, was after the style of the ordinary sugar furnaces of the present-day, yet much larger. This furnace consisted of sixty kettles, and its total length was fully one hundred and sixty feet. The mouth of the furnace was nine feet deep The fire being built Monday morning was not allowed to go out or even coSl, through the entire week, until Saturday night, twelve o’clock. Early* one Sunday morning young Kenton, then at the age of ten years, in company with an elder brother, went to the furnace, which at the time was covered at the bottom with red hot coals to the depth of two or three feet. So intense was the heat that parties who afterward tested it at the chimney, one hundred and forty feet from the mouth, had the hair singed from their hands, Young Keutou was dressed in a tow-linen suit and had just been provided with a new straw hat, the first, perhaps, of his life. The sun had just made its appearance over tbe eastern horizon *s young KetUon and his brother reached the furnace. Entering the building, young Kentou playfully took his seat on a roller placed at the mouth of the furnace for the use of the fireman, and unfortunately lost his balance and tumbled into the pit below. His elder brother who was only a few feet distant, in mediately came to his aid, but the furnace being too deep to reach him and after he had made several unsuccessful efforts to climb up tbe almost red hot walls

he Wade him run out at the chimney while he would go and inform their parents. Thomas started full run for the chimney, knowing well .that it was his only hope of escape. When he readied that part of the furnace where lie could not stand erect, his hat came in contact with the salt kettles, and was brushed from his head ; although some ten steps past his hat, the boy turned back, recovered it and brought it out with him. When his father reached the scene he was quietly sitting in a nude state in atrough of water, seeking relief from his sufferings. At the time of the accident, young Kenton was barefoot, which •was far worse for him. He was at f h:iee placed in the hands of an old negro man, and at the end of four weeks was able to lay aside his crutches. Mr. Kenton fully recovered from the fiery ordeal through which he passed, and was a volunteer in the war of 1812. It is proposed by the Pennsyl- 1 vania Central railroad to furnish baby cars for the convenience of those traveling with those appendages, so says an exchange. The cars will be commodious and well supplied with cradles, rattle-boxes, soothing syrups, paregoric, etc. Babies will*be “checked through,” and in case of loss the company bind themselves to get another as : good in its place. The stockholders will be individually responsible, and no doubt every true American citizen will yearn to be a stockholder, and shoulder the responsibility.—Ex. About 8,000 bushels ot cucumbers were piclced by a LaPorte ■ man this season and not a very good ! year for pickles either.