Hide Article Text (OCR)
Burned Out at the Beginning ofHappy Career,JAS A. DALLAS AND BBIDE ESOAfThey Were In a Hotel Wliich Burn,? Tlicir Clothes Lo«t, Etu.ui|ie by Mem of a Ladder,—A Thrilling KxperlciM* Atlantic Maroons Win.Frorn Saturday s Daily,The followiug letter from Jus. Dallas I is extremely interesting:Lincoln, Nebraska, j Wednesday a. in., Sept. 27, 1809. (My Dear Mother: Your kind lettereceived yesterday and read while I rode on the expressman's wagon, as w M moved our trunks and Clara’s box o 1 household goods to our uew rooms.1 had paid the rout, and we were veri■ I happy over our prospects as yon wisher■ jus to be. This morning we have not i * thing in the world. Hall' tiuj clothes wt 1 wear are boi-rowed aud 1 have an ever(dollar in my pocket.When we awoke a red glare was mak ihg the streets as light as day, aud hysterical women were rushing past out door and down the stairway. We were I in a north top room in a three-story frame structure, formerly used as a hotel—something similar to the Occidental at home. We dressed scantily and started, but when we opened the doors we were almost blinded with smoke. We stopped at the first step and went back, for I reasoned if the tire be* gan at the bottom the first flight would be already on tiro, or so full of smoke we would never find our way out. We groped back into the room and shut the door. Then we opened our dormer window aud crawled out on the ledge faeiug the street and waited for the firemen to take us down. While waiting I threw our shoes aud two little grips down. Clara had seized her dress and my coat and vest, but the coat and vest, also the jacket part of her gray suit were dropped inside. My hat was left too and only one sock saved. The long ladder truck stopped in front just as we crawled out but put up their big ladders first to throw water from. It could not have been more tbau two or three minutes we bad to wait for them, but it seemed twenty. They used two short ladders to reach us, and the second one rested very unsteadily on a narrow ledge.We got off though, safe and sound, entirely unharmed, except a small blister on my back where my cotton shirt burned me. I suppose it was the heat from the Ha rues scorching a little, and let it sizzle until by chance I found my shirt had caught from a spark and was in a bright glow, without llauae. Clara was not well and stood so long in bare feet on the cold pavement I am afraid she will be ill. All my clothes at present are a pair of pants and a shirt with a burnt hole in. Shoes not yet found. Books all gone sure. Ceiling and floors have fallen in one charred mass; but lots of water was used and I have a! 'glimmer of hope that the trunks and ' box may be dug out. Clara is with a gopd kind woman, across the street from fire, and I will take her out to Miss Erwin’s or Pollock’s—friends of hers— where our plans will be discussed and decided after further developments. But however things turn out we are young, and had not much to lose, and were really lucky to come out alive. We may both have to teach winter schools. We are very cheerful, considering the circumstances, aud do not re gret our step, for omens are not for us.recently married to Miss Clara PotteiLovingly your son,Jambs A. Dallas.
Newspaper Details
Atlantic Weekly Telegraph
Atlantic, Iowa, US
Wed, Oct 04, 1899
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 03 Dec 2021
Other Publications Near Atlantic, Iowa
Atlantic Cass County Democrat
Atlantic Bruces Optimist
Atlantic Advertiser
Atlantic News Telegraph
Atlas of Cass County Iowa
