Chapter 14

Saved and Lost

A woman saved what she could and took it to her husband’s place of business. When that place was threatened, she had the safe opened and put in what she most desired to save. The place was not burned and the next day upon opening the safe they found the family Bible, a pair of silk stockings and her house slippers.

A woman gave her husband two hat boxes to take to a safe place, in one was his two best suits of clothes, in the other two fine Angora kittens. Down in the crush near the dock he made up his mind to carry the kittens no further. Overboard went one of the hat boxes. When he arrived where he was to leave the hat boxes he found he had thrown overboard his two suits and carried the kittens safely to the house.

A man whose home burned went to a friend’s after midnight to sleep. Tired out, he threw himself down on a mattress on the floor and slept till morning. When he got up he picked up the only bundle he had brought away and said, "Well, I saved something anyway." Opening it he took out an old worn out pair of shoes and two suits of old under clothes he had done up to throw away.

An Italian rushed into his blazing home on Endicott Street determined to save something, although it was dangerous at the time to go in. A few seconds later he came out bringing a water melon.

A Salem fireman seeing a woman go into her house after it started to burn, evidently to get a few of her most valuable belongings, made up his mind he would go in soon and get her if she did not come out. He had about made up his mind to go in and get her, when she came out, looking quite satisfied. Under her arm she had a pillow and in her other hand a gallon oil can.

A former city father arrived at his home just as it was burning. Taking from the wall

Saved and Lost

the pictures of his father and mother, he started for the door. Thinking he heard the cat cry he went up stairs to look for it. When he came down he had to leave the house immediately. When he reached a safe place he took account of stock and found he had saved a revolver, a razor and a pair of blue glasses. Previous to this his wife had emptied his price lists and other things from his traveling bag and filled it with such things as she wished to save. On looking over these things she said to her husband: "Here is a good big envelope with something in it." It contained her daughter’s hair combings.

A wash woman was getting some of her possessions out of her home. Her daughter warned her not to stay any longer and thought she was safely out. A while afterward she met her mother coming again from her home with a new broom and a duster.

A South Salem man had a valuable piece of antique furniture and after scouting round a while ago found a mirror to match it. When the fire was coming his way he decided to save this piece. Carefully unscrewing the mirror he lay it on the bed. He removed

some of his things, including this dresser. After getting his things safely landed he remembered, too late, he had left the mirror on the bed.

A Hancock street woman walked down Lafayette street with a glass of water in her hand, all she took from her home; and a woman in Broad street went into her home when it was burning and brought out from her ice chest a small piece of ice.

LOST

One South Salem man packed his silverware and some other things into suit cases and took them to Engine i house. His home burned up, so did the engine house. Many other things taken here for safety went up in smoke. An employee of the mill office took his musical instruments down there to keep them from harm. The mill office was destroyed later. A woman drew $1,000.00 to pay off the mortgage and was away from her home when it was burned with her money. A woman bought a new pocket book the day before the fire. Going into her house in

Saved and Lost

a hurry she snatched the new pocket book and saved it, but the money, over $50.00, was in the old one.