On this hot
summer day (90 degrees), maybe this story will cool you off.
They Snowballed the Fire[1]
The citizens
of Smithland, Ky. adopted a novel method of extinguishing a fire during the
winter season. A blaze started in a residence, and when the usual impromptu
bucket brigade arrived at the scene, it was found that no water was to be had,
every available supply being frozen and the ground covered with snow. Finally a bright idea struck someone in the
crowd, and the suggestion was made that the party should use snow to subdue the
flames.
The excited
citizens divided, and one company rolled up snowballs about a foot in diameter
and passed them on to others, who heaved them over on the rapidly consuming
structure. The house being on the
hillside made this an easy matter, as they secured a good vantage ground on
the hill above the house, which rendered it an easy matter to throw the snow
over with accuracy and effect. To make a
long story short, the fire was extinguished before it gained any headway in the
main building, and the floors in one or two other rooms were saved.
The people
in Smithland are still talking about how they put out the fire.
[1] The Daily Chronicle, De Kalb, Illinois,
Saturday, 9 May 1896, p. 4.
Published 1 July 2017, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/
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