clothes dropped by some one else and we made ourselves as
warm as possible. Then I grabbed Jimmie up again and fled before the
fiery blast. The awful catastrophe had started in a fisherman's shack
over on the bay, twenty-seven squares from where we lived, and being
borne by a high wind, had swept everything in its path. The houses were
mostly of timber and were easy prey to the relentless flames. Although
Galveston is entirely surrounded by water, the pipe-lines for fighting
fire at this time extended only to Avenue H, ten blocks from the Strand.
Beyond that, the fire department depended on the cisterns of private
houses for the water to subdue the flames.

With lightning-like rapidity the flames had spread and almost before
they knew it the town seemed doomed. Arches of flame, myriads of falling
sparks, hundreds of fleeing half-clad men, women and children, the
hissing of the engines in their puny attempts to fight the monster, and
ever and anon the dull roar of the falling walls, made a scene, as grand
and weird as it was desolate and awful. In less than two hours time
fifty-two squares had been laid waste, leaving a trail of smoldering
black ashes. That the whole city did not go is due to a providential
switch of the wind that blew the flames back on their own tracks.

Of the fifteen operators in the day force, twelve had been burned out,
and the next morning, at eight o'clock, when all had reported for duty,
they were as sorry a looking lot of men as ever assembled.

"Some in rags, some in jags, and one in velvet gown." "Count" Finnegan
had on a frilled shirt, a pair of trousers three sizes too small for
him, and his manly form was wrapped in a flowing robe of black velvet,
picked up by him in his mad flight.

It was many a day before the effects of this direful calamity were
entirely obliterated.

CHAPTER VIII

SENDING A MESSAGE PERFORCE--RECOGNIZING AN OLD FRIEND BY HIS STUFF

Some time after this I was in Fort Worth copying night reports at eighty
dollars per month. The night force consisted of two other men besides
myself. The "split trick" man worked until ten o'clock, the other chap
stayed around until twelve, or until he was clear, while I hung on until
"30" on report which came anywhere from one-thirty until four A. M.
After midnight I had to handle all the business that came along.

When I had received "30" I would cut out the instruments and go home.

One morning, about two-thirty I had s