The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1894-09-14
PERSONAL EXPERIENCES.
c. D. O,Rrien,. Story.

=
Hon. O. d. O'Brien, of st. Paul, who
was q passenger on the Duluth train
describes his experience as follows:
when we left Duluth. at 1:55 1t was
very smoky so that we could not see across
tho bay to SUPERIOR. The wind was south.
west and still rising. We saw some fire
between Duluth and Thompson, but moth.
Ing to cause alarm. It grew smoker and
smoker, However. until when We reached
Barnum the sun went entirely out of sight,
although the sky was cloudless. The train
moved cautiously beyond here. At 3:48,
fourteen minutes before we reached Hinck-
ley, It became perfectly dark-as black us
the blackest midnight. The lamps were
lighted In the cars and there was absolutely
no reflection Of the light outside. was
then In the smoking room Of the chair
car. After fourteen minutes, as we ap-
preached Hinckley, we could see the tops
OF the trees dimly. We stopped, and as
looked down towards the front Of the
train could see the sun was shining and
supposed that we were then through the
worst Of 1t. Just then a crowd Of people
burst out of the woods on our left. They
came towards the train, and as they
reached the wire fence could see that
the men were dragging the women and
children through 1t, tearing their clothes
as they did 80. They were all making
strange sound-a sort Of moan. They
scrambled up the banks to the track and
were taken Into the cars. by this time It
had grown suff0catingly hot oil about and
we heard heavy roar. and looking out on
the right OF the train, We saw that the
hames were upon US, mass OF fire, moving
aud
Twisting Like a Cyclone.
stepped back into the car aud shut the
door Just as 1t struck the train. We began
to move backward, and just as we moved
every window in the car fell In with u
blinds and those lasted about half a '1 min.
ute, and the women tore on the linen COW
erings from the seats, wet them and held
up speed. Il gave one iurch cha and III tSaasSi ff
It was on the track, but it recovered and
went on. BY the time we had got up full
ypssd II w u%es " VI os e a e sk @
TINT was cooler. and MS both the front ani
iear Of our car was on firc the only thing
e do was to get out az quickly as RS,s,ib!;s. R.,s,
'.some one shouted stay In the car and
some OF the women went back and had to
be taken out again. saw that where We
seemed wet, so that It seemed unlikely TINT
with our faces to the ground: The line of
thought. crawled along. on the ground to
what seemed to be sandy path o. the bed 4
OF u strearn. where we lsy for while. All
this time the air was full Of sparks and
fire, and the women's dresses were catching
ire nil the time. The .colorel porter of our
chr stood with his nsca e 70 tne enf me Ssg
AZ M they caught the clothing Of the women
and children. He was brave man; Some
said that they hsd ses1 the sons e,%S aSoS Of
where We then were. and crawled upon
my hands and knees TIN saw that there
was water there. and we got the women
aud children into It.
Capt. Gorman's Escape.
n. l.. German, president Of the ST.. Paul
board Of public works, was Inss :nger on
the train ith .his his WIFE mr ana ~ tose IN
1--WE had" he said, ..aDout eighty pas:ci.-
gers on the train, as near as can can InsE 1HasEs.
ley. I think we took on about fifty OF ess tness
refugees. making the total number on Dcnrd n,e
when the train stopped Mt SKUNK Iahe ir. y:
,SsIe as ns9e the ae. esep yP Pa5' OF y the
swamp. You can readily see that thers Sr.
could not have been very many wliea they they
were all taken out on two double manu-
81 know there were number w.lo startsa !s.ti
north along the track after getting on gae
train, for and my. wife started IN that d. d.
over Us that I concluded TO head back for
the opening. I did not know at tne tiIhc
that there was any water there: but thought
we would be better on on the little openlng:
The colored porter, John Blair. was the nrss
TO tell us about the water. and ne urged ls
to 90 to It. Mrs. German was 20 overcome
she could hardly reach 1t. ana whcn sue
did she sank down exhausted. Nuch ter
ribie night a. we spent there 10 beyond the
pOWer Of man to describe.
sighort as was the time II took to run the
train back It II mystery how II got
Il rough, for thu Aea Of flames and nyln1
cinders through which we ran was simply
appalling. It was just ike being hurled
through roaring furnace. I am at loss
to understand how 1t was that the train was
mt RI n bnck sooner. Tor Il had become 30
dark almost an hour before thut the lamps
hnI to lie lighted In the LcacheA. 1t waX as
dark a. It could be Mt midnight. am sat.
lsfed the train would have continued on
TO Hinckley had 1t not been for the rein.
have been burned to death or the whole
train hurled through the bsidge.
t1>,o much can not be said In praise OF
those who disregarded their own suaerings
md applied u emsclves to the WORK of car.
.nR for Others. q: -, :.:;s
cially active. a. was also Dr.. Harry 0'0rien,
though the latter was very III himself. It Il
to them principally that Mrs. nz.N, 4AuR.
ders and her five children owe their llteG
Blair. the cOlOred porter. also. de1efyes
great credit. rs do the whole train crew, Tor
the heroic interest takeL . all the passen.
GERS"