The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1894-09-08
4 RACE WITH DEATH.
Engineer Hoe; Tells of HIS AU ful Run
Through The Sea of Fire

Through The Sea of Fire
From Duluth News Tribune
Hero Jim Root, who ran the st. Paul
* Duluth limited back to Skunk lake
with his clothes burning and his cab
blazing, it i announced, will recover
He is resting easy at hi- home at White
Birch under two physicians care
when We left Duluth Saturday after
noon" he said, "the air was heavy with
smoke. At Carlton the smoke was so
thick that it became necessary to put
out the headlight, which was done by
fireman Jack MCGOWAN. | spoke to
Jack about it and said | guessed we
were going to have rain. We never
thought the fire was so near to us. On
and on through the night Of smoke the
engine rushed on its way to IIincklcv.
We were due there at O'Clock and ar
rived three minutes late. As pulled
into the station | saw an excited mob of
people, who took my train by storm
That was the first intimation | had
that We we were so near the fire. The
people were terror stricken. | could
not have started the engine without
running persons down on the track in
front of me. ! received no orders, and.
as my train was completely filled with
passengers who had boarded it while
We were standing there, | was about to
pull the throttle to cross the Hinckley
bridge, when wall of flame fully ten
feet high burst through the rolling
smoke right iniront ofmy engine, cutting
oil al hope of making the bridge.
Il noticed that the wind was from the
south and knew then that the fire must
have already crossed the bridge and
destroyed 1t, SO | reversed the engine
and we began race with the flames,
but l remembered a shallow marsh.
known as Skunk lake, about six miles
back and north of Hinckley, and made
up my mind to reach that lake, come
what might. There was no other saliva
ton. The wind was blowing the fire in
the same direction we were going, and
the flames raced along in the tall grass
on both sides of us, almost keeping pace
with the speed of the train. | put on
my heavy coat and pulled it over nv
head, and Jack McGowan, my firemean,
got back in the manhole of the tank.
He would stand up and throw water on
| me as long as he could stand the heat,
| and then he would retreat to the man
hole again, and in that way we got to
skunk lake, not more than two minutes
| before the flames. We piled out of the
! cab, Jack and |, after cutting off the
air and kicking the ears down about
| two car lengths, and made for the lake
getting there just as the fire struck us.
1T was awful" Engineer Root con.
, tlnued, after resting moment, land |
hope may never live to go through
| such an experience again. The fire
swept right over US, and we had to lie
| Tat IN the water for time. After the
/ first sheet Of flame passed over it was
not so bad, but still the heat was terrif-
| &c. The woods were burning all around
! 80 "4'', ~ 'NNA w VIC IOllOt, lIG tIdlH
caught fire and the cars burned fiercely
radiatiEg an awful heat which affected
Us almost as much as the fire, we were
80 near the track.
For four hours we remained in the
water, and then the ground began tc
cool sufficiently at the edge of the lake
so that we were enabled to stand or
the bank bE wrapping our heads in our
sank down on the hot seat of the cab.
the engine having passed through the
frey ordeal almost unscathed. | did
not fall asleep, but into kind of stupol
from which was not fully aroused un-
I'll the rescuing party came for us with
hand cars.
$50 far as | know there were only
two lives lost on our train. They were
q couple of Cinnamon who could not be
got of the train, and they were burned
to death on the cars. 1t must have been
4 terrible experience to those women
and little children who passed the night
IN the water on the lake"
The two Cinnamon Engineer Root
speaks Of, were rescued and brought to
Duluth.