The Press., 1894-09-20
Scientific American.) THE FOREST FIRES.

During the last few days it seems as if the forests were averaging themselves on wasteful man. Forest fires of the most extensive description have taken place in Wisconsin and Minnesota especially, and death list of between 600 and 1000 peo- pie indicates the appalling extent of the calamity.
 These were not only deaths from ex- posture or other accident, but comprised hundreds of people who were absolutely burned to death. The fires occurred in a thickly wooded region, the seat of an ex- tensive lumber industry, and the flames once started spread rapidly through the country, eye witnesses describing the flames as rolling pillows, while the noise they made was such as to induce some people to believe that they were threat ened with cyclone.
 The loss of timber is put at nearly a thousand millions of feet. The area of the fire-swept district cannot be accurate ly stated. In one stretch of the burned territory, % miles long and from to 15 "ilOo WluCy Dub oilO uouSO Wto lClb ouuiih- ing, the general shape of the district be- ing like very long elipse with branches extending to the northward from it.
 The inhabitants generally took the course of fleeing for their safety to water courses, lakes and swamps, where they immersed themselves in the water. Those who were already burned sought to allevi- ate their sufferings by the application of mud, and some used the mud as pro- tective agent. They are described as ap- plying successive coats of it, as it baked on, tolprotect themselves from the heat of the forest burning along the shores. | the heroism of railroad men appeared. One man, agent of the Eastern Minnesota Railroad at Sandstone, town short distance from Kettle River, was at the telegraph instrument when the eastern train carrying 800 refugees went into Sand stone. He fagged the train and sent it back over the bridge across Kettle River, thus probably saving the train from con- fiagration, and preventing the death of perhaps all it's passengers.
 The unfortunate people of Sandstone saw the fire four hours before it reached the place and had everything packed up in readiness to move to Kettle River, but before they were aware of their real dan ger, the fire came in at three sides at once and the town was ablaze. In thirty min- utes more it was swept off the face of the earth.
 The town of Hinckley, Minn., one of deed of great courage and endurance on the part of the railroad engine runner, J. P. Root, who figures as one of the heroes of the fire. His train on the St. Paul and Duluth road passed through Hinckley just before it took fire and went on a cou- pie of miles to Mission Creek. This place was in ashes. The conductor, Sullivan, at once issued an order for the train to back to Hinckley, but before it could be reached Hinckley was in flames. The train stopped at the depot one minute, enough time for it to catch on fire. Two handred panic-stricken people rushed on board of it and the train immediately backed away, the only chance of safety The engineer and firemen stood at their posts and the rest of the train crew did the same, while every car was on fire. Crowded with frightened people, the flames growing hotter with the motion, it backed six miles to Skunk Lake and stopped, and the passengers rushed out into the water.
 The conductor, who throughout the ter rible six miles had acted the part of hero, collapsed here and lost reason. The fireman during the run had-dipped water out of the water tank and kept throwing it on the engineer us he stood at his post, and sometimes himself jumped bodily in- to the tank. At Skunk Lake the engi- neer had hardly strength to get off the seat, and he fell on the foot-bed exhaust ed, burned and bleeding. He was carried to the water and placed prostrate in it.
 The scene in the burned region can be imagined. The railroad tracks and other places were at one time strewn with dead bodies of the burned. Cattle of all kinds shared the same fate, and their remains were scattered through the charred dis trict. The smoke in many cases, even where there was no immediate danger, was so dense that nothing could be dis tinguished 100 yards away. Besides J. P. Root, the engineer, there are many other examples of heroism. A West Du- luth boy of but IA years old dragged two smaller children miles along the railroad away from destruction. A young man carried his sick betrothed for mile through the flames, while others walking beside him lay down to die, giving up tho fight. From the position of many of the bodies it was surmised that they had died while rushing into the heat of danger to save others.
 Cornell University is reported to have been heavy loser by destruction of tim Der on forest lands owned by it.
 In suddenness and in extent of loss of life property the disaster is comparable with the Johnstown flood, 1t seeming as if water and fire in the two cases respect lively were striving to see which could in- fiict the greatest loss. But while this fire will go down in history as one of the worlds great disasters, it should be re- membered that it is but one of many fires. Our woodlands, limited in extent and re- morselessly drawn upon, suffer more from fires than from cutting and the fires are in many cases started by carelessness or wantonness.
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