The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1910-09-01
WERE IN FIRE zone.
I. II. Galley, VIM. Cordiner and Swan
Olson Eye Witnesses of the
Holocaust in the West.


Down Upon Town and De.
stroyed Third of 1t.
T. b. Galley, Vim. Cordiner and
Swan Olson returned from the west on
Monday evening and they tell some
thrilling stories of the great fires
which ragged while they we're there.
They left Spokane by way of the
electric line for Couer d'Alene, took
steamer to Harrison and from there
proceeded to Wallace, reaching that
place at noon on Saturday, August
20. At that time the atmosphere was
strongly impregnated with smoke
which was waited over the distant hills
and breathing was consequently diff
cult. Mr.. Galley says he pulled like a
locomotive as he struggled to inhale
sufficient air to sustain life, and we
believe him.
Toward evening of that day the
distant fires, famed by a strong wind,
made their appearance on the noun
tain tops and burning embers begun
to fall thickly upon the city of Wal
lace, which is situated in a basin.
When night arrived the hillside forests
on the southeast were all ablaze, big
tongues of fire shot up into the
heavens and leaped from tree top to
tree top. The scene, says Mr.. Galley,
was magnificent in its awful destrue-
tiveness. Hundreds of men we're out
fighting the fire like demons, and
many Of the poor fellows never lived
to tell the tale. Onward the holo-
caust rushed, cracking, kissing and
threatening total humiliation of
everyone in the town below. On Sun
day, August Fl, the town was set on
fire by brands blown down into the
streets which ignited some waste
paper behind the Times Office and,
despite the work of the fire department
and other heroic citizens, one-third of
uuO GOWA WdS COQSuuSQ.
Big business houses and two rail-
road stations we're among the struc-
lures destroyed.
The city was a veritable inferno
and. were it not for the fact that the
wind died down, the fire would, in all
probability, have obliterated the
place from the face of the earth. -
At the hotel where Messrs. Galley,
Cordiner and Olson were staying it
was comparatively safe, but they de-
cided to run no chances and, taking
their gripsacks, went down to a creek
at the edge of the town and there sat
for several hours until the danger had
passed. One story says that they
stood in the creek up to neck in water,
but this they deny. IT,.
The scenes about town on that fate
full Sunday beggar description-they
were heartrending in the extreme. AS
men brought in, on pack horses. the
corpses of the poor fellows who had
been burned or suffocated in their
fight with tn e flames groups of women
and children would gather and scan
the remains to discover, perhaps, a
husband or father. It was indeed
pitiful sight-a scene that would make
the angels weep. Relief trains we're
brought with all possible speed from
Spokane and men, or rather towards, =,
fought with women and children in an
attempt to get on board. The three
Princeton men went to the depot with
the intention of leaving on a train,
but when they realized the situation
they decided to remain. All immedi-
ate danger was over by Sunday night
and Messrs. Galley, Cordiner and
Olson returned to their hotel and re-
NAMED until morning, when they
started for the Cold Creek mine, "a
miles from there. Most of this dis
lance they made on the train. They
made an inspection of the mine and
gathered up some samples of valuable
OAO3 Ouo MI. OoAOy SScuS W W GQ0
only man who brought a specimen
back with him.. The other boys either
threw theirs away to tighten their
burden or some INSCRIPTIONS person
appropriated them.
Mr.. Cordiner is the only one of the
party who remained at the diggings
over night. It seems that the tunnels
were sucking in smoke and fires could
be seen in the distance, so Messrs.
Galley and Olson decided to vamoose.
Swan, however. went up the side of
Mount Grisly and killed couple of
bear and deer while there. Mr..
Cordiner followed Messrs. Galley and
Olson to Wallace the next day and
when the two latter met him on the
street they say he looked like an Ethi-
opian-as black as crow and with
indications that his beard and hair