Evening star., 1933-10-04
Wind Change Fans Flame.

scrub oak growth in the canyons floor,
shooting straight upward.
Wind Change Fans Flame.
Suddenly wind whipped down into
the canyon, tanning the blaze into a
from its center In a few seconds the
approximately 1900 men who had en-
tered the canyon were scramblmg up
its steep sides.
The cowpath became line Of fight
ing, sweltering, cursing. praying hu-
manity. The strong clambered over
the weak. With death cracking at
their heels. the workmen struggled
upward.
Survivors said the flames jumped as
high as 100 feet at the time, catching
up with and bringing down the strug-
Cling men.
The men died in twos, suf1ocated
by the walls of smoke that rolled over
them or struck down by flames which
leaped as much as 100 feet at time.
One pair had almost reached the
canyons rim. One Of the two, a stall
wart, had been pushing his fellow
struggler upward when the blaze cut
them down.
ALI Died in Pairs.
Always they were side by side, these
pairs, when the end came, and always
their backs were arched, with heads
up-throWn and eye sockets staring gro
tesquely at the canyons rim.
While crew of men stood on high
ground, arguing against their foreman's
command that they rush to a lower
level to aid a squad fighting flames,
the flre at the lower point spurted
q dozen workers.
This story was told by Michael Fer
nandez.
Our foreman orders us to 60 to the
lower level" he said. Some one shout
ed No While we were arguing a
sheet Of fame leaped up ana covered
the lower crew. A few seconds later
the flames receded. The whole party
below was dead"
In another section H. N. Claypool, a
foreman, had second to make a deci-
sion. He made it-and saved the lives
Of score of men.
Il started to take my men into the
path of the blaze to clear a break, "
Claypool said. Something told me to
hesitate. I gave the order to halt. In
an instant whirlpool of flame whipped
across the spot where we would have
been had We gone ahead. Eight men
in squad just beyond us were trapped
It was all over in an instant"
Men From All Glasses.
The men were pick and shovel work
ers, recruited from all walks of life in
the Reconstruction Finance Corpora
tion-Los Angeles County move to COM
bat unemployment with park work
They were working on the roads of the
park. largest in the Los Angeles recrea-
tional system, when they were ordered
into the ravine and told to beat the fire
out with the shovels and cut a fire
break.
Mayor Frank L. Shaw ordered q
thorough investigation of the circum-
stances which caused so great a toll
to be taken. He said If carelessness OF
negligence are found to be the blame
the city will cooperate with the county
in fixing the responsibility. He promised
! also that the city will provide relief
| for the families of the victims. A care
lessly tossed cigaret by a workman was
advanced as one possible cause OF the
fire.
The workmen were insured by the city
under the State compensation act.
On September IL, the city notified the
Board of Supervisors that this 1nsur-
ance. costing $4,000 weekly, could not
| be carried beyond october 5.
Dramatic Tales Told.
In voices, low from exhaustion, sor'
row and shock. others of the men who
lived told of those who died IN death I
ride on q wind-borne frebrand across
| the canyon. Only the terrible sight o1
| humanity burned to an almost unrec'
! ognizable mass, surpassed the STARK
| homespun drama Of words that lei
from their lips, blackened, scorched anc
swollen by the death-dealing heat IRON
which they had escaped.
AS the vanguard went down the can
| Won. "hell broke loose" one survivor
said The wind suddenly seemed tt
spread the fire in all directions at once
They were poor, but life still was sweet
and they ran, stumbled and dragged
their bodies through the jagged brush
II still can hear them yelling ane
shouting for help" said G. B. Carr. II
was an oven-hell. Everything was red
AS I staggered on began to count tint
bodies. One, two, three-when I finished
had counted 49, could smell thu
scared flesh, the acrid smoke, the singec
hair.
my arms began to hurt. I didn't
know then they were burned. The mar
next to me dropped. pulled him x
| his feet and we began to run, stumb.
! ling, praying; we found side trail.
tainted"
Wilfred Singleton saw the grount
| dotted with bodies and heard the pierc.
| ing shrieks Of men who fell and couldn't
! get up.
Sometimes tripped and I goult
| nut out my hands to break my TALL and