The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1937-08-05
Has Thrilling
Fire Experience
Miss Florence Holme On Tour OF
West Writes OF
Accident

Miss Florence Holme, daughter
of Sigurd Holme, who is enjoying
travel in the West, as member
Of the University of Tours, had an
experience recently which she
will not soon forget. The tour is
made in large buses, and recently
the one in which Miss Home was
a passenger, was destroyed by
fire. In explanation Of that event
she wrote to her father as follows:
We certainly had a thrilling ex-
perience yesterday. We were on
the highway between Los Angeles
and Bakersfield and 1t was rather
steady climbing up. The engine got
hot and started smoking 80 the
driver stopped the bus and got out
to see what was wrong. The smoke
seemed to increase more than de-
crease SO naturally US kids in the
bus got worried. It was but a few
seconds that the driver hollered
Everybody out" and we got out
Immediately. Well, the whole en-
CINE was on fire at that time and
they were using the fire exiting
usher on 1t but 1t didn't seem ia
help. We got plenty worried be-
cause all our baggage was in the
bus so we jumped in and threw II
out Of the windows and through
the doors so fast 1t didn't seem
possible. There was about half OF
it on the top SO one boy climbed to
the top and got all that off. The
whole bus was gradually getting
into flames and there was a 80
gallon tank Of gasoline on it so
we thought that would go off any
moment. Got all our coats and
purses off and the men even took
time to get the spare tire off.
Course there were loads of cars
stopping all around us and we
stopped traffic for a good half
hour. They used about fire extin-
guishers on it and the whole bus
was in flames. We moved all our
baggage about 8 blocks away from
it as they figured it would explode.
We were very lucky and we all
realize it.
Anyway, we got ride about 100
miles with a man and his daugh-
ter g of us rode together and one
was the Dean Of Women) and then
we got another ride 20 miles with
a lady and man, and then finally
q ride $50 miles into the town
where we wanted to go.
That bus burned way to the
ground and it certainly did put up
a big blaze. Today we are all
crowding into the buses and they
will send us a new bus from De-
troit. But we won't get it until we
are at Seattle. We were pretty
lucky, at least we didn't lose any
lives or luggage.
Among the highlights Of the
trip, she stated that she heard
Evangelist Amy Semple McPher-
son speak at her church in Los
Angeles. Also enjoyed a trip to
Catalina Island. The trip by ship
took two hours out and two hours
back. She saw Wrigley's home and
Zane Grey's home, both located on
Catalina Island, experienced the
thrill of a speed boat ride on the
Pacific ocean. One of the educa-
tional features was a visit to
glass bottom boat where they were
enabled to view marine life, and
where they saw a diver stay under
water three minutes. He swan un-
derneath the boat and had his
mouth and eyes open while swim
ming under the water. Dancing
was one Of the diversions aboard
ship. The schedule for the trip fol-
lowing her visit to Los Angeles, in
cludes San Francisco, CAL, Seattle,
Wash; Yellowstone Park, Wyom-
ing, and other points.