Report of the Forest Commission. 67 



Turtle Lake, Wis., September 3. — The evening train from Minneapolis was 

 detained by fire at Joel, seven miles west. For two miles it ran through a 

 dense cloud of smoke, with fire on both sides of the track, sometimes so close 

 as to scorch the faces of the passengers and train crews. The engineer was 

 obliged to feel his way and keep a close watch on culverts and trestles. 



Turtle Lake was threatened all day yesterday. During the afternoon a bad 

 fire approached the south side of the town, fanned by the brisk breeze which 

 was blowing all day. The entire male population turned out and succeeded 

 in saving the town. At night the wind went down, and, though the fires lit 

 up the skies in all directions, the town was safe. 



A Train Stalled. 



A passenger train went up to Cumberland, about 13 miles north, Saturday, 

 and has been unable to proceed in either direction. Granite Lake, Barron ett 

 and Shell Lake were wiped out, and yesterday afternoon the hamlet of Corn- 

 stock, eight miles north of here and five miles south of Cumberland, was 

 destroyed. At all these burned stations the tracks are burned and warped, 

 and no trains can move. The telegraph wires are practically useless, though 

 an attempt was made to get them in shape yesterday afternoon. 



The Omaha company loses many culverts and trestlts. All wagon-road 

 bridges are burned, and communication with the burned districts is practically 

 shut off. Everybody in Turtle Lake is worn out, working day and night for 

 the past 72 hours, and with the present respite efforts have been relaxed. 



Prentice, Wis., July 30.— Fires could be seen last night about five miles 

 west of here in the vicinity of Melrose. George Peterson, a lumberman, 

 came in last night. He has been all through the country which was trav- 

 srsed by fires. He said the fire started in the woods in the western part of 

 the county, and it has burned the best part of four townships. 



Boiled Fish; 



Northwest of Phillips he saw a spring creek that runs through the woods 

 and empties into Wilson's creek. In that creek the water must have boiled, 

 said the lumberman. So intense was the heat that the fish in the stream were 

 partly cooked. The whole stream was literally covered with the fish. 



West Superior, Wis., July 30.— The Rev. J. H. Nason, who went to Phil- 

 lips in charge of the supply train sent from here, returned to Superior to-day. 

 Ee said that the reports of 20 lives having been lost were far short of the truth, 

 rhe total loss of life will be at least 40. Eleven bodies had been recovered up 

 to noon to-day. 



Many of them were recovered from the bottom of the lake and easily identi- 

 fied. Those who escaped had only the clothing on their backs. The hair was 

 singed and faces scorched on many of the fugitives. 



On account of the intense heat and strong wind a dozen fire departments, 

 tiad they been on hand when the first house was ablaze, could not have averted 

 the calamity. 



" The wonder is that so many escaped," said Mr. Nason. 



