Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 249, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 October 1912 — RANGER REAL HERO [ARTICLE]

RANGER REAL HERO

Fire Fighters Face Great Dangers in Forest How Pulaski, by Coolness and Bravery, Prevented the Loss of ThirtyFive of Hl* Crew in Cour d'Alene. New York. —Prof. Welling, tanned and toughened by his summer’s work in the Coeur d’Alene national forest reservation, held his eastern Visitors spellbound with stories of the fight he had helped to make against the fearful forest fires, says the Youtlfs Companion. He had gone out, with two others, under government commission, to study the forest* and, coming back in August, they had met the fires and ■pent almost a month in fighting their way out of them. “There are real men among those forest rangers,” he went on. “In fact, there is no place for anything that is not genuine up there. The most thrilling story of heroism that I have heard in a long time is the story of Ranger Pulaski. It did not happen in the part of the reservation where I was, but I can vouch for its truth, ■ for I have talked with wme of the men who were with him. “Pulaski had forty men under him, and they had been fighting a big fire for hours. Suddenly the wind rose until it blew a gale. The fire got beyond them, and it became a question of saving the lives of the men. They were many miles from a railroad or a clearing. “Pulaski remembered that pbout a mile from where they- were working was an abandoned mine shaft that ran back about forty feet into the hillside. He ordered the men to snatch their blankets from the camp and run for this shaft. Once there, tliey packed themselves like sardines into the hole. Pulaski placed himself at the opening and stretched a blanket across it. “In a few minutes the fire overtook them. The blanket at the opening caught and Pulaski jerked it away. Again and again this was done, and when the supply of blankets ran low he held the burning fragments across the mouth of the shaft with his bare hands.

“The suffering of the men from the heat and smoke was pitiful. They were fairly maddened by it, and some of them made a wild attempt to push their way out of the shaft. For a while Pulaski held them back by sheer physical strength, for he was an unusually strong man. But he knew that he must soon be overpowered and that the men, in their frenzy, would rush out to certain death. He drew his revolver and told them that he would kill the first man who attempted to break away. The men knew that he meant it, too, and that knowledge brought them back to reason. “It wasn’t more than twenty minutes before the worst of the fire had passed the shaft. When it was safe to crawl out they found that five of the men were dead from suffocation, but the other thirty-five were all right Pulaski himself was blinded and burned, but his sight was partly restored. He lost five men, to be sure, but with less courage and presence of mind he would have lost them alt 1 take off my hat to such a man. He 1* a real hero ”

LIBERTY BRIDE GETS WORK Mrs. Washburne Get* Employment on Magazine a* Part of Pre-Nup. tlal Arrangement. Los Angeles,- Cal. —In conformity to her part of a prenuptial contract that caused comment fromall sections of the country, Mrs. Charles Washburne, until a few days ago Miss Heluiz Chandler, obtained a position with the firm by which her husband is employed. The company publishes a magazine, and Mrs. Washburne will do illustrating for it. A part of the prenuptial contract, which, as a whole, provided for the greatest personal liberty on the part of husband and wife, specified that each should earn an independent livelihood, and should share the expense* of maintaining a home and of caring for children, should any result from the marriage. “The account of my mother being prostrated and moaning over the disgrace I have brought upon her are merely trash,” said Mrs. Washburne. “I have received several telegrams of congratulation and commendation from my mother since my marriage."