Show fifteen people lose their lives as result of forest fires which sweep over country relief train loaded with driven from their homes is wrecked and women and ahll dren fall victims to flames alpena mich fifteen people lost their lives in the burning 0 the detroit mackinac Mackl nac railway relief train v aich was carrying the inhabitants of the little village 0 metz twenty three miles north ot here to safety the forest fires which were sweeping their homes the fated train was ditched by spreading rails at siding a few miles south of metz and the terrified refu gees were forced to abandon the cars and rush for safety either down the track with burning forests on either abde or into the ploughed fields near the siding eleven of the victims were women and children who were unable u escape quid ly enough from the bondola car which they were occupy ing their charred bodies were found there friday when rescuers reached the scene two of the men victims were members of the train crew four fatalities occurred in the of the wreck friday i ight mr and mrs fred wager died aiom heat and exposure on their farm i ear the scene of the wreck and mr and mrs jr loat their lives lu their burning house near the sid ing where the krecl occurred when the forest fires closed in cabout the little village a special train of three empty box cars and coal was rushed to metz in charge of john E kinville conductor william foster engineer arthur lee fireman and william bartlett brake man As rapidly as possible the people and their goods were loaded into the cars some refused to abandon thell goods or the train might have left earlier and reached alpena in safety when the train finally started there were about frightened people aboard the flames were already sweeping through the village angi i eer foter started his train tor al 1 earing crossing he daw blazing piles of cedar ties on both 5 des of the track opening wide the Ih he tried to dash through at ull speed but the heat had loosened ahe rails and they had spread and the train left the track blazing piles ol 01 ies surrounded it and in an instant he cars caught fire the terror people caught by the peril rom which they were fleeing jumped the cars and rushed down the track three mothers and their little ones were not quick enough the bere rere crowded in the gondola car where they were caught brakeman william bartlett sprang into the water tank behind the engine only td be literally boiled to death as the flames swept over it engineer fos ter and conductor kinville fled down the track through the fire and smoke and were the first to reach the village of and report the wieck and ask for assistance from here behind them staggered a burned and wound ed procession of refugees from the decked train it was a tearful march over the hot ties with the flames rom the burning woods on either side of the track roaring and snapping in their faces engineer foster was ter bibly burned about the head and face but it Is thought that he will recover conductor kinville was badly scorch ed james white was totally blinded y burns |