Stirring tale of heroism

Thanks for the fascinating series on the fires of 1910. The Ed Pulaski tale still stands out as one of the greatest examples of sheer courage and incredible heroism ever witnessed.

Picture Big Ed, the tall assistant ranger, standing at the entrance to the Nicholson Mine with 45 men and two horses inside, telling the fainthearted that he had a gun and the first man who tried to escape the safety of the mine would be shot. Outside was certain death. Forty survived.

And the next morning when the men were waking from unconsciousness having one of the crew say “it looks like the boss is dead,” only to have Pulaski raise his head and say, “like Hell he is!” This is the stuff of legend.

Pulaski was half-blinded by the flames and hospitalized. Many of his colleagues were too, but had no money to pay. Pulaski used up all of his family savings to pay for their care. He designed a memorial to honor the firefighters but was denied federal funding because it would take a special act of Congress to cover such an enormous sum. The cost? $435! Last month it was finally dedicated. The cost? $45,000.

Jack A. Jennings

Spokane