Letters: Heroism in the ‘Forgotten Fire’

Heroism in the

‘Forgotten Fire’

Every five years we return to Wisconsin to attend our 1948 high school reunion, and once we decided to explore northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

While visiting the Peshtigo museum mentioned in Jay Jones’ story [“The 140-Year-Old Mystery of the ‘Forgotten Fire,’” Oct. 9], I told the volunteer that my grandfather was a member of the train crew that rescued the townspeople while the rails under the train were warping from the heat. Imagine my embarrassment when I was told the railroad had not reached Peshtigo in 1871.

My memory of a great fire and rescue were so vivid that I couldn’t get them out of my mind as we drove. All came clear when we drove by Hinckley, Minn., and saw a sign about visiting the scene of the Great 1894 Firestorm. Jack McGowan, my grandfather, was the fireman on a train from Duluth to St. Paul that pulled into Hinckley, loaded many of the residents and then backed up north to Skunk Lake where they took refuge in the water. The Sept. 1 lake temperature was much warmer than Peshtigo’s frigid October river.

Daniel James Brown’s book “Under a Flaming Sky: The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894” perfectly describes the benefits and costs of north woods lumbering in the late 19th century.

John L. Wagner

Torrance

Do the dishes

When my husband and I read the story about Convict Lake in the Oct. 2 [“Convict Lake Worth a Getaway,” by Susan Spano], we decided to call and reserve a room for the following Tuesday. (We had a condo for many years in Snowcreek and we loved to take our children fishing in the lake. We never caught a single fish but had a lot of fun trying.)

Our room was described as a luxury spa room, king bed, kitchen, but we were disappointed. The carpeting was dirty, the sofa was soiled, and there were no robes as advertised, no TV and no hair dryer. The information in our room stated that we would be charged $25 if we didn’t do the dishes. You have got to be kidding!

Pat McGill

La Jolla

VIP traveler

Chris Erskine’s LAX story [Oct. 2] reminds me of this: Few LAX travelers are aware that the president of the United States is a semi-regular visitor. Air Force One touches down discreetly, then taxis to a remote location on the edge of LAX, where it is parked overnight waiting for Obama to return, as it did just this past week. The majestic sight of the sleek, polished stately plane taking off with its exclusive occupant never fails to thrill those of us who live nearby and are privy to the secretive habits of the prestigious aircraft that routinely ferries our nation’s chief executive in and out of LAX — barely noticed by other fellow voyagers.

Kyle Kimbrell

Playa del Rey

Sweet silence

In regard to the On the Spot column about flying with crying babies [“High-Flying Criers,” Oct. 2] and the follow-up letter Oct. 9 [“Now, Listen Up”] that says earplugs and headphones don’t work: My son John is a frequent flier and he swears by his method of canceling out screaming babies and maybe even loud talkers. He says he uses maximum foam earplugs and Bose QuietComfort 15 noise-canceling headphones and adds music from his iPod if the screaming/crying is “particularly violent.”

Me, I just unhook my hearing aids. Works fine.

Carol Clark

Los Feliz

Hidden charges

The letter about hidden fees at hotels resonated with me [“A Fee Fiasco,” Letters, Sept. 25]. In November, after a five-hour drive to Las Vegas from Los Angeles, my husband and I arrived at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel at 9 p.m. and were told that only valet parking is available there costing $30 a day. The reservations were made by phone, confirmed by email and not once were we told about this charge.

Oversight? I don’t think so. We were informed that we could park at the Aria Hotel for no charge and walk back. We did use valet parking but refused to pay the charge and it was reluctantly taken off the bill. We won’t be staying there again.

E. Seigel

Los Angeles