The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-07-18
A BURSEO,yILLiGE.
Terrible wor& OF the fiames-Heart.
reading Scenes of Anguish.

ST. Paul, MINI, July l7.-Additional
particulars Of the disastrous fire which has
entirely consumed the business portion Of
the village OF Cokato, Mimi, has been re.
ceived in this city. The details Of the
calamity show even greater obstruction Of
property than was supposed from the
somewhat meagre accounts which reached
here on Saturday; absolute ruin, in fact,
seems to have fallen upon the hitherto
prosperous village. Among the buildings
destroyed by the fire are sugar factory, q
knitting factory, carding mill and three
elevators, the latter with total capacity Of
$50, ,0OU bushels. The Lutheraus, Baptists,
MetnodIsts and CongregatiOnalists have
all lost their churches. An eye
witness says; 1.-The scene at Cokato yester.
day morning was appalling, and the
suffering among the residents was intense,
Crowds Of hall nude women were in the
burned district (Which really comprises
about all there IL OF the town. disconsolate-
ly sitting on half burned piles OF household
goods, or walking up and down wringing
Eneir hands and weeping bitterly. Chill
dren sobDed and screamed, aud many OF
the men wandered half clothed to and fro,
utterly dazed by the magnitude OF the loss
which had oveitaken them. In the board
ing house where the fire originated and in
which the three SECTION men=James Will
ingbam, Richard Kelly and William
Suepperd-were burned to death, The
scenes were described by men who es,
capped as being awful /.
THE VIRsT ALARM.
The first alarm was given by young
man who shouted "Fire!" on the outside
as Justify as his lungs would allow him.
All but the three who lost their lives got
up and rushed down stairs pell-mell. The
doors would not open, or they could not
find them in the dense smoke, and nearly
nil OF them were severely burned before
thew succeeded in etfecting an exit, which
they finally did by breaking hole
through the side Of the house. Three Of
the badly.burued and almost naked men
at once made their way TO one OF the hotels, |
and were thus instrumental in saving ten
Of the occupants from being burned in
their beds. All this time, save by the |
carrying Of few pals OF water, no effort
Yas made to extinguish theiI flames,
and, indeed, none would have proved Of
any avail, since there is no fire department
In the village. The houses are Of wood,
which the drought had left Rsdry as finder.
The three men who'wer burned to death |
occupied room over what was a sort OF
summer kitchen, very clumsily constructed.
Just as they rose, as is supposed, the whole
floor fell in, precipitating the untortunates,
with their beds aud furniture, into the
fiery furnace below. Their bodies could
be plainly distinguished wedged in the
mass Of ehArrsd embers. Willingham
lived in 3lontrose and leaves a widow
and three children. The other tyo
were unmarried. The number OF persons
more or les severely burned could not be
told. Several oil the more serious cases were
taken to Waverly, the nearest station, and
there received medical attspdance. The
Veuerally.aocepted theory Is that the hre
Hrst caught in. the boarding house from q
stroke OF lightning, between and 2 o'clock
A. ", during the progress ot the storm and
probably Just before the cessation Of the
rain. Some residences are left, but not
many, and 1t is believed that the amountoi
suffering entailed on the people will be very
Fynnnf