Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-09-03
Graphite Description of the Fire aud
Its Rnvnues.

NIX. bLANNhAhD, WIRE anu TWO
children.
DIR. c. II. KELSEY OF NewBrighton.
d. BLANCHARD. wife and two chill
dren.
PETER ROBINSON.
MELS ROBINSON
NJ a. uERBERTSON.
ROBERTSON, child.
HOFFMAN AND WIFE.
EMMA DoLAN,
BELLE OBRIEN.
ANNIE WALLACE, deml-monde.
MRS. KOSTIGAN and three chill
dfen.
WILLIAM PRIMER. sawyer.
PAT MURPHY, sawyer,
ORVILLE cox.
THOMAS DUNN. wife and four small
children.
Estimate Of the dead; Innckley.
200; Sandstone, %; Sandstone Junction.
rs: Pokagama, 25 Skunk Lake. ~;
miscellaneous, 30, total. 1855.
The wall OF the school house. the
iron fence around the town hall, the
bank vault and one absolutely unin-
juipd Clubhouse Is all that Is left to
mark the SITE VI Hincliley, where yes
terdny stood score OF store buildings
and twice as many dwellings. The story
Of the catastrophe which wiped the
material possessions that had made
Hickey a busy. prosperous little city,
Is short one. The town was butt
Of wood. the school house, erected last
year at n cost Of $4,000. and one-hah
OF the Duluth round house were the
only brick structures in the city. By
one OF those peculiar freaks for which
/ there IL no accounting, the eastern
I Minnesota round house and water tank
| on the southwestern edge OF the town
| almost In the woods escaped the names,
] circumstances the more remarkable
Q al. 10 af0aA nlrRFttN In
I the path of the flames, which seem TO
/ have Jumped 1t as clearly as II playing
| leap frog
All yesterday afternoon the towns
| people were apprehensiVe. The smoke
/ rolling up from the south told a story
Enthusiastically plain to these accustomed
! TO n wooded country. The IRE Kept
advancing, famed by the WIND. which
was blowing n gale. About II o'clock'
th. fire rompany got out their engine
and laid line OF 1900 feet OF hose 10 the
southern outskirts ~ the town. The
I hose was all too short for the nature
OF protection desired and telegram
was sent tn Rush city for more, Five
hundred feet was sent but II never
reached Hickey The main part Of the
l village Hes In the north fork between
the Duluth and Eastern tracks on
the west side OF the Duluth tracks were
a few small houses belonging TO the
railroad employees. Attention was
mainly directed TO keeping the fire
AWAY from thor, as the main business
part Of the city WAS built IN solidly just
across the track.
About 3 o'clock in the afternoon the
FIRE literally jumped into the town.
Its approach was not gradual. II did
not eat It's way along, devouring every
thing in It's path but came In huge
lenps, ns N TO overtnke everything
fleeing before Il. and then burned back
nj its leisure. II IS described by those
who witnessed It's onward progress AT
Hicklcy and elsewhere as II II were
forced along by the cyclones, it9 IN
tense heat would develop NeriinDle
whit.Iwlnd OF flames that actually
twisted on poplar trees several inches
in thickness and carried huge blazing
fire brands high IN the air CARRYING
them forward some forty TO eighty
rods. there to fall and begin the worn
" devastation anew.
The fire struck Rinoklcy on the east
side OF the Duluth track ana the brave
nre fighters for the first time gave
i'm the lnedaul battle and already toe
late in many Instances turned their
attention 10 their personal safety. Inc
eastern MinnesOtl train from the soutl
had inst come In and the people OF
the panic-strickel city ilocked 10 u
for snfety. number of boNoars were
coupled on and fully covered with men
women and children. Some were bhrr
headed some were coatless, some few
clutched a pitiful bundle OF the more
precious Of their portfolio possessions
Families were separated Children
iolned the throng and left parents. II
all there were i50 or more people IN
train pulled out Just ahead OF the mr.
and succeeded In ultimately reacbini
Duluth This circumstance, while TOT
NuuN
estimated. has made the CONFUSION
greater for II is not known VINO es
eaped in this way and many peopl
are reported dead who may De u
safetv. Had not this number OF PEG
nIe largely women and children. LEI
nc doomed city when they did' IN
loss OF life would have Increased u
a geometrioai ratio. for their pieseho
would have added immeasurably 10 IN
subsequent confusion.
AbnJt the same hour the nccommn
datfon train on the Hinckley ana ~
cloud branch left for the latter piae
Win about twenty-five paSsengerf. IL
nath lay disectly across the path Q
me FIRE and their situation oeoanl
dospernte. The ties were burning, IN
rails warping and trestles were shgEin
! under the train. burning uess ~
across the track and were being tosse
asIde by the engine. Suddenly n
1 track gave way and the train toppie
, IN to one side No one was injure
t and they pressed on 70 Pekagsma 50
. tion. few rods ahead. They SUI
Z eeeded in reaching the clearing abol
. me station and escaped with a re-
: bprns and bruises. There were burne
= nlonE the track, however, four or ny
o neopie including Dr.. Kelsey q Ne
(. brighton. who had come 10 look aft'
: his brother.
The people who were left IN the GU
b were IN what seemed to be an almo
b homeless condition. Egrcss by the on
: means OF transportation that coul
\ hone 10 distance the swiftly adYannii
( flames was out of The question. w
! men and children were hurrlcily loaif
into wagons and every hyailab
: vehicle. In some casea attempts We
made 20 carry on come hoaseno
,r,ods. but IN most instances me %
!. sie had no thought for auEht d
y tf,,s,r lives Probably 200 Of them y
q town on foot or in vehicles. r'ungii
: into the woods to shs nora across :