Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1894-09-07
ITEMS Of general NEWS
FOREST FIRES.
Four Hundred Lives Lost In the Awful
Confagration.

Four Hundred Lives Lost In the Awful
Confagration.
ST.. PAUL, Sept. 4.-The latest adj
vices from the scenes of the big forest
fire which ragged on Saturday, Sunday
and Monday indicate that there wilkbe
nearly four hundred lives lost. This
includes the fatalities at Hinckley,
Polkegama, Rutledge. Sandstone and
all the area covered by the conflagra-
ton. Searching for the dead under
anything like system was only begun
yesterday morning. At noon fully
two hundred dead We're gathered in
the cemetery at Hinckley awaiting
burial. There were two great heaps
of naked and charred bodies in every
teen known to be dead at Pokegama
There were fifty-one at Sandstone vii
lage, and about thirty more from out
lying country. But it must be re-
membered that the fire covered large
area of country, some of it very hard
to get over by searching parties.
There are many isolated families
living in the country and all
suffered to some extent. 1t will take
at least week to ascertain how many
are lost, and many of them will never
be identified Many families are being
cared for at Pine City, Duluth and SUI
perior. AT the former place there are
about 500 homeless people, and it is
estimated that at least 1000 people
will have to be taken care of until they
can get new start in life. The wound
ed in hospitals at Pine City were all
doing well. The surgical staff has
been supplemented by a number of
physicians from the Twin cities, and
with possibly one or two exceptions all
the wounded at these places will re-
cover.
The aggregate loss will run into mil
lions, but it is absolutely impossible to
give any reliable estimate as SO wide
an extent of country was devastated.
The largest single loss was that of the
Banner Lumber company of Hincl1iey,
which is placed at 100000 by the of
ficers of the company. The aggregate
loss is variously estimated at from
$4,000, 600 to $5,OO0,O0o, and this does
not include the standing pine timber
destroyed
Hinckley, Sandstone, Mission Creek,
Pokegama, Rutledge and Mansfield are
the chief places destroyed in Mime
sofa, though number of small settle
,,,,.,,, ~ bora ,1co e,, 4farad fro,,, viii oh
no definite reports are yet received.
Up to last reports the estimates of
the lives lost in the fires at different
points in the two states are as given in
the following list, and it is feared the
list is far below the actual destruction
of human life: Hinckley, MINI, 200;
Sandstone, MINI, 46; Sandstone juno
ton, %; Pokegama, Mimi, 25; Skunk
Lake, Mimi, 1; miscellaneous points,
40; total, 1856.
DULUTH, Sept. 5.-Reports from Pine
City, Hinckley and the region devasta
ted by the awful forest fires state that
the list of fatalities is increasing and
that it is now estimated that the num-
Der of dead will reach 500 or 600. The
fire is still raging near Brainard and
cannot be stayed until a good rain
comes The number of dead at Hinck
ley now reaches $50. Thousands of
dollars of relief money are being con-
tributed by people of the state, and
every effort is being made to render
assistance to the afflicted. The search
for bodies in the outlying districts
continues and bodies are being found
all over the burned district.