The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-09-03
THE BuRSINe OF HIsoKLEY.
Entire Destruction Of the Cisy-ali whs
Fled to the Woods Perished.


ST. PAUL, Sept. 2-The walls Of the
sehoolhouse. the iron ience about tho
town hail property. bank vault and one
absolutely unInjured outhouss Is all that
is left 10 mark the site Of Hinckiey, where
yesterday stood n score OF business build
ings and a dozen times as many dwellings.
The story OF the catastrophe is a short
one. The town was built OF wood. The
schoolhouse. erected last year at a cost of
81 600 and one-half of the Eastern Mime
sofa railway roundhouse were the only
brick structures in the town. by one Of
those peculiar freaks for which there is no
accounting, the roundhouse and water
tank on the southwestern edge OF the
town, almost in the woods. escaped the
flames. circumstance the more remark
able from the fact that Ii stood directly in
the path of the flames. which seemed to
have jumped il as eieanly as If playing
leap-frog.
All yesterday forenoon the townspeople
were apprehensive. The FIRE kept adj
vaneing, famed by the wind. which was
blowing q gale. About IL O'Clock the FIRE
company got out their engine and laid an
S00-foot line of hose TO the southern out
skirts of the town. The hose was too short
for the measure of protection desired, and
a telegram was sent to Rush City for more.
One hundred feet was sent. but IL never
reached Hinekiey. About 3 o'clock in the
afternoon the fire literally jumped into the
town. II did not eat its way along. de-
vouring everything in its path. bat came
In hinge leaps. as IL to take everything be-
fore it. IL appeared As II forced along by
q cyclone of its own generation. The in
- -
wind of flame that carried huge. blazing
frebrands high in the air. and. carrying
them forward for from forty TO eighty
rods. let them fall and began the work Of
devastation anew.
The fire first struck Hinckley on the east
side of the Duluth track, and the brave
hremen gave up the unequal battle, and.
too late in many instances. turned their
attention TO their personal safety. The
Eastern Minnesota train from the south
had Just come in. and the panie-stricken
citizens iloeked 10 It for safety. A number
OF box cars were coupled on and tllsd and
covered with men, women and children.
some of them bareneaded and coailess-
Some clutched a bundle Of the more pre-
cious OF their portable possessions. Fam
lilies were separated. and in all there was
| sons. The train pulled out just bead Of
the fire and succeeded in reaching Duluth.
| This circumstances. while fortunate in a
degree that cannot be estimated. has made
| the confusion greater, for il is not known
l who escaped ia this way. and many peo-
y.ie are reported dead who may be tn
/ safety. Had not this number Of people,
/ largely women aud children. left the
4 doomed city when they did. the loss Of
/ life would have been increased, for their
/ presence would have added immeasurahly
1 20 the subsequent confusion.
About the same hour the accommoda-
| ton train on the HinckleY and ST. Cloud
/ branch left for the latter place With about
/ twenty-five passengers. Its path lay d.
/ rectly across the path Of the Ere The ties
/ we're burning. the rails warped and tbs
/ tressles sAgging under the train The
! smoke had increased 80 that the engineer
/ was helpless. lie could not see the train
| behind him. Burning trees iay across the
track and ssre being tossed aside by the
/ engine. Suddenly the track gsye Nay
and TIE ifain toppled Of to one side. No
! one vas injured, and the passengers
| pressed on 90 PokegAma station. a few
rod. ahead. A few feet In ffont Of the en-
{ K4ue IS 0seSuhsft4 Sr&@g tS@'
side and forty deep. shsre the tFestie hsd
been burned swsy. The passengers sue
/ eeedea IN reaching the clearing about thu
| station ard escaped with few burns and
! bruises There wers barned along shs
track, however. four Or five people.
The people who we're left In hineklel
we're IN shat seemed % BE an almost help
/ les. condition Egress b. any means o.
TRANSPORTATION that coald hcre 20 distane'
the sNssly advancing flames was out o
the question. The men had teen hghtini
the ire FOR hours, and tie women @nt
children we're psnic-stficKsn. Horses wsr'
hsrnessed TO bnEEles and Nsgons ant
women and children we're burrisdll
lo.4ea- Probably 80 Of them left sown O
foot or in vehicles and piaaged into th'
GOODS no-fh. scsoss the ofindstens river
which skirts tie town On tie noriA- Tie.