The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-09-03
Race With FLAME
The Terrible Catastrophe That
Befell isconsin Towns.
WHOLE FAMILIES PERIsHED
0vertaken by the Fires Before
Which They Fled:
HUNDREDS OF LIVES SACRIFICED.

It Is Already Known That Three Hum
dred and Finy.hve Persons woro
Burned to Death. and the List Is Yet
of 4 Train Crowded with rassengers.
An Heroic Engineer and Train Crew.
ST PAUL, Sept. 3.-The town of Hinck-
ley, MINI, about half way between this
city and Duluth, has been wiped out by
forest fires, and the list OF dead may reach
athousand. II will certainly exceed 800.
and the reports now being received would
indicate that larger figure may not be
TOO great. On the train yesterday from
there we're one or two people who came
through the fires, and told graphic stories
OF the scene. The train from Duluth
reached point mile and a half north of
Hinekley some time after midnight, and
was forced to return to point five miles
away on account of the threatening flames.
Half a dozen OF the passengers. however,
secured IA hand ear and rode through the
flames TO Hinckley, taking the north
bound train this side of there and return
Ing ON il TO this city.
On their return on the hand car they
encountered twenty seven dead bodies
along the line of the railway. They say
that the people of Hinckley ran to the
woods when their houses caught fire, and
~ the timber afterwards burned it is more
than probable that great numbers per
ished. The whole country around Hlnck-
ley is on fire, and the fall extent of the
disaster cannot be learned for day or
two.
NJ hnt 4. .I,lt ~. H.
the hand car suffered severely fromburns.
Their injuries. however, will not provo
fatal. They tell many sad stories Of What
they saw. One woman had evidently tried
to save her FIVE children and was over
taken by the fiery flames, and the whole
family persisted close to tho railroad
track, Another case was where IN ther,
seeing her house in flames, ran In to save
her child. Her husband also followed
her, and the walls of the house caved in
before they could get out.
The passenger train from Duluth on
which these men were is in ashes, and
the rest of the passengers have taken
refuge In marsh near Skunk Lake, where
they took refuge in swamp. The engi-
neer was badly burned by the fam es but
stuck TO his post ana got all the passen-
gers out Of tho Ore safely This engineer,
pluckiest Of those In the employ of tho
St Paul and Duluth. He tried to take
his train through the fires to Hinckley,
but when the cars caught fire from the
flying embers he reversed his engine and
backed at full speed to Skunk Lake Ii
was SO dark during the day that it was
almost impossible for any one to see one
hundred feet away, and during the night
tho headlight of the engine was uselI ss
Engineer Roots injuries are quite serious,
but it is hoped that he will recover, al
though one report gives no hope.
The experience of the passengers on this
train was most appalling. The rear cur
caught fire aud ms the flames overlook it,,
aud the passengers rushed headlong into
the forward cars, Conductcr Sullivan with
his plucky associates walked vi aud down
the aisle, doing their best to soothe the
frightened passengers The shriels of tho
women and children, as we'll as the ter
riied shouts of the men increased tho ter
rble feelings aroused by the uproar Of
the flames on every hand The windows
broke from the heat and several of the
men passengers, too terrified for further
self control. with Il terrible cry eaped
headlong through one of the open win
ddws and were swallowed up in tho
flames outside. Others quickly followed,
aud altogether in the next ten minutes a
dozen men leaped to death In the flames
III u like manner.
From the stories of passengers on the
limited train which was burned near
Hinckley the entire train ere deserve 10
be placed on the roll of honor for personal
heroism. Engineer James Root, of White
Bear, heads the list aud will have thrill
ing story to tell II he RECEIVERS from his
injuries. lie was badly burned and al
mgst blinded. and fell from his sent un-
conscious Immediately on getting through h
the fires Fireman John McGowan was a
good companion for him in the cab, and
the other members of the crew-Conduc-
tor Jerry Sullivan, Brakeman Monohan,
Ba.gngeman George Morris and Porter
Balir-were fit associates for the hero who
led. them into what was literally a fiery
furnace.
Yesterday relief train from the north
brought the passengers of Engineer Root $
train through Hinckley and on to this
city The relief train carried a supply of
hand cars, which were used in picking up
the bodies of the dead along the track
One hundred bodies were picked up and
brought into Hinckley before the relief
train came to this city with the injured
passengers and trainmen.
Horses were harnessed to buggies and
wagons, Women aud children wore hur-
ricdly loaded. In some casea attempts
were made to carry Off some household
goods, but in most instances the people
had no thought for aught but for their
lives. Probably 300 of them left town on
foot or i'll bicycles, plunging into the
woods to the north across the Grind
stone river, which skirts the town on the
north: They were literally fleeing before
the pursuing demon of fire. Over the hill
that rises behind the Grindstone is a
camp, and to this the people with teams
headed, butit proved no protection. The
fire gave them no opportunity to go fur
ther.
Some abandoned their teams and ran
into the lower portions of the morass
but the fire sought them out. Not one
was left to tell the tale, and yesterday
In a space OF little more han four or five
acres were counted ever 1870 corpses There
were many families ofsfive, six and seven,
and there they lay, the men generally a
little In advance, the mother surrounded
by her little ones, cut off by the most hor-
rible Of deaths. Nearly all the bodies
were nude, the fire having burned every
vestige of their clothing and blackencd
and eharred many Of the corpses beyond
recognition.
Those who fed to the north on foot fol-
lowed the Duluth truck. and so rapid was
the progress of the flames that many Of
them were actually burned as they fed
falling on the way for distance CT three
miles OF more. Nearly hirtv bodies were
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