St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-07-29
all their possessions that they could and
made for
FLOATING BOAT HOUSE

all their possessions that they could and
made for
FLOATING BOAT HOUSE
that was tied to the town bridge near
the box factory. The ropes were cut.
and the occupants thought the gale
would drive them across the lake where
the flames would not reach them, but
the raft was rlckety affair and over
loaded. and, most terrible OF all. the fire
seemed to create current of air that
pulled them directly towards great
pile of burning lumber on the lake
shore. The raft began to sink. and, with
death by fire facing on one side
and drowning on the other, the boats
were resorted to. but in the gale
they capsiZed almost instantly, and
all perished with the exception of Mrs.
Cliss, who was found floating this morn
on the opposite side of the lake. clinglng
with desperation to a boat. When it
became evident that the city was
threatened with destruction the John
K. Davis Lu mber company made up
train of its cars and sought to take the
women and children to place of safety
on the Little Elk branch. The train
had proceeded but a little way, how
ever. when the bridge across the stream
was discovered to be burned, and the
train, with Its cargo of human freight.
70 ft,r, TO hn iftyn
the gauntlet of
FLAME AND SMOKE.
In the meantime permission had been
received to use the main tracks of the
Central road and the homeless people
were carried south twelve miles to
Prentice. The people of Prentice
opened their homes, but there was not
room for all the men, women and chill
dren. About IL O'Clock tonight the fire
fighters who had remained on the scene
betook themselves to a clearing south
of tie city, which had been burned over
a few days before, so that there was
nothing for the fire to feed on. Their
route was thick with smothering smoke.
The flames jumped directly acioss their
path from one side to the other. The
fire in the forest broke out with vigor.
and the tall pines, even the greenest
ones, were great blazing torches.
throwing tongues of fire high i'll the
air. The roaring and cracking of the
fire among the trees was so terrible that
those who heard it will never forget it.
Such light of day as broke through
nj nf haf hn
horizon seemed to be as deep as from
earth to sky. There was hardly enough
property left to be called ruins. Over
mile in length from north to south, and
half a mile wide from the lake in the
east to the swamp on the west was
NOTHING BUT EMBERS
and ashes. AS soon as the dense smoke
had cleared trifie back came the peo-
pie. Some of them worn out with the
day and night before had slept by the
roadside on the ground, with the forest
cracking all around. Now that the fire
had spent itself hunger was asserting
itself, and there was not as much as a
piece OF bread to eat. A relief commit
tee was organized and relief head
quarters established in the Worcester
town hall, and there assembled fathers
seeking information as to the where
abouts of their families, and mothers
with children crying with hunger.
Quick to respond were the neighborng
towns. In almost no time provisions,
consisting of bread. butter. coffee and
canned articles, had been received
from Fifeld, Prentice, Dorchester,
Medford and Butternut. A telegram
was sent to the governor in reply ask
ing him to send blankets and tents, to-
gether with mess tents for 1000 people,
In response co this, the governor tele-
graphed tonight that there were no
tents available at present, but that he
would be here in the morning with
sheathing, hammers and nails, and to
be ready to begin the construction of
temporary quarters.
SLEEPING ON THE ASHES.
The fire played some queer freaks.
The house of Clerk of the Court Will
lam Nelson was the only structure OH
the main street not burned. 1t is a
frame dwelling, and not even his
fence was scorched, while ruins
ouIlOuHuSO IL Ou dll oIuCos Ituo
furniture, which he moved out in
order to save it, was destroyed.
The railroad bridge just north of here
is burned and passengers are being
transferred i'll boats. Many believe
that more dead must be in the ruins in
the town where the fire first made it's
sweep. The people there had less
chance for escape than the
others, and it is feared some of
them have perished. No attempt
has been made to search for bodies yet.
Maj. Upham is Oh the way here from
Marshtield in charge of relief train.
1t will arrive some time during the
night. The only lights here tonight
are the four lanterns brought in by the
Central company. There are not enough
blankets to go around, and the people
are sleeping on the ashes.
The first work of reconstruction was
begun tonight by the erection out of
rough planks of shed for cooking pur-
poses, aud the work of rebuilding per-
manently will be begun next week.
None of the county records have been
destroyed. The vaults in the court
house, State Bank of Phillips and of the
Davis Lumber company are intact. Be-
sides the Lutheran church, the thirty
nine buildings untouched by fire are
most of them the smallest dwellings
there were in the city,