New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-05


THRILLING STORIES OF sURvIvoRs-A
STATION AGENT SAVES 500 LIVES
THE DESTRUCTION AT SANDSTONE
Duluth. Mimi, Sept. 4.-The death roll resulting
from the forest fires increases. and now more
ban $50 persons are known to be lost, the
.rsater part women and children The greatest
naroentage of deaths occurred among settlers,
where whole families were swept out of existence
4, the twinkling of an eye. In every part of the
s,sswent district tn, finding of bodies hourly
vs,s the list Early this morning a party OF
,,irty experi enced woodsmen left here by speciai
,vavance to scour the woods for bo Hes or
.,,,ers in out of the-way cabins and clearngs.
rhev are expected to bring back appalling re-
ports
In stretch of territory twenty-six miles long
and from one to fifteen miles wide. not single
human habitation has been left standing ex-
o.,t section house at Miller; and III every part
., the track Of the flames the bodies OF men,
NON children horses and cattle were found.
Tho posi,ion OF every body found outside OF Hhch-
lev shows that shelter of some kind was sought
~ the agonized sufferers, and the deao are
.ornd IN holes behind overturned stumps' trees'
n.rshv depressions and in every water course
Tho general shape Of the fire-swept district Is
lilo q huge cigar, with a southwestern 'ho
.hout Mission Creek. and the upper terminal a
fsw miles east of Finlayson or Rutleoge' rloi"
A,s q number Of branches extend northwaro
Avond the tracks of the Eastern Minnesota
hallway. The work of the flames has been COM
r,s,e and cyelonic in character Where the IRE
..osd not q single tree is standing except as
Nackened stump. Thousands or overturned
,rses are living PROSTATE. and the roots were
burning fercely up to last night when the wei
coma rain fell. At Brookdale little town 0"
tho Eastern Minnesota Railroad. south OF h'HoA
,., ahout ninety persons took refuge in the
n.,s- of q small creek Out OF this place sixty
.svsn dead bodies were taken and buried
r,s ranorted that the settlement of Sand Lake
r,rasr res, of Finlavson containing about
o,o hundred Firms is wiped out. II So the peo-
~. are nrobably dead Pine Lake, two miles
toward Finlayson. is all right and 50 the o'her
town may be safe
Another town has fallen prey 10 devourins
flames making nine in all that have been COIL
sumed The village OF Granite, on the ohid'a
road two miles south Of Baronette Is the iates.
victim, 4 good share OF the town. sawmiii
and 1000 900 feet OF lumber were consumed. No
lives were lost ,
The mail agent on the Omaha northoouiiu
train which arrived here last night, sad 'ha' 'ie
face OF me entire country Is so coihpie'e''
changed hv the disasters that he would not
know 1t was the same. az he has oeeh IL, ''.e
a,u,, habit Of passing. o F. Murray the East
.rn roads operator at Hinckey, mas not pee"
found and 1t is feared that he is dead. Murray
90. Tho man who teegraphed here the hrst re-
80. =, tho disaster saying that the hres were
.on,,y nm ike magic, and minute later sent
80 hat no must leave the instrument as 'he
flames were on him.
A STATION AGENT SAVES :" Lives
Mr. Bullis agent Of the Eastern Minnesota al
Sandstone arrived here last night. was
through his herosm thst the 500 refugees on '"e
s.s,ern train which arrived mere on """'a
NIGHT did not suffer the same fate as huhu'eos
y, others Sandstone st ton Is mile OUT Vi
,h ,own and Kettle River. crossed pv Sie"'
,r,dga flows between. Bulls was at MS ihs'ru-
man, when the eastern train, bringing oVo reiu.
rsss nassed back into Sandstone. he hasseu
the .rain In the darkness went BACK 10 MS "u
ing office teegraphed north TO stop al SUI
hound business in order 10 give Tree i'"'' "'
.~-, ~. ,roin hack as quickly as possible, Know
ing that the bridge might eaten "ie a. "y
20, u,ao the train arrived at the l'5oo-foo'
bridge Flagman Jessmer saw II puili'"e
" in several places: but ne AT once ue'''eu ro
the chance Of getting over was prefer "o.e "
aa.,h on tho tracks, and it went on. five nun
dred lives bless The promptness vi '"o'e "
men. ,,o, ,,,,t N
,. ,hr.. children to Sandstone, ana
-, a., o,a In the river. They were In the
water there for three or four hours WIN
ma
,,s . c,dotone Yesterday afternoon aho
tps,va are still missing. relief tram ieit ie' ,
for ,b., ,lace. and started back at ciocA '"'
night. bringing fifty more SUI
or more injured on stretchers . ~
Tho va,ernower village, two miles "e'' "
s.nds,one was in the direct line or lhe o!0
o,a.,oes nm, only three buildings were oestroSeu
n 4. a quarry village, and Is on the ri'e' ''''
close under a high hill. When the iaiiie'
the hill they darted over II, ana "eie '
snace b,ob above the houses, while anothei co'
umn c,rcled around the hill, spanned 'he i'''
, In An instant licking up the brush on '"e o''''
sae and ,Aer recrossed the river at the 'i'iae'
se,,,,o A. - three houses. The population
turnea out NTH an engine, and KEPT inc IA
from snreadine The hill saved the place iio"
total destr,ction and the loss OF grea'e' p'
centase of lives than at Hinckley or oahus'o'''
for there was No room TO escape. The next ihoi II
ing the water peope, discovering the des'''u''o'
OF the Sandstone people, telegraphed them L
come over and share what they had ana i"
short time the place was cleaned out Two GU"
which were badly injured by the flames furhishe
meat for the hungry and half-baked pota'oe
were dug from gardens. There Is not thing
eat in the whole district.
Dpy WELL, HIS REErI-CE FROM THl
FLAMES.
Oliver Dubois French Canadian farmer liv
ing on the outskirts OF Sandstone. was amon
the $50 refugees who reached here from tha
place. He saved his life by jumping into the bot
tom Of a dry well. and was OF the few VIII
took such refuge and survived Mr.. Dubois wa