Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1894-10-11

completely hemmcd us In. 1t was. an
awful, aweeinspiting sight, which
hope TO never witness again. While
was watching the work of the flames
all around red glare shot higher and
brighter than the surrounding flame,
and dinily through the smoke and fly
ing sparks | could see that the train
was all ablaze. The heat from the
| burning cars became SO intense that
once more we We're compelled TO seek
relief under the water, raising our
heads at brief intervals to get breath
of air, so impregnated with smoke and
i, fire that it was like poison to breathe
it and afforded us but little relief How
the women and children stood 1t | am
at a loss To state but there We're
enough men to care for them, and as
some poor creature became overcome
and swooned she was supported and
carel. for until the awful period of
heat had passed. Still it was too hot
for Us to leave the water, and for four
hours we waited in the swamp, with
water to our waists, for the shore OF
the lake to cool sufficiently TO give us
a footing.
When thar time arrived the male
portion OF the party compared notes.
We found that Mr.. Holt of Duluth,
Mr.. Anderson of Minneapolis and my
self were the strongest of the party,
and we arranged to set out for relief.
In my grip were couple Of dress
shirts and night robe, besides some
other articles of wearing apparel We
tore the shirts into strips and wound
cloth after cloth about our feet until
they We're pretty well protected from
the heat under foot and the burning
| cinders, etc. Then we wrapped our
coats about our heads, after saturating
the garments thoroughly IN the water,
and with a godspeed from the ones
left behind we plunged into the smoke
on the way to Hinckley. 1t was an
| awful journey through the still burn
ing woods. We stumbled and strug-
sled on against fearful odds, now run
ming through wall of flame and bare
ly escaping being crushed beneath II
falling telegraph pole or giant tamarac.
I'VE stumbled over dead bodies, and
on the way to Hinckley we counted %
disiiguued corpses lying alongside the
railroad track Some of these poor I'M
fortunates had been riding on the plat
form, where, overcome by the heat,
they had lost their footing and fallen
To the track. 1t Is to be hoped that
they We're dead before the fire burned
away their lives. Others of the dead
We're passengers Of the train, who be-
came crazed from fright and jumped
through the windows while we were
backing up to the lake. Other bodies,
| suppose, We're those of settlers in the
vicinity, who fled from their homes
with the hope of reaching Hinckley in
time to be taken on board the train.
Several times we stumbled and fell
in the darkness on the way, but by
| superhuman effort we managed to re-
gain our feet and continue on over
burning ties and red hot rails, until,
more dead than alive, we reached our
destination. 1t had taken lis one hour
! and 40 minutes to make the six miles
from skunk lake to Hinckley.
After resting a half hour we felt
somewhat refreshed, and greatly added
to our condition by finding some cool
water in WELL with which we bathed
our faces and quenched our thirst,
which had been awful during the en-
| tire Journey. The Hinckley bridge
was unsafe TO cross. We east aside the
burned cloth wrappings on our feet
and such articles OF wearing apparel
as would seriously impede our progress,
and began wading across the stream,
which is shallow at the present time.
On the way across we found five bodies
IN the water. two of them being chill
dren, one woman. and two men.
"On reaching the other side we got
10 the railroad track again and started
for Mission Greek, four miles south of
Hinckey, We had gone but a short
distance when we came 70 an abau-
doned handcar, which We placed on the
track. and on which we rode into Mis-
sion Creek. We found that city com
plete ruin. not house remaining
standing 4 few miles farther on we
anne 10 work train. We told the
cre3, or the train OF the terrible plight
OF the passengers on the Duluth limit
cd, and the work train took us on
through 10 Pine City, which place we
reached ut II O'clock at night. A re-
lief party was at once organized at
Pine City, which went out to rescue
the passengers at Skunk lake"