Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-09-06
THE TRAIL Of DEATH.
Idinneaota Towns Wiped Out by
Forest Fires.
Scenes of Destruction Too Horrible to Be
Described-At Least Five Hundred
Persons Perish-Nillions OF
Property Destroyed.
Minnesota Forest Fires.

ST. PAUL, Mimi, Sept six towns
wiped out and more than 500dead is
the record made by the forest fires in
this state in the past twenty-four
hours. In Hinckley, Sandstone, Poke
CANA, Sandstone Junction, Skunk
Lake and Mission Creek there are 355
known dead. In addition several
hundreds are missing, while from 15O to
200 We're scattered on farms through
out the district burned over. The de-
struction was complete in most of the
towns named, but some of the forest
land escaped. The loss, however, will
be in the millions and the loss of life
will not be definitely known for several
days, if ever.
Hinckley, Mimi. about half way be-
tween this city and Duluth, has been
wiped out by forest fires and the list of
dead may reach 1000. The walls of
the schoolhouse, the iron fence about
the town hall property, the bank vault
and one absolutely unin jure1 clubhouse
is all that is left to mark the site where
stood score of buildings, and dozen
times as many dwelling houses
The fire first struck HinckIey on the
east side of the Duluth track. and the
brave fre-fghters for the first time
gave up the unequal battle, and al
ready too late in many instances,
turned their attention to their per-
sOna1 safety. The eastern Minnesota
train from the south had just come in
and the people of the panic-stricken
city hoclzed to it for safety. a number
of box cars were coupled on and filed
and covered with men, women and
children. Some were bareheaded, some
were coat1ess, some few clutched
pitiful bundle of the more precious of
their portable possessions. Families
were separated. Children joined the
tbrong and left parents. In all there
was a motely crowd of about $50 or
more people.
The people who were left in the city
were in what seemed to be an almost
hopeless condition. Egress by the only
means of transportation that could
hope to distance the swiftly advancing
flames was out of the question. The
men had been fighting the fire for
hours and the women and children
were in a panic-stricLen condition.
Horses were harnessed to buggies and
wagons. Women and children were
hurriedly loaded. In some cases at
tempts were made to carry off some
household goods, but in most instances
the people had no thought for aught
but their lives. Probably 2O0 of them
left town on foot or in vehicles, plung
ing into the woods north across the
Grindstone river, which skirts the town
on the north.
Over the hill that rises beyond the
Grindstone is swamp and to this most
of the people with teams headed, but
it proved no protection. The fire gave
them no opportunity to 60 further.
Some abandoned their teams and ran
into the low portions of the morass,
but the fire sought them out. Not one
was left to tell the tale and there yester-
day morning in 4 space of little more
than five acres were counted over 130
cOrpseS.
The situation at Sandstone is even
E1ore appalling than at Hinckley, ex.
cept in point of numbers. OF the 200
residents one-fourth are dead. Otto
Stafferfeldt, of Sandstone, walked into
Hinclkley and rode down to Pine
City and tells graphic story of
the disaster. He says that last
night about $50 flames neared the
town and the people prepared to leave.
The wind blew like hurricane, and as
the people were getting ready to leave.
the fire closed in on three sides, not a
single person saving thing except his
clothes. About 16O went to the river
and fifty or sixty were burned to death.
He saw over forty bodies, charred and
burned, lying on every side. The peo-
pie who were saved are living on pota-
toes and carrots left on the ground.
One gentleman. Mr.. Sanborn, found
forty-seven bodies lying uncovered in
the sun. The people are destitute OF
everything.
In addition to forty-seven bodies at
Sandstone, there are twenty at Kettle
River Junction. One family is living
in a root house and the father is miss
ing. All the settlers in the vicinity are
probably burned to death. O'Neiu
brothers had twelve camps in the woods
near Sandstone and all OF these are
burned.
There are eleven homeless families
still at Mission Creek, but they have
provisions for about twenty-four hours.
Brook Park, miles west of Hinckley,
is burned and there are about 125 peo-
pie there, many of whom are in need
of immediate relief.
Cyclone at Louisville.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. Sept A small