Evening journal., 1894-09-03

Whore the Hurricane Driven Flames
Rushed madiy Upon the People and
Drove Them Out on the PraIries, Where
They Were Burned to a crlsp-wild Ride
OF a Trainioad OF Refugees-Many saved
by Friendly Pool In a Gravel PIt-Re.
lief Trains sent TO the stricken Towns.
sr. PAUL, Sept. Silk towns wiped
out and more than 800 dead Is the record
made by tho forest fires in this state In
the last 36 hours.
In HInckley Sandstone. Pokcgama,
Sandstone Junction, Skunk Lake and
Mission Creek there are Bb5 known dead.
In addition several hundred are missing,
while from l50 TO 600 people were scatter
cd on farms throughout the distrios burn
ed over
Tho destruction wns complete In most
OF the towns named, but some Of the for
est lands escaped. Tho loss, however, viii
be in the millions, and the loss Of life
will not be definitely known for several
days, II over.
Tho relief trains carried supplies sent
out from this city. Minneapolis, Duluth
and other Minnesota towns, and the suffer
ers are being handsomely cared for nt
Pine City and other pointa
Hlnokley, MINI, half way between
this city and Duluth, has been wiped Qua
| by forest fires, and the list OF tho dead
may reach 600 1t will certainly exceed
SOC, and the reports now being received
would indicate that larger figure may
not DO too great.
On train from thero were one or two
l people who came through the fires and re-
/ late graphic stories Of the scene.
Il -
a milo and half above Hinckley some
time after midnight and was forced TO re-
/ turn to point Ave miles away on account
| Of the threatening flnmes. Half dozen
OF the passengers however, secured g
hand car and rode through the flames 10
| Hinokloy taking the north bound train
1 this eIde Of there and returning on IL 10
| this city.
On their return on the hand car shsy
encountered ~ dead bodies along she line
| OF the railway Seventeen were discovered
at Hinckley during the morning, and ~
others had boon found.
They soy that che people OF Hinekisy
ran 20 the woods whom their houses caught
fire, and as the timber afterwnrd burned
It is moro than possible that great num-
hers perished. The most conservative es-
timato Of the dead Is 200. THIS whols
country around Hinckley Is ON fire, and
the full extent OF the disaster eannat ba
learned for a daysor two
other Towns Burned.
IL Is feared that several other towns
have suffered like fate as Hinokley.
Milaca called FOR help and the relief
train from st. Cloud was unable 30 Ret
beyond Bridgeman Nothing further has
yet been received from Milaca, and how
much may have been the suffering can
not Vt this time be told.
| Brldgemhn was apparently safe after q
hard fight. The flames have, however,
been very threatening around that town,
and as II Is vury dry all over thnt pars Of
the state the worst is feared
The party that came through She fires
around Hinckley in the hand car suffered
severely from burns. their Injuries, how-
ever, win not prove fatal They tell many
sad stories OF what they saw. Que wom-
an had evidently tried to save her i've
children and was overtaken by the flames
and the whole family perished close 90 the
railroad track. Another ease-was where a
mother seoing her house In flames, ran
In TO save her child. Her husband also
followed hor, and the walls Of the house
caved In before they could get ont
Tho passenger train from Duluth on
which these men were is in ashes, and
the rest Of the passengers have taken ref
uge In q marsh near Skunk Lake, where
they arc surrounded by fire.
The engineer was badly burned by tbs
flames, but stuck TO his post and gos eli
the passengers out OF the fire safely.
This engineer, James Root, Is one OF
the best known and pluckiest Of those in
the employ Of the st. Paul aud Duluth.
Ho tried to take his train through this
: fires 10 Hincklcy, but whom the cars caught
fire from the flying embers he reversed
| his engine and backed at full speed to
Skunk Lake.
IL was so dark during the day that IL
I was almost impossible for any one TO sec
Z 100 feet away. and during the night the
headlight OF the engine was useless. En-
gineer Roots injuries arc quite serious,
but It IS hoped that he win recover, al
though report gives no hope.
Mission Creek In Ashes.
Tho little town Of Mission Creek, some
little distance north OF Hinckley, Is re-
ported in ashes Special trains were sent
! out both from St Paul and Duluth with
! q full medicine stock and staff OF ply
siclans.
A private dispatch received from the
burned district states that 20 dead bodies
have already been recovered, so that the
estimate made above may be considered as
decidedly conservative
The losses in the neighborhood Of St.
Cloud which is on the western edge Of
the fires, are estimated at $500, 600, and
from that point east and north nearly
q everything is burned. The fires ana rag
ing in Becker and Aitken counties, where
/ many farmhouses and much grain have
been lost, as we'll as the timber
4 A special from Pine City, Mimi, sayss
! | Estimate of the dead-Hinckley, 200;
! Sandstone as; Sandstone Junction, as
| Pokegama, %; Skunk Lake, 40; miscella-
! neous, 30; total S55.
The list Of the dead includes the follow
ing: Sandy Henderson, 10 years; John
Henderson, ~ years; --Hanson, Mrs.
: Hanson and FIVE Hanson children; Thomas
! Iones, --Chambers, Alex Hanson and
! | wife, Emily Hanson, l6 years; Charles
1 Hanson, 10 years; Charles Anderson, 20
! years cashier bank; Mrs Alattison 20
! | years; Mrs William Ginder. Dennis RI
: ley, yard watchman Jim Bean, foreman