The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1894-09-06

Pine City, Mimi, Speclal-Mlnnesota
has never known Il calamity attended
with such loss of life as that brought
by the fire which wiped out Hinckley,
Mission Greek, Sandstone Junction,
Pokegama and many other settlements
in that vicinity.
The walls OF the school house, the
iron fence about the town hall prop
.erty, the bank vault and one absolutely
uninjured out house is all that, is LETT
to mark the site Of HiLckley, where
yesterday stood score OF store build
ings, and q dozen times as many dwell
ing houses. The story of castrophe
which wiped out the material posses
.sions that lad made Hinckley a busy
prosperous little city is short one.
The town was built Of wood. The
school house erected last year at cost
of $4,000 and one-half the Duluth
round house were the only brick struc-
lures in the city. BY one Of those
peculiar freaks for which there is no
accounting the Eastern Minnesota
round house and water tank on the
southw ESTER. edge of the town almost
in the woods, escaped the flames, a
circumstance the more remarkable
the path Of the flames, which seem to
have jumped it clearly, as if playing
leap frog. All yesterday forenoon the
town people were apprehensive. The
smoke rolling from the south told a
story, Enthusiastically plain to those ac-
custemed to a wooded country The
fire kept advancing famed by the
WIND which was blowing a gale. About
IL o'clock the fire company got out
their engine and laid an eighteen hun
dred foot line of hose, to the southern
outskirts Of the town. The hose was
all to short for the measure of protec-
ton desired and Il telegram was sent
to Rush City for more Five hundred
feet was sent, but it never reached
Hincllley. The main part of the village
lies in the north fork made by the
crossing of the Duluth and eastern
tracks, the latter to the east and the
former on the west. On the
west side Of the Duluth tracks
were a few small houses
belonging to the railway employees.
The firemen's attention was mainly di-
rected to keeping the fire away from
them as the main business part Of the
city was built in solidly just across
the track. About 3 o'clock in after
noon the fire Totally jumped into the
town. It's approach was not gradual.
It die not eat it's way along, devouring
everything in its path, but came in
huge leaps, as it to overtake everyone
fleeing before it and then burned back
at its leisure. 1t is described by those
who witness ed its onward progress at
ILL nd
forced along by cyclones OF it's own
generation. The intense heat would
develope avcritablc Whirlwind of flame
that actually twisted off poplar trees
several inches in thickness and carried
huge blazing fire brands high in air,
and carrying them forward for from
forty to eighty rods there to fall and
begin the v ork Of devastation anew.
The fire first struck Hinckley on the
east side of Duluth track and the brave
fire fighters for the first time gave I'D
the unequal battle and already too
late in any instances, turned their
atteption to their personal safety. The
Eastern Minnesota train from the south
had just come in and the people of the
panic stricken city flocked to it for
safety. A number Of box cars were
coupled on ard filled and covered with
men, women and children. Some were
Daref eaded. sc were coatIess, some
few clutchd a pitiful bundle Of the
more precious OF their portable DOS
sessions. Families were separated,
Children joined the throng and lett
their parents. III all there was a
motley CT, wd OF about four hundred
ana fifty or more people The train
pulled out just ahead of the fire and
succeeded in ultimately reaching Du-
luth. This circumstance, while for
tunate in degree that cannot be es.
t1mated. has II ade the confusion great
or, for it is not known who escaped
in this city, and many people are re-
ported dead who may be in safety.
Had not this number Of people, largely
womel. and children, left the doomed
city when they did, The loss of life
would have il creased in geometrical
ratio. for their presence would have
added UNNECESSARILY to the subsequent
confusion. About the same hour the
accommodation train or the Hinckley
and st. Cloud branch left for the latter
place. With about twenty-five passen-
gers its path lay directly across the
path of the fire and their situation
speedily became desperate. The ties
were burning the rails were varying
and the trestles were sagging under
the train. The smoke had increased SO
that the engineer was helpless. He
could not see the train behind him,
Burning trees lay across the track and
were being tossed aside by the engine.
Suddenly the track gave way and the
train toppled eff to one side. No one
was injured and they pressed on to
Pokegama station, a few rods ahead.
But few feet in front Of the engine
was discovered a gorge sixty feet wide
and forty feet deep, where the trestle
had been burned away. They sue
ceeded III reaching the clearing about
the station and escaped with few
burns and bruises There were burned
along the track, however, four or five
people, including DR.. Kelley, Of New
Brighton who had come up to look
after his brother. The people who
were left IL the city were in what
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