Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1894-09-06

Pokegama station, a few rods ahead.
But a few feet in front Of the engine
was discovered q gorge sixty feet wide
and forty feet deep, where the trestle
had been burned away. They sue
ceeded In reaching the clearing about
the station and escaped with a few
burns and bruises. There were burned
along the track, however. four or five
people, including DIR. Kelley, of New
Brighton Who had come up to look
after his brother. The people who
were left IL, the city were in what
seemed to De an almost hopeless con
dition. Egress by one only means Of
transportation that could hope to dis
lance the swiftly advancing flames was
out of the question. The men had been
fighting the fire for hours and the
ON and children were in q panic
stricken condition. Many of them were
Of the more ignorant OF the population,
for avery large percentage of the peO-
pie who got u on the Great Northern
railroad were of the more intelligent
class. Horses were harnessed to bug
gies and wagons. Women and children
were hurrieGly loaded up. In SOME
cases attempts were made to carry
OF some Household goods, but in most
instances the people had no thought
for aught but their lives.
Probably two hundred Of them left
town Oh foot or IN vehicles, plunging
into the woods TO the north across the
G~rindstcnt river which skirts the town
ON the north. They were literally flee
Ing before the pursuing demon of tie
FIRE. Over the bin that rises beyond
the GrindstoDe is a swamp and to this
most Of the people with teams headed.
but it proved no projection. The fire
gave them no opportunity to go fur
ther. Some abardoned their teams and
ran into the lower portions of the
morass, but the fire sought them out,
Not n was left to tell the tale and
there this morning In a space Of a lit
tie mere than -four or five acres were
CO United over y hundred and thirty
corpses. There were many families Of
i've. six and seven and there they lay,
the man ger orally a little in advance,
the mother sure unded by ner little
ones cut off by the most horrible Of
deaths. FL.
Nearly all the bodies were nude,
the fire having burned every vestige
OF their clothing their blackened and
cherred many OF the corpses beyond
recognition and whore whole families
were wiped ont IS they were and some
or the bodies completely incinerated,
identification is absolutely out OF the
question.
Those who fed to the north on foot
followed the Duluth track. and SD
rapid was the progress Of the flames
mat many of them were actually
burned as they fed, falling Oh the
right or way for q distance OF three
miles or mere. Nearly thirty bodies
were recovered along mere. Some Of
the foremost of the escaping citizens
met the Duluth train coming in from
the north. II was duo 4 Hinckley at
II Engineer Jim Root was at the
throttle. He stopped the train and
look on board about one hundred and
CWef tI-hve OF the refugees who crowd
e into the train, completely filling it
Tor IL had a passenger list almost as
large. BY this time the woods were
blazing en- each of the track and as
Roo reversed bis engine and started
Dack the cars Scarched and cracked
IN the heat. Root ran the train back
ABOUT TIRE. niles to Skunk Lake and
Tie people escaIed from the burning
cars to the water, and no lives were
lost. either of passengers or refugees.
Inc people who remained In Hinck.
ley, Jared the best Of all. The Eastern
Mil nesota tracks mark the eastern
tract OF land probably embracing at
I"ast ten acres. il was purchased for
p gravel Pit TO furnish material for
thf I'LL which approach the company's
bridge across the Grindstone and at
other poiots On its line. To the fact
tnat II had been 'sed for This purpose
almost to its exhaustion. about a hun
dred Hinckleyites W their lives.
The whole area indicated had been ex-
cavated to n depth In the center Of
tnrty or forty feet. There was a
stagnant pool of rainwater In the cen
ter three feet in Its greatest depth.
b pit wa, wide and deep and to it
NED those of the citizens who were
willing to trust TO its friendly depths,
There we've probably a hundred of
thtIn. and In addition to the human
beings quite a lumber Of domestic
ar'n;t.ls. horses, COWS, oxen, pigs.
Chickens, etc, sought safety here.
1t vas really the safest place about
Hinckley. Three or four hundred
trunks which were rolled only half
way dowI the sloping bank, passed
through the fire unscathed. The peo-
pie went in here as the eastern train
pulled cut a few minutes after 4 o'clock
and here they remained until after
eight, While the smoke and flames
from the burr ing city rolled over their
httds They dashed water over each
otner and covered their heads. with
wet cloths t. prevent s%uffocation. One
Inkr W man succumbed to the smoke
or the terrible strain and fell in the
wafer and was drowned. So far "a
kGcwn tonight, ills was the only
tragedy OF the gravel pit. Others of
u. citizens sought refuge In the Grind
stone river under the abutments of the
W railroad bridges, and the foot
bridge. The exact number cannot be-
known, as they were scattered along
a considerable stretch Of the little
ftrtam. That many escaped and some
were drowned il Well known. Mrs
Martin Martinscn ard her four faxen.
hfireG little babes were taken FROM