The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-09-03


sonal safety. The Eastern Minnesota
train from the south had just come in
and the people Of the panic-striclen
city focked to it for safety. In all
there was motley crowd Of about
$50 or more people The train pulled
out Just ahead of the Ere and sue
ceeded in ultima tely reaching Duluth.
About the same hour the accommo-
dation train on the Hinckley and st.
| Cloud branch left for the latter place
with about twenty-five passengers.
It's path lay directly across the path
of the fire and their situation speedily
became desperate. The ties were
burning, the rails were warping and
the trestles were saRging under the
train The smoke had increased SO
that the engineer was helplesss He
could not see the train behind him
burning trees lay across the track
and were being tossed aside
by the engine Suddenly the
toppled OFF to one side. No
one was injured. and they pressed on
to POkegama station. few rods
ahead But a few feet IN front of the
engine was discovered a gorge sixty
!, feed wide and forty feet deep where
the trestle had been burned away.
They succeeded in reaching the clear
ing about the station and escaped
with a few burns and bruises. There
we're burned along the track, how
ever, four or five people, includin g
DIR. Kelcey of New Brighton, who had
come up to look after his brother.
Driven to Death in a nTorass.
The people who were left in the
-ity were IN what seemed to be a
hopeless condition Horses were har-
aessed to buggies and wagons WO-
men and children were hurriedly
loaded. In some cases attempts were
made to carry off some household
goods, but in most instances the peO-
pie had no thought for aught but
their lives Probably 200 of them left
town on foot or in vehicles, plunging
into the woods north across the
Grindstone river, which skirts the
town on the north. They were liter
ally fleeing before the pursuing de-
mon of the fire.
Over the hill that rises beyond the
GrindstOne is a swamp and to this
most Of the people with teams headed,
but it proved no protection The fire
gave them no opportunity to go fur
ther- 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 in a space of little more than
five acres were counted over 40
corpses There were many families
Of tive, six and seven and there they
lay. the man generally little in ad-
vance, the mother surrounded by her
little ones. cut off by the most hOrri-
bic of deaths.
Saved by a stagnant Pool of Water.
The people who remained in Hincl1-
ley Jared the best OF all The East
ern Minnesota tracks mark the east
ern edge of the city proper Just be
yOnd the road owned a tract of land
probably embracing at least ten
acres. 1t was purchased for a gravel
pit to furnish material for filling up
the approach to the cOmpany's bridge
across the GrindstOne and at
other points on its line To the
fact that it had been used for this pur-
pose almost to exhaustion, about
100 Hincl1leyites owe their lives The
whole area indicated had been exca-
waited to a depth in the center Of
thirty or forty feet. There was
stagnant pool Of rain water in the
center, three feet in the greatest
depth The pit was wide and deep
and to it fed those of the citizens
who were willing to trust to its
friendly depths. There were probably
100 of them. 1t was really the safest
place about Hincl1ley. Here they re-
NAMED four hours, while the smoke
and flames from the burning city
rolled over their heads. They dashed
water over each other and covered
their heads with wet cloths to
prevent suffOcatiOn. One un-
fell in the water and was drowned.
Others of the citizens sought refuge
in the GrindstOne river under
the abutments Of the two railway
bridges and at the foot brid ge- The
exact mum Der can not be known as
they were scattered. along d cOnsid-
erable stretch of the little stream.
That many escaped and some we're
drowned is well known Mrs. Martin
Martinson and her four little babes
were taken. drowned. from the water
this morning, as pitiful sight as
man 5 eyes ever witnessed
In the meantime Hinckley was
burning with the utmost ra pidity,
and in a few hours nothing was left
but ruins The total loss to the city
Will exceed 81, 600, OO0, with a com
paratively light insurance.
Awful Havoc at Sandstone.
The situation at Sandstone is even
more APPALLING than at Hinckley, ex-
cept in point of numbers Of the 200
residents one-fourth are dead The
wind blew like a hurricane, and as
the people were getting ready to
leave, the fire closed IN on three
siees, not a single person saving a
thing except his Clothes About 16O
went to the river and fifty or sixty
were burned to death. The people
who were saved are living on potatoes
and carrots left on the ground One
gentleman, Mr.. san born found forty
seven bodies lying uncovered in the
SUM- The people are destitute Of
everything.
IN addition to forty-seven bodies at
Sandstone, there are twenty at Kettle
River Junction.