The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1894-09-07
SIMPLY AWFUL.
Fearful Destruction by Minnesota
Forest Fires.
Citizens Compelled to Fly from Their
Homes Pursued by Relentles Flames-
Hundreds Burned to Death and
Thousands Homeless.
Minnesota's Horror.

ST. PAUL, Mlnn., Sept six towns
wiped out and more than 500 dead 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 $50 to
200 were 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 uninjured clubhouse
is all that is left to mark the site where
stood a score of buildings, and a dozen
times as many dwelling houses.
The fire first struck Hinckley on the
east side of the Duluth track, and the
brave fre-fighters for the first time
gave up the unequal battle, and al
ready too late in many instances.
turned their attention to their per-
sonal safety. The eastern Minnesota
train from the south had just come in
and the people of the panic-stricken
city focled to it for safety. A number
Of box cars were coupled on and filed
children. Some were b2reheaded, some
were cOatless, some few clutched
pitiful bundle of the more precious of
their portable possessions. Families
were separated. Children joined the
throng 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-stricken 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 200 of them
left town on foot or in vehicles, plung-
ing into the woods north across the
river. which skirts the town
on the north.
Over the hill that rises beyond the
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 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 space of little more
than five acres were counted over 100
corpses.
The situation at Sandstone is even
more appalling than at Hinckley, ex.
cept in point of numbers.
Later Details.
ST. PAUL, Mimi, Sept. A Pine
City special to the Pioneer Press says:
Words cannot tell the story of death
and destruction that is revealed to the
travellers on the st. Paul & Duluth
from Mission Creek to 2 miles above
the little town of Miller or Sandstone
Junction. The awfulness of the desc
lation which strikes upon the eye of
the observer as he reaches the camp
which was once the town of HincEleu