The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1894-09-14
THO us IND I L,IVE
MA BIZ LOST.
s1ssll lsna:n p,oRnsr rlRHs SWEEP
B own 6NOnTMDAsrnnN MINNIE
Sofa AND HonTHwEsTERH
u WIsCoNsIH

own N0RTMBAsTD1M MINNIE
Sofa AND NORTHWESTERN
wIsCoHsIH
/ a vefatahle vvhielvyina ef Flames
svvssp Minelxfy aAa several Other
Iswns Out o9 fxistence-lt 10
rAsssAt TAat 600 People Have
L DssA 8urneA to Death anA the
Number Nay Reach Thessaad-
Firss still Raging IN Wiscoasin-
Exesllent Relief work.
Pine City, Mimi, special-Minncsote
has never known O calamity ATTENDED
with such a loss Of life as TINT brought
by the fire which wiped out Hinckley,
Mission Greek, Sandstone Junction..
Pokegama and many other settlements
In that vicinity.
iron fence about the town hall prop
erty, the bank vault and one absolutely
unlnjured out house y oil that y left
to marx tho slte Of HiEckley, where
yesterday stood q score OF store build
ings, and O dozen times az many dwell
ing houses. The story Of castrophe
which wiped out the material posses
siOns that lad made Hinckley q busy
prosperOus little city - short one.
The town was built Of wood. The
school house erected Last year ut u 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 freoks for which there Is no
accounting the Eastern Minnesota
round house and water tank on the
s0uthw csterr edge Of the town almost
In the woods, escaped the flames, a
circumstance the more remarkable
from the fact that 1t stood directly in
the path Of the flames, which seem to
have jumped It cleanly, as IL playing
leap frog. All yesterday forenoon the
tcwn people were apprehensive. Tho
smoke rolling from the south told
story, Enthusiastically plain to Nose ac-
customed to "a wooded country. The
fire kept advancing famed by the
wind which was blowing a gale. About
II O'clock tho fire company got out
their engine and laid IN eighteen hun
dred foot line Of hose, to the southern
outskirts Of the town. The hose was
oil to short for the measure of prOtec-
tion desired and telegram was sent
to Rush City for more. Five hundred
| feet was sent, but II never reached
Hinckley. 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 tho
former on the west. On the
west side Of the Duluth tracks
were q few small houses
belonging to. the railway employees.
The fireMen's attention was mainly d.
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 letnlly jumped into the
town. Its approach was not gradual.
It did not eat its way along, devouring
everything in it's path, but came In
huge leaps, AZ IL 10 overtake everyone
fleeing before 1t mud then burned back
at its leosure. tits described by those
who witnessed it's Onward progress at
Hinckley end elsewhere AZ. IL It were
forced along by cyclones or its own
generation. The intense heat would
develope avcritablc whirlwind of ilame
that actdnlly twisted on poplar trees
several if.etes 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 work Of devastation anew.
Tho fire first struck Hinckley ON the
east side Of Duluth track and the brave
fire fighters for the first time gave up
the unequal battle and already too
late In n any instances, turned their
attention to their personal safety. The
Eastern Minnesota train from the south
had just come In and the people Of the
panic stricken city fi0cked to It for
safety. A lumber Of box cars were
coupled on ard filed and covered with
men, women and children. some were
baretcaded, semc were c0atless, some
few clttchd pitiful bundle Of the
more precious of their portable pos
sessions. FaTilies were separated.
Children Joined the throng and left
their parents. In all there was a
motley CIT wd Of about four hundred
and 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 thnt cannot he es.
timated. has n nde the confusion great
CT, for 1t 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, tl1e loss Of life
would have IL creased In II geometrical
ratio, for their presence would have
added mneasurably to the subsequent
confusion. About the same hour the
accommodation train on the Hincklcy
and st. Cloud branch left for the latter
place. with about twenty-five passen-
gers its path lay directly across the
poth Of the fire and their situation
speedily became desperate. The ties
were burning the rails were warping
and the trestlea were sagging under
the train. The smoke had Increased Sd
that the eLgtLeer was helpless. He
could not see tho train behind him.
Burning trees lay across the track and
were beini. tCssed aside by the engine.
Euddt My the track give way and the
train toppled CT 10 one side. No one
was injured and they pressed on to
P0kegama station, n few rods ahead.
But few feet in front of the engine
was discovered u gorge sixty feet wide
and forty feet deep, where the trestlo
had been burned away. They sue
eeeded ~ reochjng the clearing about
the station end escaped with few
burns and bruises. There were burned
along the track, however, four or i've
people, Including DIR. Kclcey, Of New
Brighton Who had come up to look
utter HE tpther. The people who
were left in the city were in what
seemed to be an almost hopeless CON-
diHop. Egress by one only means Of
transportation that could hope to dis.
tance the swiftly advancing flames was
out OF the question. Tie men had becp
fghHRg the fire for hours and tho
women and children were In panic
stricken condition. Many Of them wcra
OF the more ignorant Of the population,
for avery large percentage Of the per
ple who not out ON the Great Northern
railroad We're Of the more Intelligent
class. Horses we're harnessed to bug
gies and WAKOnS Women and children