Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1894-09-06
NEVER EouALLED IN HlsroRY3
A Season OF Horrors In Minnesota
and Wisconsin,.

anu WISCONSIN.
DULUTH. MINI, Sept. 4.-Never I'm
the history of Minnesota and not at all
in the life of the northwest, except at
the time of the fires in the Michigan
pineries in October, 1871, twenty-three
years ago, has there been such ter
rible loss of life and such suffering as
has been caused by the forest fires of
the past two days IN northern Mime
sofa. The latest advices from the
scene of the fire indicate that there
will be nearly four hundred lives lost.
This includes the fatalities at Hinck-
ley, Pokegama, Rutledge, Sandstone
and all the area covered by the con-
fagration. Searching for the dead
under anything like system was only
begun yesterday morning. At noon
fully two hundred dead were gathered
in the cemetery at Hinckley awaiting
burial. There were two great heaps
of naked and charred bodies in every
conceivable attitude There were six
teen known to be dead at Pokegama.
There were fifty-one at Sandstone VIII
lage, and about thirty more from out
laying country. But it must be re-
membered that the fire covered large
area of country, some of it very hard
to get over by searching parties.
There are many isolated families
living in the country and all
suffered to some extent. 1t will take
at least week to ascertain how many
are lost, and many of them will never
be identified Many families are being
cared for at Pine City, Duluth and SUI
perior. At the former place there are
a
estimated that at least 1000 people will
have to be taken care of until they can
get new start in life. The wounded
in the hospitals at Pine City were all
doing well. The surgical staff has
been supplemented by number of
physicians from the Twin cities, and
with possibly one or two exceptions all
the wounded at these places will re-
cover
The aggregate loss will run into mil
lions, but it is absolutely impossible to
give any reliable estimate as SO wide
an extent of country was devastated.
The largest single loss was that of the
Banner Lumber Company of Hinckley,
which is placed at 100000 by the Of
ficers of the company. The aggregate
loss is variously estimated at from
$3,000,000 to $5,000,000, and this does
not include the standing pine timber
destroyed.
Hinckley, Sandstone, Mission Creek,
Polzegama, Rutledge and Mansfield are
the chief places destroyed in Minnesota
though number of small settlements
have also suffered from which no def
mite reports are yet received.
Up to last reports the estimates of
the lives lost in the fires at different
points are as given in the following
list, and it is almost certain the list is
far below the actual destruction of hu-
man life: Hinckley, 900; Sandstone,
46; Sandstone Junction, 25; Pokegama,
25; Skunk Lake, 20; Shell Lake, 1; mis-
cellaneous points, 40; total, 1856.
DULUTH, Sept. 5.-Reports from Pine
City, Hinckley and the region devas-,
tated by the awful forest fires state
that the list of fatalities is increasing
and that it is now estimated that the
number of dead will reach 500 or GOO,
The fire is still raging near Bralnard
and cannot be stayed until good rain
comes. The number of dead at Hinck-
ley now reaches $50. Thousands of
dollars of relief money are being con-
tributed by people of the state and
every effort is being made to render
assistance TO the afflicted. The search
for bodies in the outlying districts con-
tinues and bodies are being found all
over the burned district.