Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1894-09-05

Ii Ulu VI LIZ DONC hCdbAl5AI' ~
first he thought to outrun the flames which
were coming after him borne upon them
by a sixty-mile gale. When about q mile
and a half from Hinckley he discovered
that the fire was too fast for him, having
overtaken the train and Overleaped it SO
that the train was literally surrounded by
flames. The air was sitting and the
clothes of both engineer and fireman
caught fire. Fireman MCGOWAN leaped
into the water tank, ~eXtinguishing the fire
in his own clothes and then Selling a
bucket dashed the water several times
over the burning engineer. Root
steadily kept at his post, although
scarcely able to sit upright. In the
meantime the passengers could see
nothing, but heard the roaring of the on
coming tornado of fire and soon the glare
outside was too much for the reason of
a number of them. The rear car caught
f1re as the flames overlook it and the
passengers rushed headlong into the for
ward coaches. Conductor Sullivan with
his plucky associates walked up and
down the isle doing their best to soothe
the frightened passengers. The shrieks
of the women and children as well as the
terrified shouts of the men increased the
terrible feelings aroused by the uproar
of the flames on every hand. The win
dows broke from the heat and one of the
men passengers too terrified for further
self-control with a terrible ry leape1
headlong through one of the open
windows and was swallowed up in
the flames outside. Two others see
ing his action quickly followed and al
together. III the next ten minutes, a dozen
men leaped 20 death in the flames in a
like manner. The women, whose terror
had been pitiful a few minutes before,
many of them heroically came to the
help of the trainmen in endeavOring to
soothe the frightened children, a number
of whom were on the train.
Engineer Root saw that there was no
outlet apparently for his train ahead and
concluded to turn pack through the dis
trict already burned over rather than en-
counter possibly greater perils before
them. He backed at a fast speed to
Skunk Lake, a little settlement five miles
north of Hinckley, and the passengers
deserted the burning train at that place,
seeking refuge in a swamp, where they
spent the night. This morning a relief
train from the north brought them
through HinckIey and on to this city.
The relief train carried Il supply of hand
cars, which were used III picking up the
bodies Of the dead along the track. One
hundred bodies were picked up and
brought into Hinckley before the relief
came on to this city with the injured
passengers and trainmen.
The situation at Sandstone is even more
appalling than at Hinckley. except in
point of numbers. OF the u people ly-
ing in the town One-fOurth are dead. Otto
Stafferfeldt of Sandstone walked into
Hinckley and rode down to Pine City to-
night and tells Il graphic story Of the dis
aster. He says that last evening about
5:30 o'clock flames neared the town and
the people prepared to leave cary. The
Wind blew like Il hurricane, and as the
people were getting ready to leave. TIE
fire closed in on three sides. Not Il single
person saved Il thing except his clothes.
Stafferfeldt carried two children to q
place of safety and went back for more.
About 100 went to the river and fifty
or sixty were burned to death. At t
o'clock this morning Mr.. Stafferfeldt saw
over forty bodies charred and burned
lying on every side. The people who
were saved have been all day without
food Or shelter, and no relief could be
got to them today. The people are living
on potatoes and carrots left in the ground.
Sandstone is about three miles from
Sandstone Junction on the Duluth road,
and the fire was on both sides of the riv-
er, so that the town of Partridge was
burned. Mr.. Gilboy, conductor of the
Eastern Minnesota. came down to eight
cen miles north of Hinckley and found all
bridges burned. including big bridges over
Kettle river and the G%rindstOne. He
walked down to Sandstone and found on
ly a handful of people. One gentleman,
Mr.. Sanborn, found forty-seven dead
bodies lying uncovered in the sun. The
people are destitute of everything. They
need food, shelter, clothing and medical
attendance. The only building left is the
brick schColhouse, which is all burned
out inside.
The little town of Mission Creek, some
little distance north Of Hinckley, is also
reported III ashes. Special trains were
sent out both from Duluth and st. Paul
today with full medical force and all that
is possible to be done will be done. A
private dispatch received this evening
from the burned district states positively
that 200 bodies lave already been recov-
cred, SO that the estimate made above
may be considered as decidedly conserva-
tive. The losses in the neighborhood of
st. Cloud. which is on the western edge
Of the fires, are estimated at $500, 600,
and from that point east and north near
ly everything is burning. The fires are
raging in Becker and Aitkin counties,
where many farmhouses and grain have
been lost as we'll as timber.
Pokegama lake, six miles west of
Hinckley, on the st. Cloud branch, was
wiped as clean as the other towns. 1t is
said about twenty lives were lost at that
point.
HEAVY LOSSES IN WISCONSIN.