The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1894-09-06
FOREST FIRE
Destroys Three Hundred Lives at
Hlnckley, Mimi.
Oge uuHCrsd and Fo-ty-f,ne cead Bodies
h Cne Ecap-Enn.re Families Auniiit-
J. EtT1-E:Te People 1,ose rhcir feace
and 9tarrpe>iet: 70 the River

PINE CITY, MINI, Sept 3-Conserva-
| tive reports Suneio.- night place the to-
til number killed III fires at three hur-
cred at least. with the number Of
wounded ct as many moro. number
OF whom will de Nothing like a
complete list OF dead or injured is OBJ
tainablc at this moment One hundred
and forty-three charrc,i bodies have
been recovered at !iinckley, and forty
Eve at Sandstone.
ANYTHING like an estimate OF the loss
is impossible. Hlnizier has been com
plctely destroyed as has Mission Creek,
Sandstone and several other s1uall
places, and large numbers Of people
are missing. The fire extends from
Pine City as fer weat rs Carlton and
Rutlcdge, sweeping e-orything in its
path.
Rev. 2. Knudson, o Presbyterian
minister Of NiDckley. tells graphic
story of the FIRE. which swept down on
the town like IN avalanche. lie says
over two hundred Of those who per
ished in the Aanea might have been
saved had they kept uwry from the
river. The people lost their heads and
stampeded, trying to cecape b. teams
md saddle horses
Mr. Knudson took hilltop. When
the fire passed over he found himself
in charred desert: surrounded by hun
drsds Of dead, wl1ile 'bo~e who survived
are far from help. with nothing to eat
and drink. He thinfx the horrors Of
the Chicago fro rothing compared to
II, at Hjnckler the tcdics nrc being
piled in the graveyard, md viii be
buried "a soon az possible. Every ef'
fort Is being made to identify tho dead
bodies There nrc SIX hundred homo
less people in Pine City.
Judge Nelfaway, one of a party who
went to Hincklv Sunday night. said
that there we're l4l bodies in the heap
and that with those found Sunday
night there are eos altogether picked
up in send banks. streets, etc. a fam
lily named Rohinson-father, mother
and seven children were burned
to death Five little children
locked III each others arms, were
found lust south OF Ifinokley.
About sixty people were found IN o
sand pile on the Eastern Minnesota
One lady was found literally boiled
with q little child buried IN the sand
A man, wife and TWO sons started tc
get away by teams, tut Garc up just
east of town, and ell tut one little boy
werc found with their heads buried In
the sand. One freight car wac left RI
Hincisloy. Not cestigo Of Mission
Creek is left. QUITE a fire Is burning
there yet,
Stenographer Mattoson. of the Bren
uan Lumber Co.. and q girl named
Emily Anderson, wero ont in the wood:
when tho fire began. They wezo found
later In tho woods. locked Ia each 9th
er's arms John McEamaro's child was
burned to criep In the street with
little dog hanging about hi, neck.
lie informed the reporter that f1vo OF
hia children were burned to death, him
self, wife and one son living.
The fire did not run 90 me" lac
/ hStf4 SdW 1t SbIiflhH ea1'4 Ao~ oSN-N
Ard oil around my house. end
thought I was safe, but The sparks
came on me- from above, and / have
lost everything.
My God" he moancti, "tt is terri
BILE! terriblo.' And 1t vas indeed ter
riblc. Tie stated that when be lett his
home with his VILE and orc child there
we're seven children, three men and
three women lying dead at Sand
stone.
Mrs Olson. of IIincl1lcy, 10th eyes
burned, probably blinded, lost husband
and three children.
Aaron Olson, OF ilincl1ley, whose
eyes were slightly burned, saved hie
family by getting them in the river.
His wife's face and eyes were burned,
and she Is in the hospital.
Mrs Yenl1e, from q farm near Hincl'
lev, eyes and face burned.
Emma Hammond who had been
working on farm near Fiinckley, pre-
sented a pitia5!o spectacle: tcet hands
face aud eyes badly burned.