Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1894-09-07
FIRE FIEND RAMPANT.
Northern Minnesota Is Visited by the
Most Terrible Calamity in
Its History.
FIVE TOWNS IN ASHES.
Loss of Life Estimated at Five Hun
bred and the Damage to Property
Placed at $5O0,OO0.
THE SURVIVORS DESTITUTE.
A Relief Committee Is Formed to
aive Aid to the Sufferers---Heart-
Rending Scenes.

81. PAUL, Sept. 4.-Over 800 people
dead, five towns blotted from the face OF
the earth, and over 1900, QUO worth OF
property destroyed, is the record OF
forest fires between noon and midnight
Saturday in the counties Of Pine, Mile
Laos and Chisago. The catastrophe is
the most frightful that ever visited
Minnesota.
When the sun went down Saturday
but two buildings were left standing in
Hinckley-a water tank and a round
house-and into the latter were crowded
100 people. The dead are lying in field
and forest for miles north and south OF
Hinckley, and there are so few left to
tell the tale that it is almost impossible
to secure names of the dead. Dozens
of h~eartrending stories are told Of
escape and attempts at escape which
ended in death. .
Swept Town After Town.
After destroying Hinckley, a place OF
LOO inhabitants, Sandstone, a place OF
400 people, and Mission Creek. The
fire then licked up Willow River,
q place Of 600 inhabitants, and other
places to the north.
The fire started in the John Martin
lumber yard at Mission Greek and
swept northward to Hinckley and other
towns, cleaning everything in its
course. It was about 4 p. m. Saturday
when the flames reached Hinckley.
The people became panic stricken.
Many of them rushed to the river,
where some were quickly drowned
by people piling upon them. Others
plunged under the water, as the flames
darted down in great red tongues and
Kissed in their faces, singing their hair.
Some Of these escaped.
Carried Away Frightened People.
A train on the Eastern Minnesota
road left Hinckley about the time the
fire reached there. The rushing Of the
people after the train caused the con-
ductor to run back to the station. About
400 people, crowded into the cars, all
they would hold, and were taken
away for safety. Neither river nor
lake stopped the course of the flames as
they swept onward i'll a %devouring
cloud to destroy the other towns and
settlements. 1t will probably never be
known how many
Persisted in the Holocaust,
as it is not known what people were in
the woods getting ready for winter
numbering work. There were at mid
night $50 dead in the graveyard at
Hinckley, and others are being brought
in by rescuing parties. The injured
are constantly turning up. There were
at least 5000 people in the burned dis
trict, and it is probable that the dead
and injured will u up to 400 OF 500.
The damage to property will exceed
100000.
The bridge across the Grindstone
river Oh the Eastern Minnesota road is
gone, and will require three months to
rebuild it. The bridge over the same
river on the Duluth road is damaged.
A number Of small bridges on both
roads are gone, and it will be days be.
fore either road can run through trains
without transferring at the river.
Not a House Is Left Standing
in Hinckley, Sandstone, Partridge, Mis-.
sion Creek and Willow River. One
man saw as dead bodies along the rail
road track at Sandstone.
All that is left above ground il
Hinckley are the walls of the bricl
schoolhouse.
Fire Came Like a Flash of Powder.
The fire approached Hinckley like 9
flash of powder. It seemed to strike
everywhere at once, and there was NJ
escape for perhaps one-third Of thu
population. They were caught likt
rats in a trap. Death cam upon then
when they were flying down the streets
The wind shifted when the fire strucl
the town, and swept the flames directly
into the faces of the flying inhabitants
When the people rushed from thei
homes a large body of them ran to
shallow pond near by and were followed
by fully fifty horses and cattle. Int
the pond plunged the human being
and cattle, and women and children
.yora trarnnled beneath the waters b,
the excited stock before the fire reacne'
them. Not many of them escaped tn
horrible death by fire.
Many of the deaths are due to tn
fact that families became separated, tn
men fighting the flames in n part Q
the town, and the women trying t
save their household goods and chill
dren.
The people who escaped. the flame
stood about il dumb despair. The.