Oakes weekly Republican. (Oakes, Dickey County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1898, 1894-09-07
PRICE $l.5O PER YEAR.


mated at about 200, will reach $50.
One point, where an indefinite number
may be found, is the west end of the
Duluth bridge across the Grindstone.
At the northwestern edge Of the town,
also, was the mill pond, a body of CON
siderable depth and probably 400 feet
wide. On the bank nearest the town
stood the plant of the Brennan Lum-
Der company and it's yard, with about
half a million feet of sawed lumber.
A considerable number of persons were
seen making their way to the water Of
the pond, down the alleys between the
burning piles of lumber. There is abso-
lutely no basis for an accurate ap-
Proclamation Of how many there were
One thing is certain, no one who went
into the pond came back to give an
account Of himself or his companions
10 the intense heat of the burning lum-
ber and the kuffocating volume Of
smoke which it alone furnished was
added that which went up from the
sawdust and edgings, through which
the fire ran to the very waters edge
The water was deep, and those who
We're there probably chose death by
drowning to suffo cation OF burning
The pond is yet unapproaclable. The
saw dust hank is still full Of fire and
as treacberous as quicksand
The death roll Mt Sandstone has prob
ably reached Its limit and presents the
| awful total nj siAty-seven. This is not
all estimate nor n guess, but an accur-
ate count of the bodies inferred. Not
all We're fIon the little village. few
having been brought in from the i'm
mediate vicinity. There are here i'm
mcnse quarries, employing in busy
time considerable number Of men
when actively operated. For some
time work has been light. but recently
an attempt has been made to increase
the output and large number of men
had been called in for the labor that
was offered. For this reason it is i'm
possible to get an accurate estimate of
the popula, on Of the place, but fair
figure is probably $50. Many took
| refuge in the quarries and some in Ket-
tie river, just below. in deep gorge,
where the Eastern Minnesota crosses
on a bridge 300 feet long and 13O feet
high. Many of those who were burned
were caught on their way to refuge
and others We're caught in the village
streets where they We're slaughtered
| like sheep in the shambles In one
| we'll four persons died q death that
must have been mixture of drowning.
| suffocation and burning. To-day the
| We'll was utilized as a grave and nine
other bodies were placed in it and all
covered with earth
The Duluth right of way and the
country within considerable distance
on both sides up as far as Skunk Lake
has been secured pretty thoroughly. A
few boxes were taken out last night
and all the bodies We're picked up. 1t
had been reported that there We're
twelve bodies, but the careful search
that was made revealed twenty eight.
They were in awful condition and could
not be handled with any care Five
children of the Greenfield family were
so badly burned that all Were put in Il
| box designed to contain an adult. The
mother and father We're in Hnckley
and were saved, but their family and
home is wiped out Of existence The
Robertson family Of five persons. three
Of whom were adults, and who were
reported yesterday, We're brought in.
Mrs John Mcnamara anu her son.
who We're refugees from Hincl1ey. and
! who made their way further I'D the
/
fed. Near Mrs. Mcnamara was a
satTnei containing $500 in currency
and $1,000 in checks. which was re-
covered yesterday. Not far away were
the bodies Of two unknown boys, pre-
sumably from Hinckley. In a cellar
half mile west Of Skunk lake bridge
were found bodies which were identi-
fed as those of Mrs. Weslund and her
two babies. A Finnish woman named
! Sophie Wacki, another baby Mrs. Wes-
| lund's sister, William Nelson. Alfred
johnson and Mrs. Lind and her five
| children. A few of these bodies were
brought in on wagons and the greater
| number were loaded into a freight car
! and brought to Hinckley and carried
over to the cemetery. This number
added to the thirty-one brought in
from the Duluth tracks on Sunday, and
the body OF Otto Rowley. which was
taken to his home at Merriam Park last
| night. swells the total loss of life along
this section of the track to upward OF
sixty.
WISCONSIN r?SRES