The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1894-09-08
500 BURNED
Six Towns in Northern Min
nesOta Wiped Out by Fires
From the Forest.
An Incalculable Loss of Property
and Appalling Sacrafice of II
Human Life. &
The Town of Hinckley Furn-
iSheS Majority of the Vic
Tins Of the Flames.
Scenes That BegGar Description
in Written Words or Speech
of Tongue.
Mad Race With the Pursuing
Flames. Refuge in Swamp
and River HarOic TrHinmen
Scenes That Beggar Description
in Written Words or Speech
of Tongue.
Mad Race With the Pursuing
Flames. Refuge in Swamp
and River. Heroic Trainmen.

ST. PAUL SepT. 3.-Six towns
wiped out and more than 500 dead
is the record of the fires of this state
the past twenty four hours. In
Hinckley, Sandstone, Pokegam,
Sandstone Junction, Skunk Lake
and Mission Creek there are 355
known dead. In addition, several
hundred are missing, while from $50
to 200 are scattered on farms through
out the district burned over. De-
struction was complete in most of
the towns named. The loss will be
millions, and the loss of life will not
be definitely known for several days,
if ever. Relief trains brought sup
plies sent from this city, Minneapolis,
Duluth and other towns, and the
sufferers are being cared for at Pine
City and other points.
Estimate of the dead is: Hinck,
ley 200. Sandstone forty-fve, june
ton twenty-five, Pokega twenty
five, Skunk Lake twenty-nine, mis-
cellaneous thirty, total 355. The
walls of the school house, iron fence
and town hall property, bank vault
| and one absolutely uninjured out
house is all that is left to mark the
site of Hinckley, where yesterday
stood score of buildings and {
dozen times as many dwellings
houses. The story of catastrophe il
short one. The town was built O.
wood. The school house, erected
last year at cost of $4,000, ant
half of the Eastern Minnesota rail
way roundhouse were the only brick
structures in the city.
BY one of the most peculiar freaks
for which there is no accounting, the
round house and water tank in the
southwestern edge of town, almost
in the woods, escaped the flames, a
circumstance more remarkable from
the fact that it stood directly in the
path of flames, which seem to have
jumped it as cleanly as playing leap
frog. All yesterday forenoon the
towns people were apprehensive.
The fire kept advancing, famed by
the wind, which was blowing gale.
About eleven o'clock the fire COM
pany got out their engines and laid
an 1900 foot line of hose to the
southern outskirts of town. The
hose was too short for the measure
of protection desired, and telegram
was sent to Rush City for more. A
IluuuTtu ltcJ were Scut, Dul IL never
reached Hinckley.
About three o'clock in the after
noon the fire literally jumped into
the town. 1t did not eat its way
along, devouring everything in its
path, but came in huge leaps, as if
to take everything before it. 1t APP
peared as if it was hurried along by
cyclones of its own generation. In
tense heat would develop veritable
whirlwind of flames that carried huge
blazing fire brands high in the air,
and carrying them forward from
forty to eighty rods let them fall and
begin the work of devastation anew.
The fire struck Hinckley on the
east side of the Duluth track, and
the brave fire fighters for the first
time gave up the unequal battle and
already too late in many instances