The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-09-06

Pine City, Johnny Henderson OF ZINE
City, Thomas Jones, Charles Hanson,
Dennis Riley, John Anderson and
wife and two children, Peter Robert
son, Louis Nelson, Emma Dollin, Mrs
Costigsn and three children, william
Pinnoher, Patrick Murphy, Henry
Hoffman and wife of Sandstone,
Mrs Mcnamara and one child,
Hardmaster Dave Williams of Du-
luth is something of a hero himself,
He is the man who grasped the situa'
ton, acted on his knowledge prompt
ly and relieved the people OF sand
stone. He received message from
Miller last night which said: "There
are $50 people at Sandstone without
food or shelter; for Gods sake get
them out of there" In an incredibly
short time an engine in charge OF
Yardmaster Williams was on the way
to Sandstone. The entire road, after
the burned district was reached, was
patrolled aud the engine kept up a
continual whistling so that any per
sons who might be away from the
railway would come at once to the
track, When the train arrived at
Sandstone Junction, or Miller, as 1t is
generally called, it was met by nearly
the entire population OF Sandstone and
Miller. The depot at Miller had
been burned and there was not a
house left standing anywhere in view.
About II people were taken aboard
and q messenger was sent to SAND
stone. who informed the people of the
arrival of relief. Very few remained,
and they were those with loved ones
living dead, No one was burned Sc
riousIy who was not fatally injured.
There was no attempt to care for the
dead, who lay scattered With regular
ity through the streets of the town.
Everything inflamable at Sandstone
was destroyed and today's investiga'
lions brought the number nj dead at
that place up to 81, with u people
missing. Mr.. Webster, the father OF
Mayor Lee w bster, was among the
dead, and this afternoon Mayor Web
ster went 70 Sandstone to bury his
father and mother.
The scene at Sandstone as described
by Mr.. Webster was heartrending
The streets of the town were only lines
of sand between heaps of ashes.
Within the lines lay forty bodies scat
tered at radon, and twenty two more
were found afterward in the outskirts
of the town aud along the hollows and
marshes toward the river bank. The
bodies were lying exposed to the sun
and rain alike and were rapidly becom-
ing decomposed. They We're identi-
fed as far as possible and will be
buried tomorrow.
The Duluth people are looking after
the care and relief of the people on the
line north of Hinckley. They are do
ing their work we'll and will see that
no one of the living is allowed to suffer
for food or clothing, One of
the marvellous circumstances of the ocs
casion is the escape of so many
cattle and horses. Many were abso-
lutely unscathed, thougt no one can
tell hgw they escaped the Ire. Others
were pitituJly burned ana steps are
tardily being taken to put them out of
their misery. A squad of militiamen
went out and killed. one OK this after
noon. The animals were without food
until this afternoon, when the relief
train brought up some hay and the
crows were in great suffering, not hav>
ing been MIXED for two days. Tomor>
row morning the carcases of the dead
animals, which are becoming very Of
fensive, will be put out of the way by
burial or burning.
In the afternoon. following the rain,
a strong breeze swept up from the
south and soon the flames which had
been quenched to smouldering by the
morning showers, were again famed
to blaze and hundreds of columns of
smoke began to ascend from the woods.
The fire will not be out for
many a day unless there are heavy
rains, but there is no danger as the
uuderbrush is burned out clean and
there is no possibility of any spread.
The intensity and instability of the
fire car be seen from the fact that cor
duroy fl Is, where the logs were burned
under several feet of earth, are entirely
eaten out, the fire eating its way under
the entire road.
No one OF the citizens of Pine City
who volunteered their aid in the work
of relief did more than F. g. Weber.
He took entire charge of the work at
the cemetery and kept at the hideous
work until all that could be done had
been accomplished. Not until night.
fall were bis labors over and during
that time be had succession of relays
OF meu under him, for many
sickened and had 10 give it up
The work progressed slower than
expected because Mr.. Weber's work
ing force as inadequate. AS it was,
60 unidentified dead were inferred ia
the trench and 56 were put in boxes
and 10 " ere buried by. their friends,
making a total of 1874 bodies handled
at the cemetery. MIR. Weber says he
has reports Of 81 bodies ready for
burial tomorrow and this number will
gain every hour. The bodies found
after tomorrow must be buried where
found. 1t will be impossible for them
to be moved as they are literally fall
ing 10 pieces
The first thought Of the officials of
the st. Paul aud Duluth railroad was
to care FOR the untOr unates along its
Inc who had lost everything they
owned, and the -ecoDd was tu restore
the operation If through service be-.
tween ST. Paul and Duluth. The fret
task if well Juder " ay and is compile
ti,n is placed in the hands OF coupe
tent committees The company 1T
once set 10 work on the her ulean task
# opening It's line ff0u Mission Creek
and Miller. 7. q. Brown, mas
ter of transportation. who has
ms en- busy since tho fro ia