The Portland daily press., 1894-09-03
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE
ROASTED TO DEATH.
Horrible Scenes Witnessed by a
Train Grew.
1T is FEARED A TRAIN LOAD OF
PEOPLE HAVE PERISHED.

| Wires are Down and the Railroad is r
building the Burned Bridges-The For
| est Fires Surrounded the Town and the
Death List win Reach Into the Hun
dreds-The Story of an Eye Witness
Scene of Panic in the Burning Town
st. Paul, Mimi, September 2.-The
town of Hinckley, MIMI, was complete
| ly destroyed by forest fire last night.
From 100 tos200 lives were lost. The loss
| of life at .other points will probably
swell the total to 400 dead.
Minneapolis, Mimi, September2. The first
train over the ST. Paul and Duluth aoad
direct from the scene of the great fire,
reached Minneapolis at 12.45 this afternoon.
About dozen persons were on board, in
cluding Mrs. Lawrence, the only one of the
passengers on the limited which started
Saturday afternoon from Duluth, who has
yet reached Minneapolis. The other
passengers were those who went up on the
limited yesterday afternoon from this end
OF the line and finding they could go no
further stopped at Pine City and. returned
to Minneapolis on the first train Mrs.
Lawrence says the first evidence of the fire
was noticeable about ten miles north of
Hinckley when the cir became almost suffo-
eating. A mile noEsi of Hinckley number
Of persons, Mrs. Lawrence estimates the
number at fifty. rushed toward the train
screaming frantically.ssss 1.-THE engineer seeing
danger if they remained, stopped the train
to let them aboard. The heat became in
tense and whole volcano of fire seemed ito
burst out in mighty effort to wipe the
train and occupants off the. face of the
earth. Mrs. Lawrence describing the scenes,
said: 'At the first rush of the flames to-
wards the cars the window panes went out
with crash and the train began slowly to
return towards Skunk Bake. The people
screamed and me n jurEped through the car
windows. The panic was horrible. Every
fear crazed person was for himself and did
not care how he got out of the rushing
flames. My dress caught fire. extinguished
the flames. saw two Chinament paralyzed
with fright and made no effort to get away.
They simply hid under the seats and were
burned to death. i stood it as long as
could. then rushed out of the car. jumping
over one or two persons lying on.the ground.
Some of the people Jumped into Skunk
Lake. ] simply ran along the ties. The fire
had burned away, and after running until
my strength gave out. fell down between
the rails. expected every minute my dress
would be burned from my body. l put out
the flames on my dress half a dozen times
and had to hold my hands over the baby's
face to keep it from suffocating.'
This morning, Mrs. Lawrence was picked
up in the middle Of the track about two
miles north of Hinckley by relief party
from Duluth, which made the trip on hand
cal. The site of Hinckley, says Mrs. Law
renee, is nothing but blackened waste with
bodies of dead and injured persons living
everywhere. Fully oneshundred and twenty
five persons were aboard the s'limited'' ssand
only two children were burned outright.
About dozen persons. according to Mrs.
Lawrence, were injured in the panic which
resulted when they rushed to the platform
and jumped off while the train was moving.
others fought their way through the strtg
Cling frantic mass of passengers in the
effort to get away In this way many per-
sons suffered severe injuries, such as broken
bones and limbs.
Mayor Eustis received telegram from the
citizens committee at Rush city, Minne-
sofa. this afternoon, stating that one hun
dred and fifty lives were lost at Hinckley,
and the situation was narrowing. car
load of provisions were procured. but no en-
gine could be secured to take it to the
sufferers, but it will go out'in the morning.
Tomorrow meetings of the business men of
Minneapolis and St. Paul will be held to
provide relief The story was circulated
during the afternoon that ]. M. Root, the
engineer on the ill-fated 'si~ited," died
from his wounds. This story is denied by
the officials of the road, who reported
that Root would recover. A report reached
this city late this afternoon that Sullivan,
the conductor of the ''limited'' of which
Root was engineer, had reached Duluth. 1t
was reported that he had gone crazy from
the effects of the intense heat, and it is
doubtful whether he will recover.