The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-09-03
EIGHT-PAGE EDITION
ssFs literally iieelaE esfore tie paaaias

rhinestone ts > swamp and 20 thiS racSs
q tae people With teams headed. hnt !.
PEeFed no prosec;ioa. some abandoned
sbsaT teams and ran ieto the lever uo~tlsn
81 tie sNamp. but the IRE sourhs them
4 onk Nos one was Ieft to tell the tale ana
this morning IA space of a little mora
4 than ave acres were counted fSa cornsrS
There were many families 81 five. SIX ara
seven, Sha there they lAy. the men eener.
aaay = hit.e ia advance, and the mother
surrounded by Der little ones cot on b~
tae MOSS hoFrih.e of deaths. Nearly all
tae bodies we're hare the Ere havis-
4 oarned every vestige of Their cIothing and
I easrTed many of tue corpses. rendering
I maaY al them uarecognixahse. Tho~a ,xh,
I fed 90 the north on foot followed the
Z baluth track, and SO rapid y - The prorres.
| Of the flames that many of them were
/ actually baFnea as thev led. persons fall
ing on the Fighi-of-Ray for distance of
/ three miles or more.
some Of she escaping citizens met the
Duluth train coming IN from the north.
/ lt was due AZ Hinck.ey az 4.0S Engineer
4 Root was At the throttle. lie stopped ths
I train and took on board ahoat is5 Of the
refugees. Bv this time the woods were
blazing on each side OF The track. and as
/ Roc, reversed his engine aud started back
the scorched cars cracked in the heat
Root ran the train hack ahout three miles
| TO skunk lake, and tire people escaped
from the burning ears 10 the satcr aud no
lives we're lost
The people who remained in Htnckiey
Jared the best Of all. The Eastern Mime
sofa tracks marx the eastern edge of the
city proper. Just beyond tire edge was a
tract Of land probably embracing at
least ten acres. The whole area had
been excayated TO a depth Of thirty or
forty feet, and ia It's center was stag
nant pool Of rainwAier. three feet
deep. To 10 hed = hundred citizens
who were willing TO trust TO itz
friendly depths. They remained four
h0ars while the smoke and flames rolled
over their heads. They dashed water over
each other and covered their heads With
Wet cloths 10 prevent saftoeation, and all
were saved. Others Of the citizens sought
refuge in the Grindstons river under the
abgtmenis of the two railway bridges and
NJ the foothridgs. The exact number can
not be knosn, but many escaped, though
some vera drowned. Mrs. Martin Martin
son and her four little children. drowned.
were taken from the gater this morning
Hinckley was burned with the utmost
rapidity. aud In few hours nothing Was
left but ruins The total loss TO the city
will exceed 81. .oo0.0o. with comparatively
light insurance.
THE EaEgRs or HIScKLxr.
As night closed in the people began to
come out from their hiding places and
make their way over the hot embera OF
their burned city. They were absolutely
daxed bv the catastrophe. and the night
was spent in an sndeavor 20 find relatives.
The IRE had spent itself. and the air was
filled with smoke. Two huge heaps Of
coal which marked the sise of the Duluth
coal sheds were blazing. and BY
the itfnl light people wandered
about picking out the places where bus
six hours before their happy homes had
stood. The fact that many mad escaped
by train added TO the anxiety 20 those
whose friends and relatives were not 10 10
found, while IL furnished at the same
time basis for hope that they were in
safety.
GATHERING THE coRrAEs.
When the morning broke few sner-
getic spirits began 20 organize the work OF
recovery Of the bodies. j. w. Sargent q
passenger conductor OF the Duluth road,
organized volunteer crew who manned
two handcars. tho capacity Of which was
increased by the use Of planks. They
went up the Duluth track 20 the north,
and picked up thirty-one bodies between
the river and Skunk lake. The
bodies were wrapped in blankets and
such cloth as could be obtained, and lard
out by the side of the track where the de.
DO. had stood. Citizens volunteered and
harnessed up the available vehicles saved
in the gravel pit aud went out 20 the
sxamp across the Grindstone. They
brought in ninety-siK bodies, which we're
carried out TO the burying ground mile
| east of town. There was neither
time nor opportunity 10 observe tho
sacred formaiities usually surrounds
| ing death. The excitement Of the occasion.
the terrible experience through which the
| living had passed and the horrible form
/ in which death had come 10 the last. had
/ temporarily blanicd the f3ner sensibilitiss,
and the dead we're heaped high on tbs
wagons and laid in piles st the cemetery,
I among the smoking embers aud stamps
/ that surrounded Gods acre. Coroner
| Cowan directed the digging Of two huge
1 pits, "A by ~ feet. in which the interment
! will tie made tomorrow.
| HopfKs BrESaD BExoSD HEcosSIrfos.
One OF the saddest features of the calam-
/ ity is the ifnpossibility Of idsntihcatIon IN
a large proportion Of the cases. The
4 ninety-sGx bodies brought fhto this point
we're examined by many surviving resi-
4 dents Of Hinckley. and bat four could
be Observation-Disclosures Anderson. Alex
ander Hanson, Dennis Riley and Mrs.
I William Glndsr The remainder will have
/ 10 be buried together. In the indefinite
ness OF the arrangements. and lt seemed
impossible otherwise under the circum-
/ stances. due xegard was not paid %
1 proper separate preservation OF articles
found on tho bodies, and the last chAncs
I OF identifi cation was lost.
/ When those who brought Ia the bodies
l from ths swamp reported. there we're ~
least thirty-EYe bodies out there, which
cannot be brought in until morning. On
/ the government road to the east Vas found
/ the Best family OF six perscns--fathsr.
/ mother aud four children. Best Vas
prosperous farmer. living Just out Of
/ towa. Here also wers rocovsred tbs
/ bodies Of three women of the town
/ 1ho lived near the stoekade. Near
/ skunk lake xere found the bodies Of
/ family. consisting of father. mother and
! seven children OF another family ia
wAich there wsrs i've children oaly the
father escaped. There was settisfnsnt %
I abont thirty people near taia lake. AMI
bat two ara known 20 be alive Isslve-
/ ysaf-old Charles Anderson. sitter his
father. mother and sister had
been sufsocated ia the sEamp, himself fell
IN 4 ditch and xas too exhausted - rise-
He Law there mill this morning. Shsa hs