The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-09-05
SEARCHING FOR THE BODIES.
Heartrending Scenes Follow the
Great Fires.
The Sad Duty of Gathering UP the Dead.
A Merciful Rain Exiting uishes tho Mur-
derOus Flames-Noble Work Perform ed
by Relief Committees-The Number of
Bodies Recovered Thus Far.

ioii lcSuitlHR lroh lOreSG uEe5 IN
creases and now over $50 are known to
be lost. The greater part are women
and children. The greatest percentage
of deaths occurred among the settlers,
where whole families were swept out of
existence in the twinkling of an eye,
not in any one direction, but in every
part Of the fire. swept district the finding
OF bodies hourly swell the list.
At an early hour this morning a party
OF experienced woodsmen left on q spe.
cial conveyance to scour the woods for
the bodies of settlers in the out of the
way cabins and clearings. They are OK.
pected to bring back appalling reports.
Searching For the Dead.
WEST SUPERIOR. Wis. Sept. A.
Nearly all those who survived the terri
BILE forest fires in Northern Minnesota,
have now been removed to places of
safety in Superior and Duluth, and as a
heavy rain has quenched the flames
there will be no further casualties.
The work of searching for the dead is
progressing in earnest. Yesterday
afternoon 6fty-four bodies were buried
at Sandstone. Most of them were char.
red beyond recognition and were buried
wherever found. When a relief train
reached Sandstone not sign OF q build
Ing was left in the town. Around or in
the ruins of each house were found
several human bodies. The living in
habitants of tho town were brought into
Superior at midnight.
At Hinckley 32S dead bodies were
lying on the streets They are being
buried as rapidly as possible by q COM
mlttee from Pine City. At Poke Cana,
on the st. Cloud division of the Groat
are still lying unburied. the people
having left the place. At Partridge
only two are dead, though not build
ing is standing. II is impossible to
tell where Partridge was, as the whole
surrounding country ia in ashes. Pas.
senger traffic WAS resumed on the St.
Paul and Duluth to-day, but the Great
Northern through trains will not be
running for some time.
The Burned District.
DULUTH, Mimi, Sept. An a stretch
OF territory twenty.six miles long and
fifteen miles wide not single human
habitation has been left standing ex.
cept section house at Miller, and in
every part Of the track of the flames
bodies of men, women and children and
horses and cattle were found. The
position of everybody found outside of
Hinckley shows that shelter Of some
kind was sought by the agonized suf-
ferers, and the dead are found in holes,
behind overturned stumps, trees,
marshy depression and in every water
course.
The general shape Of the fre-swept
district is like huge cigar with
southwestern end about Mission Creek
and the upper terminal few miles
east OF tinlayson or Rutledge. From
this number of branches extend
northward to beyond the tracks of the
Eastern Minnesota railway.
The wor~ of the flames has been com
p.ete and oyclonic in character. Where
the fire held sway, not.a single tree is
standing except as a blackened stump.
Thousands of overturned trees are lying
PROSTATE and the roots were burning
tercely up to the last evening when the
welcome rain fell.
A careful canvas reveals the fact that
seventy-two settlers homes, outside of
towns, fell. AS near as can be learned
there were 500 people in these homes.
AT Brookdale. little town on the East
ern Minnesota railway south of Hinck-
ley, about ninety persons took refuge in
the water Of a small creek. Out of this
place sixty-seven dead bodies were
taken and buried, and some thirty
living persons were rescued, some badly
burned.
Conductor James Sargent, of the St.
Paul and Duluth road, has been working
for the railroad with an improvised
train, consisting of three hand cars,
spliced together with planks, picking up
and identifying the bodies of the dead.
All the bodies were carefully examined
and in many cases were fully identified,
and in every case complete record was
made OF everything that could possibly
lead to Identification.
Most remarkable work has been done
by the Duluth relief committee. Hun
dreds of people, including those OF the
very highest social standing in the city,
have been working day and night since
Saturd ay night. have organized thor
oughly into all needed sub-committees,
and have, in systematic way, taken
care OF men and women, children and
babies. Over $4,000 in cash has been
given for temporary relief and goods
and clothing values at as much more
have been given.
5. A. Thompson, who went out on the
burial train yesterday, has returned.
All the way down the trainmen almost
had to throw people off who wished to
go along and take in the grave sights
At Finlayson party, headed by Ed.
Finlayson, dropped off and went east
several miles, visiting, among other
places, tho Billedeaut farm, where the
bodies of three children were found.
The rest of the family had gone to
A party headed by Fred Reynolds