St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-09-04

Jr. was digging tne PIT, WIN tue iTienu-
ly assistance of two neighbors. Laid in
a row. decently covered, were the bodies
of John Best Sr., Mrs. Best. Fred Best,
aged twenty.three; Berthn, aged seven
teen; Mrs. Annie Wigel, married
daughter, and her three-year-old daugh-
ter Minnie; Miss Annie Truttman, Of
Diamond Bluff, Wis.,, visitor. aged
twenty-six, and Victor Best. aged eight.
Two other sons George, aged twenty
five, aud Willie. aged twenty-one) are
missing, and are certainly dead. And
Of this whole family of three genera
tiOns only the Sorrowing grave digger
and his wife and child, who took refuge
in dug-Out, are left. They all lived
together about two miles southeast
these ninety odd who were recognized
were Charles Anderson, cashier of the
bank; Mrs. William Ginder and her
daughter Winifred, aged six. One or
two Others were imperfectly identified,
but it was largely guess work. Enough
rude boxes were knocked together from
rough boards to contain most of these
bodies. and they were rapidly laid away
under the sand, but not before other
bodies began 10 come in. In the swamp
across the Grindstone, where these
corpses were found yesterday, were
about th:rty-five others, which were
brought in this morning. making total
of upwards of l30 dead in this little
space of four or five acres. Down near
the river was found the body Of Thomas
Dunn. the Duluth operator at Hinckley.
Dunn was born and raised here. and was
A Universal FaVOrite.
He stuck TO his key until the depot
was burning above his head. The delay
in locating his body led his friends to
hope that he might have escaped, but
this morning the finding of his black
ened corpse put an end to all uncer-
tainty. UP the st. Paul 6 Duluth right
of way were found three or four more
bodies. Among those who perished
north of town was Erick Ettson, OF
2,SlS Polk street northeast, Minneapolis,
who was here visiting his son. He went
out in a wagon with Dave Kane, of
Rock Creek. also visitor here, and
out unscathed.
The busiest point at Hinckley at noon
was the telegraph Office. 1t Was not
much of All office, but it served to serve
the public with report, the only report
sent out of Hinckley today. The wires
were brought down to burned stump
of pole. A dry goods box near bv
at,r wit A
cracker box made him a comfortable
seat. A burned railroad spike held
down the couy in the brisk breeze. A
rough board. one END resting on the
operators table and the other on milk
can, furnished the correspondent his
desk. and his seat was beer keg-
empty. Here under these circum-
stances was prepared and sent the
story OF the day IN this stricken
city. An occasional shower blurred
the copy. but it was rapidly fed to the
eager wire, despite the discomforts OF
the occasion. Your correspondent took
a tiVe-mile tramp out through the woods
to the north of town this morning,
through a scene of desolation which
rarely falls beneath the eye Of man.
The country is absolutely swept clean.
There is but one settlers house stand
ing within an unknown radius of miles.
1t is that of Mike Dean. on the edge of
the river, three miles east of town, 1t
was new house and very substantial.
Dean and neighbor fought the fire
until they had to abandon hope. They
got the women and children into the
water, covering their heads with cloth s
kept wet by dashing water over them,
and when the fire had passed, they came
out unburned.and were much surprised
to fiud their buildings standing, and
this morning, when your correspondent
entered the clearing. the house dog
barked as sayagely. and the rooster
crowed as Justify as if they had not
come within an ace of death. The hand
car party which went north this morn
ing has just returned. 1t met the Du.
luth construction train about eight
miles up the track with word that the
city of Duluth had furnished the neces-
sary relief at Sandstone and Miller.
They accordingly turned back, and Oh
the way located eleven bodies, swelling
the total of those found along the Du-
luth track between Hinckley and Skunk
lake to about fifty. One of them was
recognized as Otto Rowley, of Duluth,
general freight agent of the Duluth &
Winnipeg. He was passenger on the
limited south on Saturday, and had
left the main body of refugees and
passengers, running back toward the
lake. His body was identified by his
name on his collar. Near another body,
evidently that of passenger. was found
a letter addressed to Israel Schrumski,
Chicago, and charred business card
bearing the same name. Three others
Of the bodies were probably those of
passengers on that ill-fated train.
Another was young man, a splendid
specimen OF physical manhood, and
from his clothing and high.Iaoed boots
apparently a prospector cruiser. The
other five were the family of a settler
named John Robinson, consisting of him
self, three women and an infant. Above
Skunk lake the work train reported
twelve bodies on the right of way,
presumably settlers. In retrospection
the most sorrowful feature of
the terrible fatality at Hinckley
is the thought that had the situation
been realized IN time, not a single life
among the residents of the town need
have been lost. The Great Northern
gravel pit, where only a hundred sought
safety. is about ten acres in extent,
broad enough and long enough and
deep enough to have sheltered every
soul in Hinckley with all their domestic
animals. There Is a pool of water of
considerable depth. The banks are
bare of grass or shrubbery, and there
was no inflammable material near the
brink on the side from which the fire
came. Those who did seek this haven
passed the hours of their enforced I'M
priSOnment in comparative comfort.