The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-09-03

the city proper. Just beyond the road
laid tract Of land, probably embracing
al least teu ucres. 1t was purchased for a
gravel pit to furnish material for the fill
up approach 10 tine cOmpRny's bridge
across the Gr!4dstone and at other points
on its line, The whole area indicated has
been excnvnted to a depth in the center Of
thirty or forty feet There is IA stagnant
pool OF rain water In the center three feet
in its greatest depth, and here hundred
or more citizens took refuge, in addition
to number Of domestic animals.
The situation at Sandstone is even more
appalling than at Hiuckley, except in
point Of numbers. OF he 200 people in
the town one-fourth are dead. The little
town of Missing Creek some little dis
tance north of Hinckley is also In ashes,
as are the towns of Pokagama, Sandstone
Junction and Skunk Lake These six
towns are totally wiped out.
The walls of the school house, the iron
fence about the town hall property, tho
bank vault and one absolutely uninjured
clubhouse is all that is left so mark the
site of Hinckley, where on Saturday stood
a score of store buildings aud dozen
times as many dwelling houses.
The story of the catastrophe which
wiped out the material possessions that
had made Hinckley busy, prosperous
little city is short one. The town was
built Of wood.
The school house, erected last year at a
cost of $4,000, and one. half the Duluth
round house were the only brick struc-
lures in the city. BY one of these peculiar
freaks for which there is no accounting
the Eastern Minnesota round house and
water tank on the southwestern edge of
the town. almost in the woods, escaped
the Hames-a circumstance the more re-
markahle from the fact that 1t stood di-
rectly in the path of the flames, which
seem to have Jumped it az cleanly as if
playing leapfrog.
All Saturday forenoon the towns peo-
pie were apprehensive. The smuke roll
ing up from the south told n story un-
mistakably plain to those accustomed to
n wooded country. The tire kept adyanc-
ing famed by he wind, which was blow
ing gale. On the west side Of the Du-
luth tracks were a few small houses be-
longing to the railway employees, The
firenlen's attention was mainly directed
to keeping he fire away from them, as
the main business part of the city was
built in sOlidly just across the track.
About o'clock in the afternoon the
fire literally jumped into the town. 1t is
described by those who witnessed its on
ward progress al HincLley and elsewhere
as il il were forced along by cyclones of
its own generation. The fire first struck
Hinckley ON the east side of the Duluth
track, and brave fighters for the first
time gave up the unequal battle, and, al
ready too late in many instances, turned
their attention to their personal safety.
The Eastern Minnesota train from the
south had just come in, and the people
of the panic stricken city fled to it for
safety. A number of box cars were
coupled on and filled and covered with
men, women and children. Some were
bsreheaded, some were coatless, while
some few clutched a pitiful bundle of the
more precious of their portable posses
sions. Families were separated. Children
Joined the throng and lett parents. In all
there was motley crowd of about $50 or
more people, The train pulled out just
ahead of tho hre and succeeded in ulti-
mntely reaching Duluth.
This circumstance, while fortunate In a
degree that cannot be estimated, had
made the confusion greater. for it is not
known who escaped in this way, and
many people urp reported dead who may
he In safety. Had not this number of
people, largely women and children, left
/ the doomed city when they did the loss of
I lifs would have increased in a geometri-
cal ratio, for their presence would have
added immeasurably to the subsequent
confusion.
About the same hour the accommodate
! ton train on the llinckley aud St Cloud
: branch left for the latter place with about
twenty five passengers. Its path lie di-
rtctly across the path of the fire, aud their
situation speedily became desperate. The
/ ties were burning, the rails were WARM
I ing aud the trestles were sayging under
| the trniu. The smoke had increased so
/ that thu engineer was helpless He could
not see the train behind him. Burning
! trees lay on the track and were tossed
aside by the engine Suddenly the track
gave way and the train toppled off 10 one
side. No one was injured, and they
pressed on to Pokugama Station, few
rods ahead. But u few feet in front of
! the engine was discovered n gorge sixty
feet wide and forty feet deep, where the
trestle had been burned away They sue
cecded in reaching the clearing about tho
station and escaped with few burns aud
bruises.
The people who We're left In the city
were in what seemed TO be nn almost
hopeless condition. Egress by the only
means of transportation that could hope
to distance the swiftly advancing flames
was out of the question. The men had
been fighting fire for hours, and the
! women and children were In panic
stricken condition. Many Of them were
of the more ignorant population, for a
very large percentage of the people who
got out on the Great Northern railroad
were Of the more intelligent class.
The clean cut by the fires has been so
complete that mnny people have no ari-
. bition left TO rebuild new homes on top OF
+ their rui ns Most Of them will scatter to
all parts of the country TO find their
friends as soon as they can.
| As for loss of property, II is impossible
, to make even an approximation, but it
! certainly runs into the millions, two OF
+, three millions of dollars worth of prop
, erty between Itinckley and Duluth hay
+ ing been reduced to ashes and einders.
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