The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-03
DEATH AND DESTRUCTION.
Continued from page ID
1t at his post, although scarcely able

kept at his post, although scarcely able
to sit upright
In the meantime, the passengers
could see nothing, but heard the roar
ing of the on-coming tornado of flame,
and soon the glare outside was too
much for the reason for a number of
them. The rear car caught fire and as
the flames overlook it the passengers
rushed headlong into the forward
cars. The shrieks of the women and
children. as well as the terrified shouts
of the men, increased, and the terrible
feelings aroused by the uproar of the
flames were seen on every hand.
Lost All Control.
Several of the male passengers, too
terrified for further self-control, leaped
headlong through broken windows and
were swallowed up in the flames out
side. Others, seeing this act, quickly
followed, and altogether in the next
ten minutes a dozen men leaped to
death in the flames in a like manner
The women, whose terror had been
pitiful a few minutes before now came
heroically to the help of the trainmen
in endeavoring to Soothe the frightened
children
Engineer Root saw there was no out
let apparently for his train ahead, and
concluded to turn back, through the
distance already burned over. rather
than encounter possibly greater perils
before them. He backed at a fast
speed to Skunk Lake, five miles from
Hinckley. The passengers deserted the
train there, and took refuge in a
swamp, where they spent the night.
This morning relief train from the
north brought them to this city. The
relief train carried supply of hand
cars, which were used in picking up
the bodies Of the dead along the track.
Engineer Root lies at his home at
White Bear, too badly injured to be in
terviewed He was badly cut by
broken glass, but his worst injuries
were from inhaling the hot air and
smoke.
Soul Sickening Scenes.
AS night closed in. the people began
to come out from their hiding places
and made their way over the hot en-
bers of their burned city. They were
absolutely dazed by the catastrophe,
and the night was spent in an endea-
vor to find relatives. The fire had
spent itself and the air was filled with
smoke. Two huge heaps of coal, which
marked the location of the Duluth coal
sheds. were blazing, and by the fitful
light people wandered about, picking
out the places where but six hours be-
fore their happy homes had stood. The
fact that so many had escaped by train
added to the anxiety of those whose
friends and relatives were not to be
found, while it furnished, at the same
time, basis for hope that they were
in safety
When re morning broke few
energetic spirits began to organize the
recovery of the bodies
j. w. Sargent, a passenger conductor
on the Duluth road, organized volun-
teer crew, who manned two handcars,
whose. capacity was increased by the
use of plank. They went UP the
Duluth track to the north and picked
up 81 bodies between the river and
Skunk lake. The bodies were wrapped
up In blankets and such cloth as could
be obtained and laid out by the side of
the track where the depot had stood.
Citizens volunteered and harnessed up
the available vehicles saved in the
gravel pit and went out to the swamp
across the Grindstone. They brought
in ninety-six bodies which were carried
out to the burying ground a mile east
of town.
There was neither time or oppor-
tunity to observe the sacred formalities
usually surrounding death. The ex-
citement of the occasion, the horrible
experience through which the living
had passed and the more horrible form
in which death had come to the lost,
had temporarily blunted the finer sensi-
bilities, and the dead were heaped high
on the wagons and laid in piles at the
cemetery among the smoking embers
and stumps that surrounded Gods
Acre. Coroner Cowan directed the dig
ging of two huge pits, "a by IL feet. in
which the interment will be made to-
morrow
Governor Nielsen, Mayor Smith, of st.
Paul, and Mayor Eustis of Minneapolis,
have all issued proclamations calling on
the people for help. Anything in the line
of provisions, clothing or money viii be
very acceptable. All the churches in the
city and relief societies have been throw
ing open their doors for contributions and
several responses have been received.