The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-09-04
The Minnesota Burned District
a Picture Of Des0IatiOn.
The People Are Now Busy Bury
ing the Dead
NUMBER OF DEAD s62.
The Wonderful Escape Of Large
Numbers Of Stock.

received as to the magnitude Of the
Hinckley disaster. The most conser-
vative estimates Of death IN the six or
eight towns in Pine county is 800, and
from that figures go up to 1000
Although the exact number of dead
will never be known. enough is
known to make this one OF the most
appalling disasters in American his
tory. More have persisted, but never
50 many in so terrible 3 manner.
AS to property loss, all thoughts
have been of death, and few could be
made to talk about their business
losses 1t is proba BILE the loss at and
around Hincixley will exceed So. 00O,-
600, although no careful estimates
have yet been made, nor can they be
made where all papers and records
have gone mp in the flames that so
quickly devoured all the houses, { he
vegetation and almost the land In a
large section Of pine country.
Rain yesterday cleared the air some
what from smoke, but was not heavy
enough to entirely quench the fires,
which would break out on slight pro-
vocation il they had aught to feed
upon
OF the fires across IN Wisconsin less
IS known here, but there has been no
loss of life reported, and it is hoped
that it is over
A Pine City special says: Words
cannot tell the story Of death and de-
Btruction that Ii revealed TO the trav-
elerE on the st. Paul and Duluth from
Mission Creek to two miles above the
little town of Miller or Sandstone
Junction The awfulness Of the des-
olation which strikes upon the eye Of
the observer as be reaches the camp
which was once the town Of Hinclzley
ID still more strongly impressed In his
vision as be journeys northward-
Yesterday morning the smoke had
lifted. revealing a landscape bare and
black the few standing trees being
charred to a height OF forty feet,
while the ground was Of that peculiar
tint OF brown sand mixed with gun
powder for the grass mad been burned
even to the roots And here and
there in the bleak and creary Sketches
of country in what is now a great
lone land was seen the body of 3
deer whose feet feet had not been
able to Outrun the flames or Of hui
man being who had been absolutely
powerless against the grim destroyer.
One OF the marvellous circumstance
Of the occasion is the escape of so
many cattle and horses Many Wer .
absolutely unscathed, though no on
can tell how they escaped the ordeal
of fire Others were pitifully burned,
and steps are tardily being taken to
put them out OF their misery. A squad
of militiamen went out and killed an
OK. The animals were without food
until the relief train brought up some
hay. The cows we're in great sufer-
ing. not having been MIXED for two
days
Fires again start Up.
Yesterday afternoon. shortly fol-
lowing the rain, a strong breeze
swept up from the south. and soon
the flames which had been quenched
TO smouldering by the morning show
ers, were again famed to blaze, and
hundreds Of columns of smoke began
TO ascend from the woods The fire
win not be out for many days unless
there are heavy rains. but there is no
danger, as the underbrush is burned
out clean and there Is no possibility
Of any spread The intensity and in
suitability Of the IRE can be seen
from the fact that corduroy fills.
where the logs were buried under
several feet of earth. are entirely
eaten out the fire eating its way
through under the entire width Of the
road.
No one Of the citizens OF Pine City
who volunteered their aid in the work
Of relief did more than F. O. Weber.
He took entire charge OF the work at
the cemetery and kept at the hideous
work until all that could be done had
been accomplished. Not until night
fall were his lRbors over, and during
that time he had a succession OF re-
laws OF men under him, for many sick
ened and had to give up The work
progressed slower than need have
been the case had Mr.. Weber's work
ing force been adequate. AS it was,
sixtv-dve unidentified dead were
inferred in the trenches; Atty
six more were put in boxes and thir-
teen were buried by their friends,
making a total of 194 bodies handled
At the cemetery. Wr. Weber says he
has reports of ffty-o bodies ready
for burial to-day and this number will
grow every hour. The bodies found
after to-day must be buried where
found. It viii be Impossible TO move
them. as they are literally falling to
pieces
The first thought Of the officials Of
the St Paul aud Duluth railroad com
pany was to care for the unfortunate
people along its line who had lost
EVERYTHING they owned the second
was to restore the operations OF
through service between St Paul and
Duluth. The first task is well
under way and its completion placed
in the hands of compe tent COM
mittees. the company at once set
opening its line between Mission
Creek and Miller.
On the afternoon train arrived the
committee appointed by the citizens
of Minneapolis A report was sub
mitted 70 the gentlemen for their APP
prevail The report contains an esti-
nation Of the population Of tbs
5000; Sandstone, sooi Mission Greek,