The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1894-09-06

seemed to be an almost hopeless con-
dition. Egress by one only means of
transpc CREATION that could hope to dis
tance the swiftly advancing flames was
out OF the question Tie men had been
fighting the fire for hours and the
women and children We're in a panic 4
stricken condition. Many OF them were
of the more ignorant Of the population,
for avery large percentage of the peo-
pie who got out on the Great Northern
railroad We're of the more intelligent
class. Horses We're harnessed to bug
gies and wagons Women and children
were hurrieGly loaded up. In some
cases attempts We're made to carry
off some household goods, but in most
instances the people had no thought
for aught but their lives.
Probably two hundred Of them left
town Oh foot or III vehicles, plunging
into the woods to the north across the
Grindstcno river which skirts the town
on the north. They were literally fee
ing before the pursuing demon Of tie
fire. Over the bill that rises beyond
the GrindstoDe is a swamp and to this
most Of the people with teams headed
but it proved no protection. The fire
gave them no opportunity to go fur
ther. Some abandoned their teams and
ran into the lower portions Of the
morass, but the fire sought them out,
Not one was left to tell the tale and
there this morning in space Of lit
tie mere than four or five acres were
ct United over one hundred and thirty
corpses. There were many families Of
five. six and seven and there they lay,
the man generally a little in advance,
the mother surrt Unded by her little
ones cut off by the most horrible of
Deaths
Nearly all the bodies were nude,
the fire having burned every vestige
of their clothing their blackened and
charred many Of the corpses beyond
recognition and where whole families
were wiped out as they We're and some
Of the bodies completely incinerated,
Identification is absolutely out OF the
question.
Those who fled to the north on foot
followed the Duluth track, and SO
rapid was the progress Of the flames
that many of them were actually
burned as they fed, falling on the
right of way for a distance of three
miles or n Crc. Nearly thirty bodies
We're recovered along here. Some of
the foremost of the escaping citizens
met the Duluth train coming in from
the north. It was due q Hinckley at
400. Ergincer Jim Root was at the
throttle. He stopped the train and
took on boarG about one hundred and
tWe1 ty-fve of the refugees who crowd
cd into the train, completely filling it
for it had a passenger list almost as
large. BY this time The woods were
blazing, Gu each Of the track and as
Root reversed bis engine and started
back the cars searched and cracked
i'll the heat. Root ran the train back
about tbre. miles to Skunk Lake and
tile people escaped from the burning
cars to the Water, and no lives We're
lost, either Of passengers or refugees. u
The people Who remained in Hinck-
ley, Jared the best of ALL The Eastern
Mil ntSOta tracks mark the eastern
tract Of land probably embracing at
least ten acres. 1T was purchased for
2 gravel TT 70 furnish material for
thu I'LL Which approach the company's
bridge across the Grindstone and at
other points en- its line. To the fact
that it had been used for this purpose
almost to its exhaustion, about a hun
dred Hinckleyites owe their lives.
The Whole area Indicated had been ex-
cavated to a depth in the center Of
thirty or forty feet There was a
stagnant pool Of rainwater in the ecu
| in II 4
The pit was wide and deep and to it
fed those of the citizens who Were
willing to trust to it's friendly depths.
There we've probably a hundred of
thcm. and in addition to the human
beings quite g. humber Of domestic
ar;ms-ls. horses, COWS, oxen, pigs,
chickens, etc., sought safety here.
At Sandstone.
The situation at Sandstone is even
more appalling than at Hinckley, ex-
cert il point Of numbers. OF the 200
people living i'll the town, one fourth
are dead. Otto Stafferfeldt Of Sand
stone walked into Hinckley and rode
down To line City tonight and tells
a graphic story of the disaster. He
says that LIST night about $50 flames
lleareG the town and the people pre-
pared to leave early. The wind blew
like hurricane and as the people were
getting ready to leave, the fire closed
i'll Oh three sides, not a single person
saved a thing except his clothes.
Stefferfeldt carried two children to a
place CT safety, and went back for
more. About 16O went to the river
and fifty OF sixty were burned to
death At o'clock this morning Mr..
Stefferfeldt saw over forty bodies,
chaired and burned, lying on every
side. The people who We're saved
nave been all day without food or
shelter and no relief could be got to
them to-day. The people are living on
potatoes aud carrots left in the ground
Sandstone is about three miles from
Sandstone Junction on the Duluth
road and the Ere was on both sides OF
the river SO thSt the town Of Partridge
was burned
! Mr. Gilboy, conductor on the Eastern
Minnesota came down 10 eighteen
miles north Of Hinckley and found I'LL