The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-09-03

l tauce OF LDrce ulIea OF mOIe. NtAIg
thirty bodies weEo recovered hero aloro.
Some OF tho foremost Of the escaping
citiEenGmet tho Duluth train coming in
from the north. II was due at Hinck'
ley at 4:o6.
JUST IN TINE
Engineer Jim Root was at tho throt-
tio. lie stopped tho train aud took on
board about l25 OF the refugees who
crowded intothe train, completely filing
Il, for Il had q passenger list almost 81
largc. By this time the woods were
blazing on each side OF the track, and as
Root reversed his engine aud started
back, the cars scorched and crackled in
the heat. Root ran tho train back
about three miles to Skunk Lake aud
tho people escaped from the burning
cGts TO tho water, and no livoS wero
lost, either Of passengers or refugees.
The people who remained In Hinck-
10y farod the best Of all. The Eastorn
Minnesota tracks mark tho eastern
edge Of tho city proper. Just beyond
the road owned tract Of laud. proba'
bly, embracing at least ton acres. i
was purchased for gravel pit to furnish
material 10 fill up tho approach OF tho
compauy's bridge across tho Grindstono
and at othor points on It's line. To the
fact that 1t had boon uaod for this put
pose, almost 10 Its exhaustion, about
hundred uinckleyitos owe thcir lives.
Tho whole area indicated had beon OK.
cavated 10 q depth In tho centre Of thir.
ty or forty feet. There was stagnnnt
pool OF rainwater In the centre, three
feet in greatoIt depth. The pit was
wido and deep and to II fed those citi-
zons who we're willing to trust 10 its
friendly depths. There were possibly q
hundred Of them, and In addition to
tho human beings number Of domestic
animals sought safety there.
REFuGR IN THE RIVER.
1t was really tho safest place about
Hincklcy. Three or four hundred
! trunks which were rolled only half way
down the sloping bank passed through
the Gro unscathed. Tho people went in
here rs the eastern train pulled ont q
few minutes after 4 o'clock and hero
they remained until after 8, while the
smoke and flaines from tho burning
city rolled over their heads. They
dashed water over each other and COW
cred their heads with wet cloths to pre-
| vent sulocation. Ono unknown man
succumbed to the smoke or tho terriolo
strain and fell In the water and was
drowned. So far as known this was tho
only tragedy OF the gravel pit. Others
| OF tho citizens sought refuge in tho
Grindstono rivor under the abutments
of the two railway bridges and tho foot
| bridge. The oxact number cannot bo
known, as they wero scattered along u
| considerable distance. That many es-
caped and some were drowned is we'll
known. Mrs. Martin Martinson and
her four little children were taken,
drowned, from tho water this morning.
In tho meantime Hinckloy was burn
ing with irightiul rapidity aud in q tOw
hours nothing was loft but blackencd
ruins. Tho loss will certainly exceod
a million dollars, but with light insur-
auco.
THE FATE OF SANDSTONE
Tho situation at Sandstone is even
more appalling than at Hinckloy, OK.
cent In point OF numbers. OF tho 200
people in the town one.fourth are dead.
Ottf Staaerieldt reached horc from that
place tonight.
He Gays tho people were Just prepar-
| ing to leave when tho fro closed in on
three sides aud not single person
saved q thing except his clothing.
| About 100 went to tho river and so or 90
were burned to-death. At 4 o'clock
this morning he saw over forty bodies
| charred and burned lying on cvery
eide. The people who wore saved ore
living on potatoes and carrots loft in
the ground.
Nj. Gilroy, conductor on tho Eastorn
Minnesota road. says all bridges have
boon burned. Ono gcntlemen found
forty.seven dead bodies at Sandstone
living uncovered In tho sun. Tho peo'
ple are destitute Of everything.
In addition to forty-soven bodies at
Sandstone there are twenty at kottlc
river junction. All the settlors in the
vicinity arc probably burned to death.
O'Neill Brothers had twelve camps In
the woods there and oil those are
burned. Most Of the inmates, howovor,
are believed TO have escaped with their
lives.
There arc eleven homeless families at
Mission Creek and the same story is
true OF several other places in that
vicinity.
Another dispatch says: Nothing fur
ther has yot been received from Millaca,
and how much may have been the sui.
tering cannot at this timo bo known.
Dridgoman, was apparently safe after
hard fight. Tho flames, have, however,
been worry threatening around that
town aud as It is vory dry all over that
part Of tho state, the worst is feared.
MANY SAD STORIES.
Tho party that came through tho 1rcs
around Hincklny in the hand car suffer-
cd severely from burns. Their injuries,
hoyeyor, will not provo fatal. Thoy
tell many sad stories OF what thcy saw.
Ono woman who had evidently tried to
save her five children was ovortakcn By
tho fory flames and tho whole family
porlshed close to tho railroad track.
Another case was whero mother, eco.
ing hcr house in flames, ran in TO sayo
her children. Her husband also fol-
lowed hor, and the walls Of tho house
cavcd in before they could get out.
Tho passenger train from Duluth
which these mon worO on is in ashes,
and the reBt Of tho passengers have
takon refuge in marsh near Skunk
Lake, whoro they aro surrounded by
flrc, Tho engineer was badly burned
by tho flames, but stuck to his post aud
got all Of tho passengers out OF tho iirO
safely. This engineer, James Root, is
ono NJ tina heRt known md DlickiOgt of