Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1894-10-11
THE LAKE REFUGE.
Story of Passengers Who Escaped
Death by Plunging int skunk Lake.

James Il. LobdeJl OF St Paul Mr..
! Minneapolis, who We're passengers on
the Duluth limited express which was
burned at Skunk lake by the same fire
/ which destroyed Hinckley and other
places in northern Minnesota. told
| graphic tales of their experience and
that of scores of passengers, as
! well as Il large number of people of
| Hinckley, who crowded on the train
and SO escaped the destruction. These
three men We're the first to traverse
the Yet burning woods To a point
where they could start a relief party
after the people who We're saved by
taking refuge in Skunk lake While the
fire passed over. MIR Lobdelrs story
OF his ride on the train from Duluth.
ana OF the events which followed Il
| reported in the ST. Paul Pioneer Press.
II hope to never see such sights
again., Mr. Iobdell said We had no
intimauon of fire until ITinckley was
reached. The smoke was heavy all day
in Duluth. and after we pulled out of
there the smoke grew thicker aud
heavier and the atmosphere became
almost suffocating, despite the fact that
there was warm south wind blow
ing. On reaching Carlton. about 3
o'clock, the smoke became SO dense
that the light of the sun was entirely
obliterated, and 1t became almost as
dark as night The lamps in the ears
We're lighted. and the train thundered
on through u night made of smoke.
Still there were no signs of fire, and
only the timid ones were nervous. i
think we had about 100 passengers
leaving Duluth, and took but few be-
tween there and Hinckley. The heat
became sitting Ms we passed OH further
south, and it was impossible to keep
the car windows open on account of
the smoke. which filed the cars and
made our eyes smart and burn fear
fully On the limited rushed through
the black smoke, making no stops ex-
cept at crossings after leaving Carl
ton until it slowed up at 4.03 in the
afternoon at Hinekley. There wit
messed sights which made me sick at
heart
When the train stopped at the sta
ton q crowd of men, women and chill
dren began clambering on board with
frantic haste. They rushed and crowd
ed and damned in almost mob.
Strong men fought for Il foothold and
passed their babes through the car
4 a
selves to save their offspring. Ii was
awful. Tho passengers on the cars be-
came badly frightened when they
learned the cause of the mad scramble
to get on our train, and women tainted
in their seats, children screamed, and
pandemonium reigned supreme. The
horror of the situation was intensi-
fed when we felt the train backing
up over the ground II had but recently
traversed. No add to the general feel
ing of fear was the blackness of the
day made night by the smoke and the
heat As the train began backing mp
we could see sparks flying past lis.
The cars were damned full of people,
some half-elad men with coats or hats
and women with nothing on but their
house dresses. The train was rushing
OIL like the wind toward Skunk lake,
which we reached in about ten min
utes The conductor passed through
was in getting into the water as soon
~ possible, Immediately the train
stopped, because. he said. the fire was
close behind us, coming with the speed
of n race horse through the tall prairie
grass and underbrush, which, dry as
finder, was licked up in the fiery fur
mace like train of gupowder. The
moment the cars We're stopped at
skunk lake, a small marsh about two
acres in extent and lying close along
side the track. the passengers crowded
off pell-mell. unmindful of each other
In their mad desire to reach the water
The air was full of flying sparks and
the heat was awful
I'm my coach there were two CHINA
men, who became erazed With fright
and refused to leave their seats They
chung to the seats and could not pc
pulled away although | saw two or.
three men Juggling at them even i'll the
awful hurry of the moment. That was
the last | saw of the Cinnamon, and
later heard that they remained IN the
coach and were burned to death along
with the train. We reached the water
none too soon. The roar of the flames
could be heard south of US toward
Hinckley even before we reached the
waters edge, and a number of women
tainted before getting to the lake. They
were picked up by the male passen-
gers, and everybody reached the water
In time to save their lives. What we
suffered for four mortal hours In that
marsh battles description. Men, WON
en- and children piled into the water
in enc heterogeneous mass. Everybody
abandoned his baggage nor thought q
aught else but saving his own life.
had a small travelling grip along with
me and carried il into the water We
had been In the lake scarcely half
minute when through the wall of smoke