The Washington times., 1894-09-03
ALL ROASTED ALIVE
CONTINUED from first page.l


Eastern train pulled out few minutes after
O'Clock, and here they remained until after
8, while the smoke and flames from the burn
ing city rolled over their heads. They dashed
water over each other and covered their
heads with wet cloths to prevent sutfocation.
! One unknown man succumbed to the smoke
or the terrible strain, and fell into the water
and was drowned. So far as known to-day,
| this was the only tragedy near the pit.
Other citizens sought refuge in Grindstone
! River under the abutments OF the two rail-
way bridges and the foot bridge. The exact
number cannot be known. as they We're scat
| tered along a considerable distance. That
many escaped and some were drowned is
we'll known Mrs. Martin Martinson and her
| four little children were taken drowned from
| the water this morning.
In the meantime, Hinckley was burning
with frightful rapidity, and in a few hours
| nothing was left but blackened ruins. The
loss will certainly exceed a million dollars,
with little insurance. The situation at Sand
stone is even more appalling than at Hinck-
ley, except in point of numbers.
oNE-FoURTH OF THE POPULATION DEAD.
OF the 200 people in the town one-fourth
are dead. Otto Stafrerfeldt reached here
from that place tonight He says
the people were just preparing to
| leave when the fire closed in on
1
thing but bis clothes. About 100 went TO the
| river, and fifty or sixty were burned TO death.
| At o'clock this morning he saw over torfy
| bodies charred and burned lying on every
side. The people who were saved are living
on potatoes and carrots left In the ground.
Mr.. Gilroy. conductor on the Eastern
| Minnesota road, says all bridges have been
burned. One gentleman found forty-seyen
| bodies at Sandstone, lying uncovered in the
| sun. The people are destitute OF everything.
In addition TO forty-seyen bodies at Sand
| stone, there were twenty at Kettle River juno
| tion All the settlers in the vicinity are prob
| ably burned TO death. 0'Neill Brothers had
twelve camps in the woods there, and all
| these are burned. Most of the inmates, how
ever are believed to have escaped with their
| lives. There are eleven homeless families at
| Mission Creek, and the same story is true of
| several other places in that vicinity.
| Pine City has turned the skating rink and
courthouse, IS well as many private houses,
into hospitals, where fifty sufferers are re-
ceiying medical attention and careful nurs-
| ing The town hall is used an eat
| ing-house, where all homeless peo-
pie are substantially fed. The school
| house, church, and hotel, and some stores are
turned over for shelter tonight. Which ever
| way the eye turns heart-rending scenes are
witnessed. The hospitals and streets are
thronged with people seeking their missing
| loved ones.
HORRORS HEAPED UPON HORRORS.
As soon as each train comes in from the
north there is a frenzied rush OF pallid in
| quirers, some of whom are doomed to disnpt
pointment forever. Fathers seek wives and
children. sisters their brothers, youths their
! mothers, and occasionally are made to re-
ioice by finding them. Few families are
| complete and the torture OF anxiety and de-
| spair is driving some people out OF their
| senses. A man going insane; a patient groan-
ing life away; woman giving premature
| birth; heap of cinders representing human
! form-these are few Of the incidents OF the
| great forest fire OF 1894.
| No trains are runRing west OF Hinckley,
and it is impossible to get accurate informa-
tion. Carlton, Rutledge and other towns in
the North are reported burned to the
| ground The Eastern Minnesota is
burned. and the Omaha has Jared
little better The Eastern Minnesota
train from Hinekley for ST. Paul at 4 o'clock,
the limited on Sunday; took about 500 people
to Duluth, all of whom are reported all right
This train got over the bridges q few minutes
before burning. At Pinetown, three miles
east of Pine City, south of Snake River and
west of ST. Croix, a fearful fire is
blazing and sweeping everything before
it, In the afternoon this fire was at least
twelve miles square, but as the wind has
gone down considerably it is hoped.its course
will be changed or checked. There are fires
north of Snake River. also in heavy timber
section which is sparsely settled.
DAZED By THE CATASTROPHE.
AS night closed in the people began TO come
out from their hiding places and made their
way over the hot embers of their city.
They were absolutely dazed by the
catastrophe, aud the night was spent
in an endeavor TO find relatives or as
certain their whereabouts. Communication
with the outer world was cut OF for hours as
completely as if they we're on desert island.
The fire had spent IT'S fury, but the air was
filed with smoke, through which CLEANED
the dull glow of gloweriug fire.
Two huge heaps OF coal, which marked the
location of the Duluth coal sheds, were
blazing and by the fltful light people were
wandering about picking out the places
where but six hours before their happy homes
had stood. The fact that so many had es-
capped by train added to the anxiety OF those
whose friends and relatives were not to be
found, while it furnished at the same time a
basis for hope that they were in safety.
When the morning broke a few energetic
spirits began to organize the work of the re-
coyery of the bodies. J. w. Sargent, pas
senger conductor on the Duluth road. got
into Hickey during the night, and he
organized a volunteer crew, who manned
two hand cars, whose capacity was in
creased by the use OF plank. They went
up the Duluth track to the north and picked
up thirty-one bodies between the river and
Skunk Lake. The bodies were wrapped up
in blankets and such cloth as could be OBJ
tanned and laid out by the side OF the track
where the depot had stood.
WAGONS HEAPED WITH BODIES.
Citizen volunteers harnessed up the avail
able 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 desolate burying
ground. mile east of town. There was
neither time nor opportunity to see the sacred
forms buried with the usual burial ceremony.
The excitement of the occasion, the horri-
BILE experience through which the living had
passed. and the more horrible form in
which death had come to the lost
had temporarily bunted the finer senses
and the dead wee heaped high OF
the Wagons and laid in piles at
the cemetery among the smoking embers and
stumps that surrounded Gods acre. 1t was
grewsome sight. DIR. D. w. Cowen the
coroner who was here, there, and every.
where in general supervision, directed the
digging of two huge pits. twenty-four by
twelve feet. in which the interment will bC
made tomorrow.
THE ROLL OF HONOR.
, ST. PAUL, Mimi, Sept. 2-From the stories
of passengers on the limited train which wa!
burned near Hinckley, the entire train crew