The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-10-01
THE DETAILS Of THE.
C0GsWEll
Account Of Terrible Holocaust
as Given by the Cogswell
Enterprise.

Cogswell Enterprise: About mid
night Tuesday night fire destroyed
barn beloging to John Bohnenkampt,
living seven miles southwest of Cogs-
we'll.
Six men were sleeping in the barn
at the time, two of whom are dead,
one SO badly burned there is little
hope OF his recovery, two burned
about the head and arms, but not dan
gerously, the sixth man escaping un-
injured.
Just how the fire started will proba-
bly, never be known. Several theories
have been advanced, but nothing def
mite has come to light, further than it
started in the loft in the southwest
corner, near where some of the men
were sleeping. When aroused by the
cry of fire the blaze had just sarted,
but it spread SO rapidly the whole loft
was in flames before the men could
escape.
E. w. Akers and Charlie Smalley,
the two men who were seriously
burned, came to own Immediately,
where DR.. Bradley dressed their in
juries. Neither Akers nor Smalley
know how the fire started. but the
supposition is it was started by some
one lighting a match to tell the time.
Only the night before fire was mar
roWly averted from the same source.
According to the story told by the
survivors three of the men slept on
hn CT hA
The fire started near the opening
which connected with the floor below.
The men, finding this means of es-
cape cut off, wen through trap door
into a granary which was connected
with the barn, one Of them holding up
the door while his companion passed
through. Akers and Smalley received
their injuries in an attempt to save
the man who held the door and who is
SO badly burned. Ellsworth Bor-
roughs, one of the dead men, was
found among the horses and it is
thought he made his way to the
ground floor and was trampled on by
the terrified animals as his charred
remains were found under the car
cass of horse None of the other
men saw him after the fire started.
No one seems to know anything
about the other dead man. and it is
thought he did not hear the cry of
fire until too late. His body was
found in the granary. He had, no
doubt, made an effort to escape
through the granary, finding the other
avenues cut off, but was overcome
within few feet of the granary door.
After attending to the men who
came to town DR.. Bradley went to
the farm and dressed the injuries of
the man who was so badly burned.
He was later removed to the COgs-
we'll hospital.
There were four horses. five colts,
three sets of harness, six hogs and
calf burned and small amount of
feed. A granarv connected with the
building was also consumed
The Dead.
The dead are Ellsworth Burroughs,
of Kellogg, Iowa. and an unknown
laborer. Burroughs came to North
Dakota about a month ago to work in
the harvest fields, and for time made
his headquarters at Cogswell, stop
ping with Mr.. and Mrs. Oxley. He
worked a few days at Cogswell hotel
and about a week on the construction
of the bowling alley. He left here for
Cakes short time ago, where he
hired out to Mr.. Bohnenkampt. He
was about Is years of age. The I'M
known man who is dead. hired out at
the same time. He said he had just
come from jamestown. where he had
been working.
Undertaken Prentice brought the re-
mains to town yesterday afternoon.
The unknown victim was laid to rest
in Cogswell cemetery today. The re-
mains of Burroughs were shipped to
Kellogg, Iowa, this morning on a tele-
gram from his parents.
The Injured.
E.a w. Akers, who is badly burned
about the head and arms, came to
North Dakota in March from Kansas.
He has brother living three miles
south of Cakes.
the head and hands. but no seriously.
He recently came to North Dakota
to work In the harvest fields. He
comes from Boone, Iowa.
Atom Akron, who is at the hospital,
is seriously burned in the back. A
report from he hospital this morning
says conditions are favorable to the
patient and he has chance for his
life. Akron is the man who held the
trap door open that his associates
might escape. 1t is also reported he
went back to see II all were out and
tina is how he became so badly burned.
When he reached the trap door on his
return his clothes were afire and he
fell, hanging half way out the door,
where he was seen and rescued by
Smalley and Akers. The injured man
came from Glenwood. MIMI, to work
in the harvest fields, and is about IS
years old.