The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-10-16
BURNED in CARS.
Women and Children Fleeing
From Forest Fires Die.
Were CoOped Up in Box Cars at
Time.
ON A RELIEF TRAIN.
Being Taken Back to Places Of
Safety.
Most Serious Disaster of Michi-
gan C0nflagatiOn.
N A RELIEF TRAIN.

A1pena, Mich, Oct. 16-According to
reports coming into Alpena today from
the north there has been heavy loss of
life in the forest fires which yesterday
and last night swept over Presque
Isle county
The most serious report is to the eff
feet that the relief train which went
to the village of Metz last night from
Hawks has been burned with a num-
Der of the refugees. 1t is impossible
as yet to secure either confirmation or
denial of this report.
Wires north are all down as a result
of the fires and 1t is impossible to raise
Nowicki station, near where the train
is reported to have left the rails and
to have been destroyed.
The reports received here say that
after the relief train had been loaded
with people and goods at Metz, it
started north, but was unable to get
farther than Hawks. Then the train
was headed south for Alpena. The re-
port says that at Nowicki station the
fire had burned through a number of
railroad ties, weakening the track and
that the rails spread. derailing a re-
lief train which was then destroyed by
fire.
1t is not yet positively known what
became of the people reported to be
on the train, but the reports which have
filtered in here say they are believed to
have been burned to death.
Engineer Foster and Fireman Lee
took refuge in a water tank. where
they stayed until the water became so
hot that they had to leave the tank and
badly but not seriously burned.
train left here early this morning
carrying physicians bound for the
north. The fires in the immediate
today and this city is now out of dam
ger. 1t is feared that there has been
much loss of life in outlying hamlets
and farms throughout Presque Isle
county.
Fourteen known to Be Dead.
Detroit, Oct. 16.-Reports to both
the Detroit News and Detroit Journal
from Alpena state that it is definitely
I known that fourteen people are burn
ed to death in the relief train from
Metz. They wer principally women
and children who were cooped up in
the box cars, the only ones available
when the train was hurried out OF
Metz.
1t is reported from Alpena that six
teen coffins were sent north on the
Reports of greater loss of life than
fourteen are current at Alpena, but it
is impossible as yet to definitely con-
firm.
The dispatcher of the Detroit &
Mackinaw railroad at East Tawas
stated over the long distance telephone
to the Associated Press that he does
not know how great was the loss of
| life in the burning of the Metz relief
train. He has been and is making
every effort to get in communication
with some officer near the scene of the
| fire.
Reports. he says, have come to his
| office in various ways of heavy loss of
| life, but he knows absolutely nothing
that is authentic The relief train was
made up of several box cars and a
way car. The last report the dis
patcher received about 1t last night
was that the women and children
from Metz were being placed aboard
| the train to be taken out of danger.
The dispatch says that the train ran
| into a burned out culvert which was
| the cause of its derailment. Among
/ those who perished are Mrs. Cicero
John Kinville of Alpena and another
member of the train crew escaped
with their lives, but terribly burned,
| by crawling along the track on their
hands and knees to Posen. 1t is re-
ported from there that Kinville is
| blind from his burns and will die. The
| other man will live.
Fifteen Skeletons Found.
Detroit, Oct. ia dispatch to the
| Journal from Millersburg, about 20
miles north of Metz, states that seven
teen people were burned to death with
! IIl0 MelZ I6ll0l TRAM anu lAIC llLlCCh
skeletons have been found in the
burned wreck of gondola car, which
made up part of the relief train.
The dispatcher of the Detroit 6
Mackinaw railroad at East Tawas has
Just confirmed over the telephone tC
the Associated Press the finding of II
dead in the ruins of the Metz relief
| train. He is absolutely without fur
| ther information however.
| Alpena reports that another relic.
train has started for the north anC
the scene of the wreck with newspaper
| men and physicians. Reports are In
sistent that there were $50 to 200 people
on the burned train, but it is impossible
to confirm this or state whether any
survivors of the train made their way
| through the burning forest to safety.