Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-10-16
FOREST FIRE
RELIEF TRAIN
One Bound for Metz, Mich, to
Aid Sufferers Was
Burned Up.
-------------
SEVENTEEN PERSONS DEAD.
SEVENTEEN PERSONS DEAD.
Sixteen Skeletons Found in
Burned Wreck Of a
GondoIa Car.
Details Arc N1cagcr and More May
Have Pcrishcd-tcport Were
$50 or 200 on Ill-Fated Train.


Appena, Mich, Oct. 16 Nearly u
scor: Of refugees from the fire-swept
village of Metz. 20 miles north OF this
city on the Detroit e Maukinac rail
way. are known to have been burned
TO death between Metz and the village
of Posen last night. when their relief
train WAS wrecked by burned out g,lt-
vert. Detais~ are lacking ana reports
are coming m very slowly as a result
of the destruction OF wires and poles
By the fierce forest fires hut it was
known from Milielsburg at noon, that
10 burned skulls have been found III
the ruins Of The destroyed relief train
and that the fireman was burned To
death in the water tank of his locono-
tive, where he had taken refuge.
II is not definitely known how many
persons We're aboard the relief train
when it left Metz last night, nor wheth-
el any of the refugees except the t,Ho
traiumen who have arrived at Posen,
escaped With their lives. The inforna-
ton received from Milersburg at noon
told only that the skulls had been
found in the wreck and that Conductor
kinville ana Engineer Foster escaped
from the burning train by crawling
along the track on their hands and
knees with the forests on either side
roaring furnaces
ISnrille is reported to be blind from
his burns, hut Foster is understood 10
be not seriously injured.
THE FOREST FIRES.
There are vague rumors also that
others escaped with the two trainme!i,
but up to noon they can neither be
confirmed nor denied.
The forest fires above Alpena in
ISI y
| threatening again yesterday after it
| was thought that the heavy rains early
| in the month had extinsuished them.
I They spread rapidly and We're soon
| menacing a number OF towns along the
| line OF the Detroit s; Mackinac railway.
The village of Metz. with 100 inhahit-
ants. was one of them. Its situation
4 became acutelN dangerous last night.
The Detroit & Mackiuac railroad sent
In relief train of box cars. Hnuse
hold goods and stole' stocks were load
ed In some or the cars and people
/ tilbad the others. How many were TAX
! cit aboard Is not known. nor is it
known whether any of the farmers
| from outlying points had come into
| Metz seeking refuge from the flames
1 II this Is the case there may have been
| more people on the wrecked relief train
| than the Inhabitants of the little village
| could have furnished.
TRAIN PULLS OUT.
With It's load of frightened men.
| women and children, the train pulled
| out Of Metz about midnight it is UNI
| derstood and started for the north.
| There We're flames along the track on
| both sides and the roard of the burning
woods rose above the sound of the en-
| gine The train proceeded toward the
| northa far as Hawks. about half way
| between Metz and Millerburg. There
the flames We're sweeping across the
track so fiercely as to make further
| progress in that direction impossible
The train was Immediately headed to-
ward the south and Alpena. The neces-
sity for returning again into the flame
ridden section from which they had
been fleeing increased the terror of
the passengers aboard the Inflated
extemporized relief train AS they
We're rushing through the fire and
J smoke, the train struck a culvert which
had been burned through. 1t left the
rails and piled into the ditch. accord
ing to the meager reports received
through the two trslinmen who escaped.
SCENES OF HORROR.
What scenes of horror must have
followed when the Reconstruction
refugees found themselves helpless
amid the fire from which they had been
fleeing, are not yet known from the
lips of any survivor. Conductor Kin
crawl into Posen early this morning
on their hands and knees, both badly
burned. Kinville is reported to b..
blinded by his burns. No story has
been obtained from them yet owing to
lack of wires. Only the bare report
that they are alive and in the village
has come ont.
From Mfllefsburg about noon came
the first positive confirmation of the
fate ofat least part OF the trains pas
sengers. It WAS but a brief statement.
1t said that 10 burned skulls had been
found in the ruins of i goudola car
which made up part of the train and
that the body of Fireman Lee had been
found in the water tank of the engine
where he had sought refuge and had
persisted. The repot also said that Mrs.
Cicero OF Metz and three of her chill
dren We're among the dead. That IS all
which the anxious newspaper man aud
railroad officials We're able to get. Mill
lersburg added srinly that most Of the
skulls We're thought 70 be those OF
women and children.
METZ's FATE.
Wires are down in many places
through the country and * may be sew
eral hours before anything additional
can be learned from Millersburg. Moth
ing has yet come from the north as 70
the fate OF the village OF Metz. 1t is
thought to be more than possible that
there was loss of life there, II the
flames have completed the work Of de-
struction which had begun when the
last report was received II is thought
possible that there may have been only
women and children and helpless per-
sons placed aboard the relief train
which met such a horrible fate and
that some al least of the strong men Of
the hamlet may have stayed behind TO
fight for their homes.
THE LOSS OF LIFE.
Detroit. Oct. 16,--A report received in
this city at 9;i5 n. M, says il is report
ed at East Tawas that the loss OF life
by the burning of the Metz relief train
may reach poo
A dispatch 10 the Journal from Mil
lersburg about 30 miles north Of Metz.
states that Il people were burned To
death with the Metz relief train anh
that IL skeletons have been found IN the
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