The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-10-20
DIED IN FIRE
gofese Fires Cause awful Dis
aster iD aalcalgan.
SICkENING SCENES

Relief Train Carrying Terrified In
hsbitants OF Little village At
tempts to Run Gauntlet of Flames
Only to be Ditched, Fifteen People
Losing Their Lives.
A dispatch from Alfena, Mich ,
says fifteen people lost their lives
THURSDAY night in the burning OF
shs Detroit and Mackinac Railway
relief train, which was carrying the
inhabitants of the little village 'f
Metz, 2S miles north of here, to SAT
ETY. from the. forest fires which we'g
sweeping away their homes.
The Inflated train was ditched by
spreading rail- at Nowickl siding
south of Metz, and the terrified ref
ugees were forced to abandon the
cars and rush for safety either down
she track with burning forests on
either side or into the ploughed fields
near the siding. j
Eleven Of the victims were women
and children, who were unable to
escape quickly enough from Condo
1a car. Their charred bodies wer::'
found there Friday when rescuers
reached the scene. Two Of the me l
victims were members OF the tram
crew.
Four additional fatilities occurred
in the nefghborhood Thursday night.
ar. and Mrs. Fred Wagner died from
heat and exhaustion on their farm
near the scene, and Mr.. and Mrs
Fred Nowicki, lost their lives In
their burning house near the siding.
When the forest fires closed N
Thursday about the little village
special train Of three empty boH
cars and two coal gondolas was rush
ed to Metz, and as rapidly as pos
sible people and their goods were
loaded into the cars. Some refus-
ed to abandon their goods, or the
train might have left earlier. When
the train finally started there were
about 100 frightened people aboard.
The flames were already sweeping
through the village. Nearing now
fckf crossing Engineer Foster saw
blazing piles of cedar ties on ooth
sides Of the track. Opening the
throttle he tried to dash through
at full speed, but the heat had caused
the rails to spread and ne train
left the track Blazing piles OF ties
snrrodunded it and in an instant
&he cars caught fire The terror
stricken people jumped from the cars
are rushed down the track. Three
mothers and their little ones were
not quick enough. They were Gre
mated in the car.
Brakeman Barrett sprang into tne
water tank behind the engine ohiS
10 he literally boiled to death as
the flames swept over 1t. Engin-
aer Foster and Conductor kinVliie
Red down the track through the nrs
and smoke, and were the nrst u
reach the village of Posen and re-
mort the wreck and ask for assls-
lance. Behind them staggered a
burned and wounded procession d
refugees. .,o
It was q fearful march over the
hot ties with the flames and ournins
woods on either side of the track
roaring and swapping in their races.
engineer Foster was terribly ourne''
about the head and face, but 1t Is
+boneht that he will survive. Many
NJ the refugees are suffering painful
burns.
The survivors of the frightful ex,
Derience seemed dazed by their perl
and sufferings and were unable To
give any coherent statement as 20
whether anybody was left behind IN
A,etz. 1t will probably be week
or more before it is known defn1tei!
how many people peri"Red in the
village Of Metz.
When the relief train left Metz
II carried all the inha abitants OF ths
village except George Cicero, the sta
ton agent, who stayed to hand'S
the railroad wire and escaped
through ploughed fields only to hn0
his wife and three children ere
mated in the wreck Of the rellel
train. A fourth child, boy, abon'
y wears old, had jumped from th'
burning car and escaped with bu,
slight injuries.
Every report received Friday nign
from the fire-swept country to the
north of this city increases the extern
and gravity of the fire situation, anc
the death list which started Friday
with the cremating Of fifteen peop!t
in the Metz relief train, Is steadily
growing. PresQue Isle and Cheoo"
gan counties are all flames, and tne
75 miles between this city and Che
bovgan Is reported to be almost ::
solid mass of fire. Alpena County 4
ablaze In every direction. Reports
of fatilities are coming from man!
places. From Metz Township Fridai
night the cremation was reported o
Henry Kemps, his wife and two chir
dren in their farm house.
Bolton, South Rogers and Metz arc
o,o tho destroypd villages. Lc