Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-10-20
score DIE IN fire.;
FOREST Blaze Cause
WRECKED TRAIN BURNS WITH
ITS HUMAN FREiGHT-ALL
WERE FLEEING FLAMES.
TOWN OF METZ. MICH.
COMPLETELY WIPED OUT
Panic-stricken Residents In Box Cars
Meet Death When conveyances
Run Into Damaged cuivert-
charred Skulls Number Victims.

Alpena, Mich, Oct IA score of
refugees from the fire-swept village Of
Metz, 25 miles north of this city on
the Detroit & Mackinac railway, were
burned to death between Metz and the
village Of Posen when their relief
train was wrecked by burned out
culvert. Details were lacking and re-
ports came in very slowly as a re
suit Of the destruction of wires and
poles by the fierce forest fires. but
word was received from Millersburg
that Is burned skulls have been found
in the ruins Of the destroyed relief
train and that the fireman was
burned to death in the water tank
Of his locomotive where he had taken
refuge.
The known dead:
Fireman Arthur Lee, Alpena; Brake.
man William Barrett, Alpena; Mrs.
George Cicero of Metz and three chill
dren, Mrs. John Konitczny of Metz and
three children, Mrs. Edward Hardies
Of Metz and three children. John
Nowicki, Jr., and Mrs, John No
wicki.s Jr.
1t was not definitely known how
many persons were aboard the relief
train when 1t pulled out of Metz, nor
whether any OF the refugees except
the two trainmen who have arrived
at Posen escaped with their lives.
scorched Skulls Are Found.
The information received from Mil
lersburg told only that the skulls had
been found in the wreck and that
Conductor Kinville and Engineer Fos-
ter escaped from the burning train
by crawling along the tracks on their
hands and knees with the forests on
either side roaring furnaces.
Conductor Kinville is reported to be
blind from his burns but Foster is
understood to be not seriously injured
There are rumors also, vague and I'M
satisfactory, that others escaped with
the two trainmen but they can neither
be confirmed nor denied.
The forest fires above .Alpena in
Pressure Isle county suddenly became
threatening after 1t was thought that
the heavy rains early in the month
had extinguished them. They spread
rapidly and were soon menacing q
number of towns along the line Of the
Detroit & Mackinac railroad. The lit
tie village of Metz, with about 100 In
habitants, was one Of them. Its sit
uation became acutely dangerous
Thursday night.
Box Cars az Relief.
The Detroit & Mackinac railroad
sent in. relief train of box cars.
Household goods and store stocks
were loaded on some of the cars and
people filled the others How many
we're taken aboard Is not known, nor
IL 1t known whether any of the farm
ers from outlying points had come
into Metz seeking refuge from the
flames. If this Is the case eaere may
have been more people on the wrecked
relief train than the inhabitants of the
little village could have furnished.
With its load Of frightened men. wo-
men and children the train pulled
out Of Metz about midnight, 1t is un-
derstood.. and started for the north
i There were flames along the tracks
on both sides and the roar of the
burning woods rose above the sound
OF the engine. The train proceeded to-
ward the north as far as Hawks Sta
ton, about half way between Metz
and Millersburg. There the flames
were sweeping across the track so
fercely as to make further progress
In that direction impossible.
Passengers In Terror.
The train was Immediately headed
back toward the south and Alpena.
The necessity for returning again into
the fame-ridden section from which
they had been fleeing Increased the
terror OF the passengers aboard the
Inflated extemporized relief train. As
they were rushing through the fire and
smoke the train struck 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 trainmen who had
escaped.
What scenes of horror must have
followed when the terror-stricken refu-
gees found themselves helpless. amid
the fire from which they had been
fleeing, are not yet known from the
lips of any survivor. Conductor Kin
vile and Engineer Foster managed to
crawl into Posen early Friday morning
on their hands and knees, both bad
ly burned. Kinville is reported to be
blinded by his burns. No story has
been obtained from them yet owing
to lack of wires. Only the bare re-
port that they are alive and in the
village, has come out
May Be More Loss of Life.
1t is thought to be more than pos
sible that there was loss of life there
II the flames have completed the work
Of destruction which had begun when
the last report was received. It is pos
sible that there may have been only
women and children and helpless per
sons placed aboard the relief train
which met such horrible fate anc
that some at least Of the strong me1
OF the hamlet may have stayed behiAe
to fight for their homes.
Child Dies in Explosion.
New York, Oct. 17.-One child was
killed and another seriously injured
and whole neighborhood was thrown
into tumu.t as a result of an explo
sion in the paint shop of Louis Kers
borg. The paint shop was completely
destroyed and the windows In many
surrounding buildings were shattered