The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1908-10-23
FIFTEEN PERSONS PERISH
IN A FLAMING TRAIN
Rails Spread, Cars PIunging Into
a CuIvert in Michigan
FOREST FIRES COST MANY LIVES
Flames at Sides of Track Had Warped
Rails and Locomotive Stalled in
Midst of Roaring Furnace
Metz, Mich. Destroyed.

Midst OF Roaring Furnace
Metz, Mich. Destroyed.
Alpena. Mich. - Cooped up in
ditched relief train with blazing for
est fires or both sides OF the tracks,
the flames forming an arch over the
cars, twenty-five persons, most Of
them women and children, were
burned to a crisp.
Fifteen of the unfortunates, at
least zine of them small children and
three women. their mothers, were
cremated in an iron gondola car. The
body OF this car became red hot and
roasted the poor people who had
climbed into 1t as a place of refuge.
Practically all that was found in the
car when 1t was examined were fifteen
charred skulls.
Arthur Lee. the fireman on the
train. leaped into the water tank of
the locomotive and was literally
boiled to death. William Barrett,
the brakeman, was incinerated on the
engine.
Conductor Kinville and Engineer
Foster escaped by craving along the
tracks on their hands and knees with
the forests on either side roaring like
furnaces.
The exact number burned may
never be known. There was no rec
ord Of those on the train. They
tumbled aboard pellmell at Metz. a
little town which was threatened on
all sides by forest fires, which were
sweeping toward it almost in a circle.
Metz is twenty-five miles north Of
here on the Detroit and Mackinac
Railway. 1t was not the only place
threatened when the forest fires sud
denly became threatening again and
burned with greater fury than they
did few weeks ago. From all over
Pressure Isle County, in which this
city is situated, reports of furious
fires came, and then communication
was cut off. Telephone and telegraph
wires were rendered useless by the
intense heat, and there are many
small places which may have been
wiped out with their inhabitants, but
it will be days before the full extent
OF the horror can be ascertained
Stirring appeals for help came from
Metz before communication was cut
OFF. The village had about 100 inhab-
itants, and their extreme danger
caused the officers of the Detroit and
Mackinac Railway to order that re-
lief measures be taken.
An improvised rescue train was
hurriedly made up at Metz. 1t con-
sisted of eight box or freight cars and
q gondola car. The train was ready
to leave late in the afternoon, but the
householdeTs of Metz insisted upon
delaying its departure until they
could load furniture, stores and other
possessions on the cars. Had the
train started with the residents of
the place, and without waiting for the
furniture and other goods, the horri-
bic catastrophe that followed would
have been averted.
Not only were the residents OF Metz
on the train, but refugees from the
farming districts who had fed into
the little village, also got into the
cars. These accessions from the
country districts made the total on
the train an unknown quantity.
With its load of frightened men,
women and children the train pulled
out of Metz about midnight and
started for the north. 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 toward the north
as far as Hawks Station, about half
way between Metz and Millersburg.
There the flames were sweeping
across the track so ffercely as to make
further progress in that direction
impossible.
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 a cul-
vert which had been burned through.
1t left the rails and went into the
ditch, according to the meagre reports
received through the two trainmen
who escaped.
The point where the train was
ullcHSu was pldce called NOWlcklS
Siding. On either side OF the track
were piled immense quantities of
cedar ties, posts and poles, hemlock
bark and other infammable forest
products.
John Nowicki's house stood Just
back from the track. Both Nowicki
and his wife were burned to death IN
their home, which was demolished.
In the gondola car where the
fifteen skulls were found were Mrs.
George Cicero, of Metz, and three
children; Mrs. John Konitzy, of Metz,
and three children, and Mrs. Edward
Hardies, of Metz, and three children.
These poor mothers and their chill
dren account for twelve of the fifteen
skulls found.
Word has been received from
Hurst, small village in Pressure Isle
County, that Henry c. Kemps, his
wife and two children were burned
to death in their township. The four
bodies were found in the ruins of the
farmhouse.
Chicago Has n ST 600 OO0 Fire