Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1908-10-17
FIFTEEN DIE In FIRE
Relief Train Wrecked and Destroyed
in Northern Michigan.
FLEEING FROM FOREST FLAMES
Rails Spread When Train is Between
Piles Of Cedar Ties.
VICTIMS LITERALLY ROASTED
Sides of Steel Car Containing Women
and Children Red Hot.
NUMBER OF PERSONS ESCAPE
Nearly All These Are FearfuIIy
VICTIMS LITERALLY ROASTED
NUMBER OF PERSONS ESCAPE
Nearly All These Are FearfuIIy
Burned-FIremaD is Roasted to
Death in water Tank of
Engine.

from the scene of the wreck of a relief
train in Presque Isle county, says fif-
teen men, women and children burned
to death, Is the awful fate of the vie
Tins of the worst fire that this section
ever knew
These people we're all on a train which
tried TO take them out of the town OF
Metz most Of which last night was a
raging volcano. The train was in charge
OF Conductor Kinville, Engineer Foster
and Brakeman william Barrat and Fire
man Arthur Lee. The train was COM
posed OF eight or nine wooden cars and
one steel gondoia. Into this open car
were crowded thirty or forty men.
women and children with mass of
household effects. All went we'll for a
mile or so out of Metz toward Posen
and safety.
Then at a siding the rails spread and
the engine went into the roadhed and
stopped On either side of the track were
piled immense quantities OF cedar ties,
posts and poles, hemlock bark and other
inflammable forest products.
John Nowickrs house stood just back
from the track. All these were mass
of flames close up to the track for
twenty rods on either side. The flames
swept over the doomed train, setting It
on fire. igniting the household goods
in the car with the people. Many jumped
and tried to make their way to safety
and most of these succeeded, although
fearfully burned. Nowicli and his wife
were burned to death in their home
Three mothers and nine small children
stayed in the steel car, the sides OF
which were soon red hot and they were
cremated. The remains were identified
only by objects on their bodies which
the fire could not destroy.
Arthur Lee, the fireman, sought safety
in the water tank on the engine and
was literally boiled to death William
Barrett, tho brakeman, died on the
| engine.
Partial List of victims.
ALPENA, Mich oct 16.--With fairly ae-
curate reports available this afternoon on
last nights wreck horror on the Detroit q
Mackinac railway, when a relief train car
rying fire refugees from Metz was wrecked
and burned. the death list Of persons on the
train stands at fourteen, with two more
people burned to death in their home beside
the track at the point the wreck occurred.
The dead:
FIREMAN ARTHUR LEE, Alpena.
BRAKEMAN WILLIAM BARRETT, AL
pena,
MRS. GEORGE CICERO, of Metz and
three children.
MRS. JOHN KoNITcZNY of Metz and
| three children.
MRS. EDWARD HARDIEs Of Metz and
three children.
MR.. AND MRS. JOHN NoWICKI, JR.
| The Nowickls lived beside the railroad
! track at the siding where the wreck oc-
Cured and were burned to death in their
home. Many Of the passengers OF the train
were badly bruised and cut. They are
struggling into the village OF Posen between
here and the scene of the wreck today.
| Details are still lacking and reports are
coming in very slowly as a result of the
dstruction of wires and poles by the fierce
forest fires, but 1t was known from Mil
lersburg at noon that fifteen burned skulls
have been found in the ruins OF the de-
stroyed relief train and that the fireman
was burned to death in the water tank of
his locomotive, where he had taken refuge
1t is not yet definitely known how many
persons were aboard the relief train when
it pulled out of Metz last night, nor
whether any of the refugees except the two
trainmen who have arrived at Posen es-
capped with their lives. The information
! received from Millersburg at noon told only
that the skulls had been found In the
wreck and that Conductor KinvlIle and
Engineer Foster escaped from the burning
train by crawling along the track on their
hands and knees, with the trees on either
side a roaring furnace.
Conductor Kinvile is reported to be blind
from his burns, but Foster is understood
not to be seriously injured.
Metz Surrounded by Flames.
The forest fires above Alpena, in 2resaus
Isle county, suddenly became threatening
again yesterday after it was thought that
the heavy rains early in the month had
extinguished them. They spread rapidly
and were soon menacing a number OF towns
along the line OF the Detroit & Mackinac
railroad. The little village OF Metz, with
about 100 inhabitants. was one OF them.
Its situation became acutely dangerous
last night The Detroit q Mackinac rail-
road sent in a relief train of box cars.
Household goods and store stocks were
loaded on some of the cars and people
filled the others How many were taken
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. 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
With its load OF frightened men, women
and children, the train pulled out OF Metz
about midnight, II is understood. 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 country as far as Hawks sta
tion, about half way between Metz and
Millersburg. There the flames were sweep
ing across the track so fiercely as to make
| har An,
sible.
Cars Back Into burned Culvert.
The train was Immediately headed back
toward the south and Alpena. The neces-
sity for returning again into the flame rid
den section from which they had been
fleeing increased the terror OF the pas
| .or.a.or. al.carl .-.a......-.L.--